Week 9- Article 4

        Andrew Wiggins knew he didn't have much time when he received the pass from Taj Gibson with four seconds to go in Oklahoma City Sunday night. After hustling up the court with help from a hard screen courtesy of center Karl-Anthony Towns, he pulled up thirty feet from the basket and banked in a three-pointer. Timberwolves win.
        Before that shot, the Wolves were on the verge of blowing a 13 point fourth quarter lead. Thunder guard and reigning league MVP Russell Westbrook scored thirteen points in the final five minutes before one of Oklahoma City’s big offseason acquisitions, Carmelo Anthony, knocked down a three to put the Thunder ahead by one. Without any timeouts left, Wiggins had to hurry before hitting the shot that quieted the previously animated Oklahoma crowd.
        “When it left my hands, the release felt amazing.” Said Wiggins after the game.
        This offseason the Wolves traded for all-star guard Jimmy Butler, and between that and this win over an experienced Thunder team, there is renewed hope in the Minnesota fanbase. “I’m feeling pretty optimistic” said fan Nikolas Jacobson. “I don't think we've seen Butler play to his full potential yet.”
        Butler hasn't been scoring as much in his brief time with the Wolves as he did with the Chicago Bulls, but that's partly because the Wolves don't need him to carry as big of a load. In Chicago, the team needed him to score 20 points per game because they had few other players with his abilities. This year, with teammates like Wiggins and Towns, he just needs to be enough of a threat to keep defenses honest. So far, that's been enough.
        While Wiggins hit the biggest shot, he certainly wasn’t the only major contributor. Towns added 27 points along with 12 rebounds, including an awkward floater along the baseline with ten seconds left to take the lead. It was the kind of shot Towns makes on a regular basis but takes an amount of skill and ball handling ability not often seen in seven-footers. Despite this, Towns wasn’t happy with his performance. “I think, defensively, I could have done some things to not even get the game to that point.” he said.
        The win gives the upstart Timberwolves a 2-1 record to begin the season with both victories coming in close games against teams that made the playoffs last season, an area where the Wolves struggled last year. It’s a miniscule sample size over an 82-game season, but it’s reason for hope, which isn’t something the Wolves teams of recent years have had.