The Minnesota Timberwolves traveled to the warm confines of Orlando, Florida, on a quest to even up the team’s unimpressive 1-2 road record. This was the third game of a four-game road stretch, and the Timberwolves wanted to string together a couple of wins, particularly after so many jigsaw puzzle pieces seemed to snap into place against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite the fact that the Orlando Magic’s record was only 4-10 entering the game, the list of opponents bested by the Magic is a virtual Who’s Who of potential NBA Playoff teams at the conclusion of this season. The Magic entered their seven-game home stretch with a record of 1-7. This team then defeated the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Phoenix Suns handily.
The Timberwolves entered this game with a record of 6-8, but after weeks of dysfunctional play and inconsistent play, the Timberwolves showed signs of building off their Cleveland Cavaliers win.
A sampling of Timberwolves Game Takeaways
The Timberwolves showed a bit of grit in this one, rocketing out to an early lead and then fending off a second-half rally by the Magic. But this was more than a win. The +/- rating of all five starters ended as a (+) for all five starters, and with ratings that came in at or above (+12).
Of the 126 points scored by the Timberwolves in this one, the duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for more than half of the team’s total scoring, coming in at a hefty sum of 65 points between the pair.
While no starter recorded a double-double, all starters scored in double digits, and three of five Timberwolves starters hauled in eight rebounds on the evening.
It was a solid game for the entire Timberwolves roster, as the team committed just 15 fouls and turned the ball over just 11 times.
The Timberwolves dominated on fast break points by a margin of 30 to 9. The Timberwolves won the battle for points in the paint by 58-56. The Timberwolves rocketed out to an 18-point lead in this one, and never let the lead slip under nine points in this one.
The statistic that I enjoyed the most is that of perimeter shooting. While the Timberwolves shot just 33.3 percent from three-point range, the team held the Orlando Magic to just 25.7 shooting from long range. If the Timberwolves can continue that type of defense, this team is absolutely going places.
Final
Minnesota Timberwolves
126
Orlando Magic
108
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