The Timberwolves were coming into this game after a win against the Lakers on Friday. Tonight they faced the San Antonio Spurs who they saw twice last week. Both the Timberwolves and Spurs split their matchups last week (1-1). The Spurs came into this game on a mission as they were the aggressive team from the tip-off. It was tough for the Timberwolves to keep up with the Spurs in transition as they were outplaying with energy. The Spurs made every hustle play and imposed their will tonight with ease. Keldon Johnson was the star of the game for the Spurs.
Johnson showed that he was able to improve his 3-point shooting this offseason and showed he had the big shot-making ability. On the night Johnson had 25 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Anything Coach Pop needed from Johnson he was able to get as he was scoring on whoever defended him. The Timberwolves were able to shut down the majority of the starters on the night for the Spurs except for Keldon Johnson. The unsung hero for the game tonight for the Spurs was Doug McDermott as he shot 50% from the field and scored 23 points off the bench. When McDermott is that hot it can be a long night and it definitely was for the Timberwolves. At one point the Timberwolves were down by 19 points but they came all the way back down by 4 points.
It was the bench scoring that hurt the Timberwolves because the Spurs bench scored 43 of the 107 points. The bright spot for the Timberwolves was that Karl-Anthony Towns was able to get his rhythm going on the night. Towns finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was one of those games where he came out and let it be known it was his night. Anthony Edwards was struggling early in this game and that gave Towns more opportunity. This team has all the ingredients to be special but they need some time to get that chemistry down. It won’t happen overnight and you can’t rush it but it will take the small things like energy, hustle, and heart if they want to win. They have all of that and more we just need to see it on a consistent basis. Anthony Edwards’ offense came to life in the 2nd half as he finished with 18 points.
The Timberwolves will look to bounce back as they play the Phoenix Suns next on November 1st. As the Timberwolves will now start a small stretch of games where they will be playing playoff contenders.
Photo Credit: (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
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