For years, one of the biggest questions for the Minnesota Timberwolves has been what would happen when Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins both ascended to superstar status. While Towns has been on the cusp of being a marquee player, Wiggins has struggled and developed the angst of fans throughout five disappointing seasons in Minnesota.
But in the first 11 games of the season, Wiggins has started to live up to his billing and on Wednesday night, they showed what the Timberwolves can do when both of their young stars come of age as they stomped the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center.
Playing against one of the teams they’ll have to compete with for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference, the Timberwolves came out of the gates strong thanks to Wiggins’ continued surge of momentum with Wiggins scoring 20 of his game-high 30 points in the first half.
Andrew Wiggins update: 20 points, 4 boards, 4 assists
📱 https://t.co/LZottJXr4T pic.twitter.com/7298f7535f
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) November 14, 2019
The points are one thing for Wiggins, but it was the way that the sixth-year guard contributed elsewhere that has Wolves fans excited. With eight rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Wiggins led the Wolves to a 66-59 lead at halftime.
The Spurs wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as they came out of the locker room on an 11-2 run that would give them a temporary lead. It would be the Wolves’ combination of franchise pillars that would be the difference as Towns turned his game on after a first-half confrontation with Rudy Gay.
KAT not backing down from anyone this season đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/h7iIcB1N1i
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 14, 2019
Towns complemented Wiggins well, adding 28 points and 11 rebounds to help the Wolves weather the storm and regain the lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The final frame favored the Timberwolves as the return of Jeff Teague (18 points) and a strong bench effort from Jarrett Culver (12 points) let the Wolves ride out the fourth quarter for an impressive 129-114 victory.
ROOKIE BOUNCE@jarrettc08 | #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/PbEMRlkwer
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) November 14, 2019
With the win, the Timberwolves improved to 7-4 on the season and will look to continue their momentum after the opener to a three-game homestand. Minnesota will be back in action on Friday when they host the Washington Wizards.
