Jimmy Butler scores 23 points in Minnesota Timberwolves' first game

SAN ANTONIO – It was not really about winning the bench judges, but Jimmy Butler – even in a slightly rusty form – again showed his value for the Timberwolves in their 112-108 loss at the opening. season against the Spurs on Wednesday.

Decreasing eight points and seeming dead in the water with about three and a half minutes to go, Minnesota found themselves in the game largely thanks to Butler's strong performance. The quadruple All-Star, who asked for an exchange and had a big coup at a recent practice, put the team on the back after being folded and having scored or helped 11 of his last 14 points.

Butler, who resumed the game against a deficit of 102-94, knocked out the public by placing him tied at 108 by hitting a 3-point corner with just under 43 seconds to go. DeMar DeRozan, an intimate friend of Butler, would finally have the last word to laugh in his first match as Spur. He hit the last basket on the resulting possession, then slid the ball with free throws.

But all told, Butler is satisfied with his performance and that of his team. He fought against fatigue and what he called a numb right arm (he said DeRozan touched his elbow late in the game) to finish with 23 points on 9 shots out of 23 – a performance that hurt shot because of abbreviated stretching Butler was forced to play in his first game since the last playoff series.

"It's just a moment – put your legs under you," said Butler, who played 32 minutes. "It's going to be very fast, we're doing what's best – and that's our energy and the hardness with which we've played for 48 minutes – we take it every time."

The fact that the team – coach Tom Thibodeau in the back – seems encouraged in the effort is remarkable. From there, hardly anyone knew what to expect because of the poor quality of the pre-season filled by the turmoil. The Wolves scored 1-4 during the show, yielding 112.8 points to the NBA, their worst in terms of defense.

There is still a lot to do, of course. The center Karl-Anthony Towns, for example, missed the ball in just 22 minutes and finished seventh in his team with just six shot attempts, a less than stellar line for someone who just signed an extension of $ 190 million for a five-year period. . His big problems hurt the Wolves to the extent that the Spurs made 19 offensive rebounds.

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Jimmy Butler says he's going to find out how to win on the Timberwolves, and nothing else matters on the field besides the competition.

Yet Towns and Butler were both happy with the team's efforts. especially by Jeff Teague (27 points on 12 shots) and Andrew Wiggins (20 points).

"We played really well, the intensity was there, sometimes you deserve the win and the basketball gods do not give it to you, and that's fine," Towns said. "But if we can play like that for 82 straight games, I think we have a very good chance."

Butler, when asked if he thought he was with the Timberwolves for the next 81 games, briefly smiled.

"I have 81 games, baby.It's all that matters.We must stick to what tomorrow will hold and see where we are," he said. "If that happens, it will happen, I can not do anything about it, but in the meantime I have to find a way to help us win games."