Timberwolves vs. Pistons: Minnesota Steals the Show
Coming off a loss to the Lakers, Minnesota shot an impressive 52 percent from the floor to beat Detroit, 116-105.
Kevin Love led the pack with 20 points, while newcomer Anthony Randolph added 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
It was the Wolves’ reserves that said it all Wednesday night. Minnesota owed 61 of its points to its second unit, while the Pistons’ bench tallied only 34 points.
Randolph put up a season-high performance against Detroit, and fans and teammates alike are excited to see how the young forward progresses.
“I can’t talk about [Randolph] enough,” Jonny Flynn commented postgame.
“He’ll grab a rebound and wave you off and push the ball. To have a guy 6-11 out there doing that, that’s willing to run every single time after a missed shot, you have to run. You can’t have a guy 6-11 beat you down the court, so that makes everybody run even more.”
In addition, Anthony Tolliver and Lazar Hayward came off the bench to score 13 and 16 points, respectively.
Total, the Minnesota lineup boasted six players with double-digit points.
“Everybody played a solid ballgame, and that’s what we need,” said Love.
One can only hope that coach Kurt Rambis can continue to have this much confidence in his backups.
Flynn dished out an impressive 14 assists, a career high, on the way to a win. Wednesday’s contest was an example of something rarely seen by the young ballclub: everything worked. The players gelled on both offense and defense, and energy sparked through the arena.
“That’s how we play,” Love said during a fourth quarter Wolves run.
The Pistons struggled to find their niche, shooting 43 percent from the floor and an embarrassing 20 percent from downtown. Austin Daye led his team with 22 points, followed by Greg Monroe with 18.
Grabbing 20 boards, Love sealed his 48th consecutive double-double. If the forward out of UCLA can post a double-double against Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas in the upcoming week, he will have broken the record.
The previous streak of consecutive games was set by Moses Malone in 1976.
Wednesday’s win marks the Timberwolves’ fifth road win of the season, bringing their overall record to 15-47.
