Even against a team they have only beaten once dating back to 2013, the Timberwolves played Wednesday’s game like a losing streak never existed.
Sound defense and a strong bench showing gave the Timberwolves a 98-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, a team they had previously only defeated once in the last 12 contests.
“We know who they are. They’re a terrific team,” Wolves head coach Tom Thibodeau said of the visiting Spurs after the game. “They’re a deep team, they’re experienced, and they don’t beat themselves.”
The game was a close one — early especially — and featured moments where the starting lineups put the game in question for the Wolves. When Thibodeau inserted his bench – the entire bench, in this case – he was able to find some success.
It was the best game of the year for both Nemanja Bjelica and Shabazz Muhammad, who shot a combined 9 of 14 for 20 points. Bazz had all of his points in the first half, but was still an absolute positive for him.
Thibodeau was even more enthusiastic about it.
“The bench saved us.”
Bjelica, who has seen his minutes steadily increase as his production stayed consistent, played his best basketball of the season Wednesday. He played good team defense, facilitated on offense and took shots without hesitation. All of those things have been points of issue for him in the past, but they seem to be slowly fading through this season.
“The bench did a great job, especially defensively. We brought extra energy. This is our job,” Bjelica said in the locker room following the game. “Sometimes, the starters are trying to find a rhythm. We have to step up and give everything.”
Most of the starters still held their own, as well. Karl-Anthony Towns, celebrating his 22nd birthday, had a (mostly) complete game, gobbling up the stat sheet, all while holding LaMarcus Aldridge to a 5 of 14 night from the field.
“We went out there and said we needed to get stops and we got the stops – not just one, but multiple,” Towns said. “That’s a sign of a team that’s getting very far.”
Jeff Teague started 0 for 3 from the field, but proceeded to make seven of his next 10 shots, finishing with 16 points. The most important stat for him, however, might be the two turnovers. In his previous three games, he had accumulated 14 and had looked inconsistent in other aspects.
And while it was a rough scoring night for both Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins, both found ways to contribute to the team’s success. Butler shot 2 of 13 from the field, but still collected five assists with three steals and helped take the lane away from his perimeter assignments.
Wiggins shot just 4 of 11, but still played sound defense and collected an assist to Teague, who hit a 3-pointer that might have sealed the game.
It was a game that only felt in doubt when the entire bench was sitting. Considering their bottom-five standing in bench scoring, this was a huge development. The starters-versus-starters matchups were the only times the Spurs ever went on a run, and it’s the reason why Towns – despite his disgusting stat line – somehow ended up with a plus-minus of 0, the worst on the team.
Aside from the general impressive play from Bjelica, the bench was in higher use in-part due to the absence of one of its key members. Gorgui Dieng was a game-time decision, but ultimately missed his third straight game due to an injured finger. He did get some shots up at pre-game shootaround, but that ended quickly when it appeared as though the discomfort started to set in.
With this win, the Timberwolves moved to 9-5 on the season and into the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference standings. They’ll have a chance to get to 10 wins on Friday when they travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks — a team they’ve already had a successful outing against.
Wednesday’s win against the Spurs, however, might top that Mavericks win for their most complete victory so far this year. They only allowed 86 points and cleaned up their transition defense in a revolutionary way. In fact, they only gave up three fast-break points, and just two fast-break shot attempts at all.
Keeping up that sort of quality play will be what Thibodeau wants going forward, but the momentum for his team is good heading into the weekend.
“We just want to improve each day, each game.”
Listen to Tim on Wolves Wired!
