Wolves youth takes another step in OT loss

Greetings for a final time from Target Center, where the Wolves lost the battle but may have made some progress when it comes to the war.

What do I mean by this? That Wolves' rookies Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine took a few more steps in their development tonight, got even more experience in the pressure of overtime games. Plus, the Wolves are still in pretty good draft lottery position.

Here are some thoughts from the game

--After Andrew Wiggins scored a game-high 27 points, coach Flip Saunders said this: "He had a 40-point game at his fingertips. He missed a couple opportunities early.'' In my opinion, Wiggins could have been given a few more calls as well.

--What an interesting game by Zach LaVine. On the one hand, he was aggressive from start to finish, got to the line when it counted. But he also slipped up a bit late on defense. And he had another four turnovers tonight.

--Center Gorgui Dieng also has battled the turnover bug lately. He had six tonight, and has averaged three TOs per game over his last five games.

--Chase Budinger continues to play better and better. He scored a season-high 22 points tonight, on 9-for-14 shooting, hitting the corner three that forced overtime. He has hit multiple three-pointers in consecutive games for the first time this season.