The Timberwolves and star center Karl-Anthony Towns won Sunday's contest of attrition, beating a slumping Utah team missing arguably its two best players and its coach as well.
Karl-Anthony Towns supplies triple-double, Jaden McDaniels hits every shot as Wolves thump Jazz
Karl-Anthony Towns big night included a huge third quarter and Jaden McDaniels came off the bench to hit all nine of his shots in the 126-106 victory over shorthanded Utah.
January 31, 2022 at 12:12PM
The Wolves' 126-106 victory at Target Center came after two December losses against an opponent they just hadn't seemed able to beat.
This time, the Wolves used Towns' second career triple-double — 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists — plus Jaden McDaniels' perfect 9-for-9 shooting night to beat an opponent that thumped them twice — once at home, once away — in December.
Towns scored 18 in a third quarter that has been troublesome all season but which Sunday produced a 40-27 advantage that won the game.
"Tonight was a good night, regardless of who was playing for them tonight," Towns said afterward. "There are a lot of things we like: The energy, the swagger. I'm really happy what we did."
The Wolves returned home Sunday after taxing back-to-back games out west at mighty Golden State on Thursday and Phoenix on Friday and survived what coach Chris Finch called a "super sluggish" start.
The Wolves played without starters D'Angelo Russell and Patrick Beverley as well as Josh Okogie. The Jazz, meanwhile, were missing stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert and then lost coach Quin Snyder for the night when he went on the NBA"s health and safety protocols Sunday afternoon.
Longtime assistant Alex Jensen moved one chair over and replaced him. The Jazz also lost starting forward Joe Ingles to a scary-looking leg injury late in the second quarter. He never returned and will have an MRI in Salt Lake City on Monday.
The Jazz arrived at Target Center with a 30-20 record and a losing streak that now has reached five games — and seven of its past eight.
Without Defender of the Year Gobert, the Jazz sometimes defended Towns with small forward Rudy Gay and a big coming over to help.
Towns went 3-for-4 on threes and passed efficiently out of those attempted double-teams, enough so that both he and McDaniels were doused with water by teammates after the Wolves moved back to .500, at 25-25.
"And of course, KAT was huge for us in the third," Finch said.
Towns got the bath for his triple threat, McDaniels with perfect shooting that included unstoppable cuts to the basket for dunks and layups as well as his three made threes. He did so on a night he threw lob passes and converted them, too.
"These are the games and times we need to win," McDaniels said. "These wins are big for us."
McDaniels' 22 points helped the Wolves bench score 55 points while shooting 77% from the field.
Finch called McDaniels "on a path you'd expect of anybody developing" that includes one bad game for every two good ones.
"His confidence is growing," Finch said. "He was down on himself and down on his shot at times. I just said to him, 'You're not a shooter, you're a basketball player. So go make plays and the shots will go in. Don't define yourself whether you miss or make shots.' That resonated with him because he is a basketball player. He'll do a little bit of everything and that's what we need him to keep doing."
Towns praised McDaniels' cutting without the ball, calling it "beautiful" movement that opened up "windows" for Towns to pass through.
"He was collecting the fruits of his labor from being in the right spots," Towns said. "He was feeling it. It wasn't hard."
Finch praised the lift bench players such as McDaniels, starting point guard Jordan McLaughlin and Taurean Prince gave a tired team that eventually found its legs.
"I was tired, so I knew they were," Finch said.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and was an assist away from a triple-double, Damian Lillard added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 on Saturday to earn a spot in the NBA Cup championship game.
