On a night of surprise results with the Denver Nuggets beating the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks taking down the Toronto Raptors, the biggest story was the Timberwolves’ victory over the Golden State Warriors in Minnesota. The nail-biting game capped another tough night for Steve Kerr’s men as Kevin Durant’s absence continues to destabilize the Dubs.
Timberwolves stun Warriors
The Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 103-102 win over the Golden State Warriors in an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The game ebbed and flowed but the hosts came out on top. Andrew Wiggins was the key contributor for the T-Wolves with 24 points, including two clutch free-throws at the close of the game. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Ricky Rubio had a big night with a 17-point, 13-assist double-double. Senegal’s Gorgui Dieng scored 12 points, grabbed four boards, stole the ball once and blocked a shot.
For the Warriors, Klay Thompson lead the scoring with 30 points. Stephen Curry weighed in with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Ian Clark was the only other player to score in double digits with 10 points.
Nuggets dig deep to beat Celtics
Nikola Jokic was in sublime form for the Denver Nuggets in their 119-99 home win over the Boston Celtics. The Serbian sophomore recorded an impressive double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds going with seven assists, four steals and a block. Also contributing in a big way was Wilson Chandler who scored 23 points and eight rebounds. Danilo Gallinari weighed in with 20 points as he went 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
For the Celtics their fluctuating form returned. After their win over the Warriors this loss will smart. Isaiah Thomas was the top scorer for the team with 21 points. Avery Bradley added 16 points to the total and Al Horford had 15 points and five rebounds.
Hawks swoop win over Raptors
The Atlanta Hawks overcame a tough Toronto Raptors team winning their matchup 105-99. It was a solid display from the Hawks starters that got their team over the line. Gambian-German Dennis Schroder lead the way with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists. Paul Millsap scored 21 points and pulled down six boards, Tim Hardaway Jr added 20 points and Dwight Howard recorded a double-double 16 points and 10 rebounds.
With Kyle Lowry still out, the injured DeMar DeRozan has been the go-to player for the Raptors: he scored 28 points, claimed eight rebounds and dished six assists in the loss. Congolese center Serge Ibaka scored 18 points and Cory Joseph added 15 points.
Rockets shoot down Bulls
The Houston Rockets caught fire in Chicago as they beat the Bulls 115-94. Ryan Anderson was the high scorer for the Rockets with 21 points, knocking down 6-of-12 3-pointers. James Harden contributed a double-double 19 points and 13 assists. Lou Williams added 18 points from the bench and Clint Capela, whose parents hail from Angola and DR Congo, scored 17 points and claimed seven rebounds.
The Bulls were lead by a 21-point night for Dwyane Wade. Jimmy Butler scored 16 points and Cameron Payne was the only other double-digit contributor with 11 points off the pine.
The Rest
In other results, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 105-96, the Charlotte Hornets got a big win over the Orlando Magic taking the game 121-81, the Milwaukee Bucks grabbed a 99-85 win over the Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards took down the Sacramento Kings in overtime, winning 130-122.
By Cyrus Rogers
