Andrew Wiggins finished with 24 points, shooting an efficient 11-for-17 from the field and 2-for-4 from the 3-point line on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, it wasn’t enough as they fell 123-114 on the road to the Blazers.
It marked the third-straight game the Wolves were without Jimmy Butler. During his absence, Wiggins has averaged 31 points while shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line, but obviously the Wolves are better with Butler than without.
The teams went into the half tied at 54-54, but Portland erupted with a huge 43-point quarter, which ended up being the difference in the game.
Jamal Crawford, after missing two games with a toe injury, had a solid night off the bench, finishing with 19 points and five assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and nine boards. Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson scored 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Damian Lillard led Portland with 31 points and six assists, while C.J. McCollum added 28 points and five assists. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 15 points to go with seven rebounds. Ed Davis led the bench with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Pat Connaughton added 12.
Minnesota falls to 31-19, fourth in the West. Portland improves to 26-22, seventh in the West.
Highlight of the Night
With 4:31 left in the first half, Crawford did his thing, connecting on a 3-pointer. But that wasn’t all. Crawford was fouled and nailed the free-throw. He has 52 career four-point plays in his career. That’s an NBA record.
Here are Crawford’s first-half highlights from Portland:
Numbers Game
- The Wolves are now 2-1 against the Blazers this season. The final game in the season series is on March 1 in Portland.
- Portland lit it up from deep, shooting 17-for-31 from the 3-point line.
- Minnesota was safe with the ball, turning it over just six times.
Player of the Game
Wiggins was solid again offensively for the Wolves, scoring 24 points. He was 0-for-2 from the free-throw line, though. It would be nice to see Wiggins get more free-throw attempts, especially for a player who attacks the rim so aggressively.
Up Next
The Wolves are back at it Thursday night in Golden State to take on the defending champs. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. on TNT and 830 WCCO.