Despite a post-Halloween onslaught by the one they call “Boogie”, and despite just 2 points from foul-plagued Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves looked like a team that deserved its third straight win.
DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis were as devastating as ever, but the slim pickings the pair has in support became evident quickly. Looking beyond the 59 combined points for the duo, only Jrue Holiday and Tony Allen showed any additional signs of life offensively.
The Wolves, on the other hand, looked deeper than they have in years. With Towns playing just 23 minutes and not scoring until late in the fourth quarter, the bench stepped up for their young star, piling up 45 combined points.
Perhaps most notable off the bench was Gorgui Dieng, who has struggled to find his role off the bench early this season. Subbing in for Towns and getting a season-high 25 minutes, Dieng played his smartest and most efficient basketball of the season. The stats – 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal – weren’t jaw-dropping, but his ability to instantly mesh with the starters was quickly noticeable, and absolutely vital. Instead of trying to duplicate what Towns does, he played a role similar to last season’s version of Dieng; lots of elbow action and play off of the lead guard.
His chemistry with Jimmy Butler seems to be making strides. The two of them played well off each other in the middle quarters, alternating with Jamal Crawford as Dieng’s two-man game partner. It’s unclear what Dieng’s role will be when Towns plays his usual big minutes, but it is reassuring to know he can still hack it as a starter.
The Wolves seemed to have the advantage throughout the majority of the game, despite the lead never growing past 12 points. This happened, in part, because no one Wolves player was able to take off and put the game away.
When the Wolves got the lead to 12 with about nine minutes to go, the opportunity to put the game away was there and available. Instead, the Pelicans went on a 10-2 run, and would eventually go on to tie it up. The lead was never fully relinquished, but it came close on a few occasions. It probably would have disappeared all together had it not been for a couple of former Bulls.
The hero of the game may have been Butler, who did have the and-one bucket to essentially put the game away. On the other hand, it may have been Taj Gibson. He only finished with 11 points (nine of those in the first quarter), but his stellar defense on Davis – yes, giving up 24 points on 8/18 shooting is considered “stellar individual defense” when talking about Davis – and clutch offensive rebounds late in the fourth quarter saved his team from any chance at a blown lead.
This six-point win was the biggest of the Wolves season thus far, and that could bee seen as a problem. Of any win so far this season, this one gave Tom Thibodeau the best chance to pull away and give his starters a rest. Instead, he’s had to deal with nail-biters on every victory through the season’s opening stages.
It’s hard to criticize win margins this early in the season, especially when considering the new cast of characters, but when the Wolves start facing more elite teams – or even a more acquainted Oklahoma City squad – holding onto those leads will be harder to do. But at this point, Thibodeau – and just about any Wolves fan – will take a win margin of any amount as long as it’s a win margin.
It’s hard to look at this game with any intense level of negativity. The Timberwolves have now won three games in a row, and head into a weekend with a pair of winnable games at the Target Center. The goal will be to learn to win in a way to give Thibodeau a chance to rest his stars; but the in the meantime, the wins are nice.
It looks like this team is headed in the right direction, and that’s what is might important at this point. After the pair of ugly road losses a week ago, the collective unease surrounding this team was heavy. Responding with three straight victories, against playoff-caliber teams, should be seen as a good thing, no matter what the margin. On Wednesday’s, the Pelicans came viewed as a fringe playoff team, but a dangerous one when their bigs are on. The Wolves won their third straight against them, and it looked like they deserved it.
They aren’t a finished product yet, but it looks like they might be a good product. They’re getting there, anyway.
Listen to Tim on Wolves Wired!
