Andrew Wiggins, Timberwolves Top Warriors in Derrick Rose's Debut
Derrick Rose made his Minnesota Timberwolves debut Sunday. It did not go well for him on a personal level.
Luckily, the rest of the Timberwolves picked up the slack.
Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double, leading Minnesota to a 109-103 win over the Golden State Warriors. The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Timberwolves, who were dangerously close to falling out of the playoffs in the close 3-10 seed race in the Western Conference.
Towns, who finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds, scored 14 of Minnesota's 25 fourth-quarter points. He'd scored just 28 points over the last two games, contests that helped drop the Wolves to the No. 6 seed.
The Wolves starting lineup dominated throughout, with all five players finishing in double figures and with a positive plus-minus. Wiggins scored 22 of his 23 points in the first three quarters to help keep the Wolves in striking distance.
Jeff Teague (10 points, 10 assists) and Taj Gibson (11 points, 13 rebounds) also had double-doubles, while Nemanja Bjelica (10 points) and Jamal Crawford (12 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Wolves.
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 39 points and added 12 rebounds but did so on an inefficient 11-of-32 shooting. This was the first time since Durant joined the Warriors that he's taken 30 or more shots in a game.
Klay Thompson added 21 points but also struggled with an 8-of-22 shooting clip. The Warriors hit on only 40.7 percent of their shots and 10 of their 36 attempts from three. Durant was a game-worst minus-19 when he was on the floor, and Golden State's starting lineup struggled once again without Stephen Curry, who remains out with an ankle injury.
It was the Warriors bench, led by a 16-point, 11-rebound effort from Zaza Pachulia, that kept Golden State in the contest.
The main headline of the Wolves' reserves was the debut of Rose, who had two points and two assists in seven minutes. He missed four of his five shots, and the Warriors outscored the Wolves by 17 points in the brief time he was on the floor.
The Wolves now have a one-day travel break before visiting the Washington Wizards on Monday. The Warriors, who have lost two straight for just the second time this season, have a two-day break before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
