Wiggins steps up to score 29 points; Wolves rally past Raptors, 115-109
MINNEAPOLIS — There was no Jimmy Butler, practically no KarlAnthony Towns in the first half, and the visiting Toronto Raptors were shooting 54 per cent.
These are the types of games the Minnesota Timberwolves of the last few years didn’t win. This season’s revamped team is showing the toughness needed to compete with the league’s top teams.
Toronto native Andrew Wiggins scored 29 points, Towns had all 22 of his points in the second half and the Wolves rallied from 11 down to beat the Toronto Raptors, 115-109, on Saturday night in National Basketball Association action.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that know how to play,” said Wiggins. “That’s the NBA for you. Someone’s injured, the next person just steps up. We have a good team, a lot of guys that can step up and make plays.”
With Butler out with a sore knee and Towns in foul trouble, Wiggins kept the Wolves in it with 22 firsthalf points. In the second half, the Wolves got big minutes from Marcus Georges-Hunt (12 points), Gorgui Dieng and Tyus Jones (nine points apiece) and the seldom-used Shabazz Muhammad (seven points). The Wolves bench outscored Toronto’s 37-39.
“If you’re in this league, you’re a great player,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So when someone’s out, it’s an opportunity for someone else to step in. As long as we play hard, we feel like we’re going to have a chance to win every night.”
The Wolves snapped a two-game skid.
Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting, including 6 of 10 from three-point range.
UP NEXT Raptors: Wednesday at Atlanta. Timberwolves: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.