Wolves

Wolves share the wealth in 116-99 victory over Milwaukee

There's plenty to go around besides Wiggins' 31 points in victory over Bucks.

By Kent Youngblood

December 31, 2016 at 9:29PM

Turns out everybody wants to be in the candy shop.

This is according to Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, who, after the Wolves had led wire-to-wire in a 116-99 victory over Milwaukee in a nearly full Target Center on Friday, likened moving the ball to sharing the sugar.

"I guess I could be the candy man last game," Towns said of his triple-double performance, including 10 assists, in Denver in the previous game. "And I guess it's contagious."

In a game featuring a number of young, talented players, the Wolves continued to become more tight-knit, connected. At least on the offensive end, where they got 30 assists on 43 made shots. All five starters and six players overall had three or more assists in an efficient performance that had very few lapses.

Andrew Wiggins scored 31 points, getting to the free throw line 13 times, with five rebounds and six assists in a game that featured him and Bucks forward Jabari Parker, the top two players taken in the 2014 draft. Towns had 21 points, 16 rebounds and thee assists.

Zach LaVine made six of nine three pointers on the way to 24 points. And Shabazz Muhammad, frustrated with his game much of the season, broke through with 22 points in less than 18 minutes.

Youth, indeed.

"It's competition," said LaVine, whose catch-and-heave three-pointer — accomplished on an inbounds play with 0.3 seconds left on the shot clock — gave the Wolves a 101-86 lead midway through the fourth quarter. "We want to show we're the better team, with the better young players."

Parker scored 20 for the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

But, on a night when both teams shot better than 54 percent, it was the Wolves' offensive efficiency that carried the day.

"The ball movement and unselfishness was huge for us," Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Karl continues to make great plays. I thought Wiggins was great all around. Defensively we have a lot of work to do. We scored very efficiently, but we have to have the same type of care on defense."

One would expect such a measured response from Thibodeau. But the Wolves are definitely making strides on the offensive end. Towns continues to pass well out of double-teams. Wiggins, his shot not falling the way he'd like, attacked the rim, scoring 11 of the Wolves' 31 fourth-quarter points. LaVine has now hit six or more three-pointers in three of the past five games.

All seven Wolves scorers shot 50 percent or better, and the team's 55.8 percentage was a season high.

"We're playing connected," said Wiggins, whose three-point play on a driving slam dunk with 2:20 left put the Wolves up 18. "The chemistry is building every day. We know where people are going to be, and we're playing unselfish, playing together."

Living, as Towns would say, in the candy shop. In the Wolves' 61-point second half, they had an 18-2 assist-to-turnover ratio.

"It's awesome to see," Towns said. "The ball is moving so well. We're doing such a good job. We've been doing a great job of just moving the ball. Everyone's getting shots in easy spots. And we're capitalizing on it."

Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, at Target Center (Brian Stensaas — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves' Gorgui Dieng (5) and Karl-Anthony Towns (32) (Brian Stensaas — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Three Bucks defenders got a good look at a Karl-Anthony Towns dunk in the second half of the Timberwolves’ victory Friday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)