For the second-consecutive game, Andrew Wiggins stepped up when the Wolves needed him to.
The Wolves came away with a 126-118 road win over the Clippers in Los Angeles on Monday night, despite not having Jimmy Butler (knee) or Jamal Crawford (toe). While it’s generally a good thing to have those two on the court for the Wolves, Wiggins made sure the Wolves didn’t miss a beat, putting up a 40 spot on the Clippers, his sixth 40th-point game of his career and first of the season.
Minnesota hopes Butler isn’t out for long, but it’s an opportunity for Wiggins to get some confidence and grow a bit.
Blake Griffin finished with 32 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds to lead Los Angeles, but had two costly turnovers (a double dribble and an errant pass) that ended the Clippers’ chance of a comeback.
Jeff Teague was solid for the Wolves, finishing with 30 points and six assists while shooting 16-for-17 from the free-throw line. Nemanja Bjelica started for Butler and finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Taj Gibson added 14 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Karl-Anthony Towns rounded things out with 11 points and 17 rebounds.
Montrezl Harrell led the Clippers’ bench with 23 points and six rebounds. All-Star hopeful Lou Williams added 20 points and seven assists. Rookie point guard Milos Teodosic finished with 15 points and six assists.
The win moves Minnesota to 31-18 and in sole possession of third place in the West and four games back from the Rockets for the No. 2 seed.
The Clippers fall to 23-23, ninth in the West.
Highlight of the Night
With 4:50 left in the second quarter, Gibson found Wiggins on a back-door cut and Wiggins threw it down. Great finish by Wiggins, but pretty incredible vision from Gibson to find him.
Numbers Game
- The Wolves now have 31 wins this season, the same amount of wins they ended the 2016-17 campaign with.
- Minnesota moves to 3-0 against the Clippers this season.
- Towns didn’t have his best game, but he had another double-double, the 41st of his season which leads the NBA.
Player of the Game
Easily Wiggins. His 40 points was impressive, but he was efficient doing it, shooting 16-for-28 from the field and 3-for-7 from the 3-point line. He also added six rebounds, one assist and one block.
In his last two games with Butler out, Wiggins is averaging 34.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 55.1 percent from the field.
“It was amazing,” Towns said about Wiggins after the game. “I don’t know if I put voodoo on him, but I told him he was going to get 40 tonight. So, he made me look good. I am happy for him, he was out there playing spirited basketball and was playing at a high level all night. It seemed like we were out there in Staples Center watching a young Kobe tonight.”
Up Next
The Wolves stay on the West Coast and play the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. on Fox Sports North and 830 WCCO.