Andrew Wiggins was absolutely clutch down the stretch for the Timberwolves on Sunday night in their home opener against the Miami Heat.
Wiggins came up big, scoring 16 much-needed fourth-quarter points (5-7 FG), 12 coming from the 3-point line, to lead the Wolves to a 116-109 win. The sixth-year wing scored 11-straight points for Minnesota in the final period.
He finished with a team-high 25 points. To make his late performance even more impressive, it's worth pointing out that he wasn’t having a particularly great game going into the fourth quarter. He had just nine points and shot just 4-for-14 from the field and was 0-for-6 from deep.
But things can change in a hurry in this league, and Wiggins proved that when the Wolves needed it most. It’s the second time in three games we’ve seen Wiggins come up clutch late in a game after not having a great start to a game. We got to see “Overtime Wiggins” in the season opener against the Nets on Wednesday.
The Wolves move to 3-0 on the season. It’s the first time since 2013-14 they’ve started 3-0.
Karl-Anthony Towns started the game out hot, which was no surprise considering how well he’s played to start the season. Towns had 15 points and five rebounds in the first quarter. But the Heat cooled him off. Towns finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the game. That would be great for most players. Chances are Towns isn’t thrilled with his performance. He has three double-doubles in as many games.
After leading 36-23 to end the first quarter, the Wolves found themselves down by as much as seven points in the third quarter. But they battled back and came away with the win, something this team probably wouldn’t have done in the past. But it’s clear this team has some fight to them.
We can’t ignore the play of point guard Jeff Teague. Teague finished with a quiet 21 points and eight rebounds, shooting an incredibly efficient 5-for-8 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. Shabazz Napier led the second unit with 12 points while Robert Covington had his first double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Minnesota is one of three Western Conference teams yet to lose a game. The others are Denver and San Antonio.
More content to come Monday morning.
The Wolves are back at it on Wednesday in Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on Fox Sports North and 830 WCCO.