If you’re a contending team in the Western Conference, watch out for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves were in unfamiliar territory entering Tuesday night, sitting in the seventh seed in the West. But even with Anthony Edwards out, the Wolves hammered the Golden State Warriors with a 129-114 victory.
Minnesota was led by Karl-Anthony Towns, who dominated against rookie Jonathan Kuminga. Towns scored 15 points in the first half and the Warriors never seemed to have an answer defensively. For the second time in nearly a week, Towns flirted with a 40-point game, finishing with 39 points and nine rebounds to set the tone.
You can't give KAT space behind the line!#RaisedByWolves pic.twitter.com/wKFaIuxk5H
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) March 2, 2022
D’Angelo Russell also had a big night against his former team. With Golden State trying to get within an arm’s reach, Russell just wouldn’t miss. By putting up 22 points and seven assists, Minnesota’s superstars were as good as advertised and helped the Timberwolves go into halftime with a 68-56 lead.
don't reach.
the man is elite.🧊🧊🧊 pic.twitter.com/Q0Z0JLCzNi
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 2, 2022
But the Timberwolves are more than just a two-man team. Minnesota’s bench got into the act, led by six 3-pointers and 20 points from Malik Beasley.
B3AS pic.twitter.com/eOp7CR7uIK
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 2, 2022
Malik Beasley extends his franchise record of games with 4+ threes to 51 with his fourth trey of the night to give the @Timberwolves their largest lead of 113-94 with 5:58 left.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) March 2, 2022
With Beasley connecting from downtown, Taurean Prince added 11 points in another great night from the bench. Even with Steph Curry scoring 34 points, the Timberwolves made this game a laugher and added an exclamation point with a Naz Reid slam in the fourth quarter.
NASTY NAZ pic.twitter.com/DbKzatMxdL
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 2, 2022
While the Timberwolves had a lot to celebrate on the night, they also had some concerns. Chris Finch said via The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski in pregame that “everything is on the table” regarding Edwards’ recovery from knee tendinitis. That includes shutting him down for a prolonged period in order to get him healthy.
But even if they go that route, the Timberwolves look like a team that can make life difficult…especially in a seven-game series.
At 34-29, the Timberwolves are five games over .500 for the first time since April 2018. They’ll look to continue to chase the Denver Nuggets for the sixth seed when they travel to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
