As the blowout win over the Indiana Pacers closed on Sunday afternoon, most the Minnesota Timberwolves starters got a much-needed bit of rest to end the game.
Jimmy Butler and Tyus Jones only played 27 minutes, while Taj Gibson and Andrew Wiggins only notched 31. The win itself was nice, but the rest is major.
Not only did they have to fly back to Minneapolis that night, they had the Los Angeles Lakers waiting for them when they got there.
The last time the Wolves played the Lakers was on Christmas night. It was a mostly ugly affair; the Wolves had several opportunities to build a big lead, but failed to do so until very late in the game.
Still, the Wolves have looked better since and surrounding that game; not just in the fourth quarter, but in all 48 minutes of the game.
Since their win over Portland on Dec. 18, the Wolves top the league in offensive rating, are 17th in defensive rating – a big jump from the beginning of the year, when they sat in the bottom two – and have the third-best net rating.
They’re still middle of the pack in the middle two quarters, but have jumped out to the top 10 in net rating in the fourth quarter. Considering where they’ve been, this is a good sign for the future.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have struggled since their Christmas Day matchup with the Wolves. Their losing streak is now up to six, and they’ve lost nine of their last 10 games, dating back to Dec. 12.
One of their few shining lights all year has been rookie Kyle Kuzma. Even in this rough stretch, Kuzma has averaged 22 points and shot 42 percent from 3-point land.
He’s been a joy to watch, even when the Lakers haven’t.
And while the Wolves got a chance to give Butler and company a late-game rest on Sunday, the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in two overtimes on their back-to-back front end.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Lakers – still without Lonzo Ball – to come out sluggish and struggle to keep a consistent effort through the entire game.
Final Notes:
- Through that two-week stretch of success for the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns seems to have figured some of his stuff out on both ends. The eye test has been good to Towns on the defensive end, but the numbers are backing it up. Since Dec. 18, the Wolves post a defensive rating of 104.9 with him on the floor. Whie that number isn’t Joel Embiid-level staggering, it’s a big jump from where he used to be.
- Jimmy Butler just finished one of the best months of his career. In December, he put up 26.5 points. 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and shot 50.6 percent from the field. He should – and will – get some votes for Western Conference Player of the Month. Still, just like the MVP votes, James Harden and the Warriors collective will always make winning difficult.
Listen to Tim on Wolves Wired!
