[ad_1]
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Kevin Garnett showed up in court, and it was not the only surprise in Minnesota on Friday night.
During their first week without veteran defender Jimmy Butler, the newly emerged Timberwolves have locked up one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points, Derrick Rose had 17 points and the Wolves won their third consecutive game since the Butler exchange by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 112-96 on Friday night.
Dressed in a new purple and black alternative jersey at a Prince theme party, Garnett rocked the crowd when the video showed him sitting under the basket. Then the local team encouraged them with a defensive effort that would have made the Wolves icon – a fierce defender very proud.
"It was great to see it," said Karl-Anthony Towns. & # 39; & # 39; It was a long conversation with me and him to have him come. So I'm glad he came and we played very well as a team.
"All he wants is for Minnesota to succeed, so I'm glad we gave him something."
The Wolves entered the game and allowed the opposing teams to get an average of 116.2 points per game. They held the Blazers – who averaged 115.9 per game – at their lowest level of the season.
Towns and Robert Covington each had 14 points for the Wolves, who are 7-1 at home and 3-0 since Butler's switch to Philadelphia on Monday.
Rose warned against reading too much in success.
"We are still trying to understand," he says. "It's always good to play 3-0, and we're just trying to keep going, playing one game at a time."
The formation of the Timberwolves had a balanced evening, the five starters having scored a double figure.
The difference was blatant compared to the last meeting between the teams, nearly two weeks ago, when the Blazers had limited Minnesota to 81 points – the lowest points in the NBA this season. The wolves were without Butler, Jeff Teague and Rose for this game.
"I just think that they have a new feeling, a new life in a sense," said Evan Turner. & # 39; & # 39; Whenever you get an exchange and things like that, they feel good. They played well. & # 39; & # 39;
Losing on the trail
The Blazers have their first round of losses of the season – not the start that they wanted for their six-game trip.
CJ McCollum had 18 points and Damian Lillard added 16 for Portland, who never led. The Blazers scored less than six points in the third quarter, before Minnesota closed the period 21-11 by attacking the basket. The Blazers made 18 turnovers, leading to 22 Wolves points.
& # 39; & # 39; The balloon is often in my hands and the team is counting on me to take care of it and ensure that we have quality goods. I did not do a good job in this area, said Lillard, who had five turnovers.
THE VIOLET COLOR
The Wolves made their debut with their "City Edition" uniforms paying homage to the legend of the music, Prince, who filmed the iconic scenes of his nightclub of the 1984 film Purple Rain, on the other side of the street where was later built Target Center. Prince's music played all night.
& # 39; & # 39; I know our players are really excited about the uniforms and the night. It's a great way to honor Prince, "said coach Tom Thibodeau.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard had five assists to overtake Damon Stoudamire (3,018) and finished third in the team's career list. He has 3,020 for his career. … Seth Curry suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of Wednesday's loss to the Lakers. Curry said Thursday that his goal was to come back during the team's six-game road trip.
Timberwolves: Taj Gibson had five assists, and Teague eight points. . Anthony Tolliver did not play for the second consecutive game. He told local media on Friday that Thibodeau had not told him not to play Wednesday night's win over New Orleans. Thibodeau, known for playing with a short bench, defended the decision not to play with the usually reliable veteran. & # 39; & # 39; If you try to play too much, everyone plays badly. So you try to make a decision, you collect information and it generally works well. You are going to need everyone during the year. & # 39; & # 39;
FOLLOWING
Trail Blazers: Visit Washington Sunday.
Timberwolves: Host Memphis on Sunday.
—
More NHL AP: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
[ad_2]
Source link
