Todd Barin
Web Editorial Associate
Well that’s one way to go into the All-Star Break.
After a disappointing performance against the Pelicans on Monday that Mitchell deemed ‘just one of those games,’ Minnesota bounced back and beat a very talented Toronto Raptors team on Wednesday, 117-112.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a career-night scoring, putting up 35 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Andrew Wiggins contributed heavily by netting 26 and Ricky Rubio was one triple-double watch with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Raptors were 9-1 in their last 10 games heading into their matchup with the Wolves and sitting at the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, were heavy favorites.
Minnesota played well down the stretch by hitting clutch shots and locking up defensively to take down their non-conference foe.
DeMar DeRozan didn’t make it easy on the Wolves, however, scoring 35 points on 11-for-19 shooting on the night.
The Timberwolves go into the All-Star break with smiles and a lot of momentum having won three out of their last four games.
Numbers Game:
10: The amount of points the Wolves bench contributed in the ballgame. Each starter played over 34 minutes and with no player giving a huge spark off of the bench, Mitchell rode his starters all the way to victory.
53: Minnesota played aggressively on Wednesday night and caused Toronto to commit 34 personal fouls. The Wolves got to the free throw line this many times and made 43 of their attempts (81 percent)
14: Scoring 25, 30 and 26 points in his last three games respectively, Minnesota contained Kyle Lowry to this many points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Leader of the Pack: Karl-Anthony Towns
The No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft had himself a night to remember. The 20-year-old out of Kentucky University put up a stat-line of: 35 points (12-19), 11 rebounds, three blocks and zero turnovers in 35 minutes of action. It was the second time in the young rookie’s career that he’s had a 30-10 game.
Highlight of the Night
Karl-Anthony Towns had a couple of ferocious dunks on the night, but this one came midway through the third quarter to help stem a 33 point period from Minnesota.
Up Next:
Three members of the Timberwolves will make their way to Toronto to participate in All-Star weekend. Zach LaVine will be in the Dunk Contest and will join Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in the Rising Stars Challenge.