Timberwolves Top Sloppy Knicks
March 10, 2019
In a game that resembled a resort league pick-up contest, the injury-plagued Minnesota Timberwolves managed to pull off a 103-92 win at Target Center over the lifeless New York Knickerbockers.
In doing so, the Timberwolves sent the Knicks to their NBA-worst 54th loss, further enhancing the New Yorkers’ chances of getting the most ping-pong balls and winning the Tryin’ for Zion (Williamson) lottery. Not since the Knicks got Patrick Ewing has tanking become so important and the stakes been higher in NYC.
Missing three injured starters (Karl Anthony Towns [right knee inflammation], Andrew Wiggins [left quad contusion], and Robert Covington [right knee bone bruise]), interim Wolves coach Ryan Saunders started a lineup that included seldom-used rookie Keita Bates-Diop at forward and Taj Gibson at center. Not that it mattered so much against the fumbling Knicks, a clown car full of prospects, has-beens, and never-weres.
Before a disinterested crowd announced at 13,806, the Knicks went through the motions of competing, but most knew what was really at stake, and it wasn’t the Timberwolves’ five-game home winning streak. Second-year guard out of Houston Damyean Dotson managed to slither through Minnesota’s paper-thin defenses for 26 points, but the rest of his teammates managed to avoid the ball while going through the motions. The Timberwolves could have dressed the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and still have won.
Gibson did his best Bill Russell imitation in the post while going off for 25 points. Bates-Diop took advantage of his opportunity and scored 18 while point guard Jeff Teague had a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists. Tyus Jones came off the bench to score 13 points.
Even non-entities Cameron Reynolds, Jared Terrell, and C.J. Williams came pouring off the Wolves’ bench and into the game.
From the start, it looked like the Knicks wished they were somewhere else, falling behind 19-13 and staying there for the remainder of the quarter. In the second period, reserve Lance Thomas shot New York into the lead on a three-point basket, but soon the Knicks were down by six. By halftime, the Minnesota lead had grown to 55-45 on a Teague three-point basket.
To their credit, the Knicks did show up for the second half but fell behind 66-50 on a Dario Saric layup. New York coach David Fizdale called timeout to remind his team that they, indeed, were professional basketball players. The Knicks responded to cut the Minnesota lead to 11, but the third quarter ended with the score: Wolves 80, Knicks 65.
The fourth quarter was a mashup of turnovers, missed opportunities, and indifference on the part of the Knicks who fell behind 90-72 after a Gibson layup but made a genuine effort to cut the deficit to single digits. It failed. Hence the final score of 103-92.