The Timberwolves took down the Hawks with a 125-113 victory in Atlanta Monday night, and it was new look for the starting lineup as Jeff Teague was moved to a bench role.
Teague, the starting point guard the past three seasons, will come off the bench permanently, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, and it’s a role that he took kindly to Monday by playing 31 minutes and finishing with eight points and a team-high eight assists.
With Teague providing a spark and leadership on the second unit, the starting lineup featured Andrew Wiggins, Jarrett Culver, Treveon Graham, Robert Covington and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Wiggins finished with 25 points and Culver scored 14, but it was Towns who led the charge by finishing with 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. The big man scored 15 of his 28 in the third quarter, helping Minnesota overcome a double-digit deficit en route to a comfortable victory.
“Isn’t it amazing that Jeff [Teague] is one of the biggest reasons we win tonight?” Towns said, via the Star Tribune. “Because Jeff is just a pro. He’s an amazing character guy, and we’re very lucky to have him in this locker room.”
Despite the non-starting status, only Wiggins (36) and Towns (32) played more minutes than Teague (31).
Minnesota is 9-8, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference entering play Tuesday.
Up next: Wolves at Spurs, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
