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Now THAT was a ball game! As of late, we are seeing some real progress from the young Timberwolves who have been under-performing. They have been closing out more games and holding onto leads. Minnesota showed a lot of grit and maturity in this absolute nail-biter.
1st Quarter: Minnesota won the quarter 26-23. Andrew Wiggins lead the way with 10 points, Towns contributed 9 points, and LaVine had 5. On the Orlando side of the ball, Serge Ibaka lead the way with 10 points. Rubio was getting the ball moving early on with 4 assists. Surprisingly, Jeff Green had 3 assists in 4 minutes during the 1st quarter. Haven’t heard much from him this year.
2nd Quarter: Orlando won the quarter 28-26. The Magic came out with a spark. They wanted to get back into this game. With the way the Wolves were playing, it could’ve slipped right out of their hands. Karl-Anthony Towns & Andrew Wiggins both went into the half with 13 points. On the Magic side of the ball, Serge Ibaka went into the half with 12 points, and Elfrid Payton went into the half with 11 points. On a side note, Ricky Rubio made two 3-pointers in the 2nd quarter. No, pigs aren’t flying. It didn’t end there, he was just getting started.
3rd Quarter: This quarter was a tie. Both Minnesota and Orlando scored 28 points. It was a back and forth game between two teams who were getting physical. Speaking of physical, how about those refs? Really letting them play huh? At the end of the 3rd quarter, Ricky Rubio was tied for Minnesota’s leading scorer with 19 points and 5 made threes. No, pigs are still not flying. Karl-Anthony Towns also had 19 points, and Wiggins had 17. On the Orlando side of the ball, Elfrid Payton lead the way still with 18 points. Serge Ibaka trailed behind him with 15 points. By the way, can we just appreciate this buzzer-beater by Shabazz for a second?
Shabazz at the beater from DEEP! #BazzerBeater https://t.co/ypHhTe351i
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 31, 2017
4th Quarter/OT: I’m just going to count these two as one because that’s how it felt. It was full of grit, tough shots, and determination. My personal favorite was the Andrew Wiggins dunk in the 4th quarter.
Whoops, didn't see you there Vucevic! 😱😱😱 https://t.co/6c6oi5B0vZ
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 31, 2017
Talk about force. Orlando outscored Minnesota 19-18 in the 4th quarter, but Minnesota outscored Orlando 13-7 in OT. The Timberwolves ended up defeating the Magic 111-105. Ricky Rubio ended up with 22 points and SIX made 3-pointers. No, pigs are STILL not flying. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m all in on Rubio doing the 3-point contest after tonight. This guy might be a more pure shooter than Steph Curry. Andrew Wiggins lead the team in scoring with 27 points. Karl-Anthony Towns was second behind him with 23 points. Shabazz provided a much needed boost off the bench with 10 points. On the Orlando side of the ball, Elfrid Payton lead the Magic with 21 points.
Next Game: Minnesota plays again on Wednesday versus the defending Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland at the Quicken Loans Arena.
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