Top 10 Minnesota Timberwolves moments of the decade

Honorable Mention:

KAT game-winning shot at Portland (2016)

Mo Williams scores 52 at Indiana (2015)

Gorgui Dieng game-winning shot; Brewer scores 51 at Houston (2014)

Ricky Rubio beats OKC (2016)

Wolves beat defending champ Heat in Miami (2014)

10. Wolves pull upset at Golden State (2016)

Golden State was in the midst of the greatest regular season in NBA history, as it would finish 73-9. The Timberwolves were 25-52, and looking for something positive as they finished the season. Not only was Golden State 69-8, but was a remarkable 37-1 at Oracle Arena, and its only loss was two home games before against Boston. But in this one, despite trailing by 17 in the second half, the young Timberwolves fought back and forced overtime, where they outscored the Warriors 18-11 and came away with the monster upset 124-117.

The game started as you might expect, as the Warriors jumped out to a 25-10 first quarter lead, and people thought it was over and the favorite would come out and blowout the lowly Timberwolves. Minnesota did cut into the deficit with a 9-3 run to end the first to make it 28-19 at the end of the first. In the second, the Wolves cut it to three, but the Warriors extended the advantage back to nine at the half.

As I mentioned earlier, Golden State had a 17-point second half lead. That would happen with six minutes remaining in the third. But the Wolves would score 24 points in the final six minutes, outscoring Golden State 24-15 to cut it back to eight. The Wolves would come out firing in the fourth, as they scored on five of their first six possessions in the final period to cut it to 90-89. It would be close through the end of regulation, with neither team having a lead of more than five. With time winding down and Minnesota down two, Wiggins showed why he was once the first overall pick, spinning his way to the basket for the layup to tie it up with 20 seconds remaining. Minnesota played great defense and Andre Iguodala did not get a shot off in time, so the game went to overtime.

The extra session was dominated by the young upstarts from Minnesota, as Andrew Wiggins scored the first four points of the overtime and never looked back. Overall, he scored nine of the team’s 18 points in overtime, and Minnesota was able to cease control and knock off the heavily-favored Warriors for the biggest upset in Wolves franchise history, and perhaps of the NBA in years. Shabazz Muhammad iced the game with 20 seconds left with a pair of free throws to give him a career-high 35 points on the night. It was a great night, and there was hope for the Timberwolves as the finished another dismal season.

9. Ricky Rubio ignites fan base during rookie season (2011-12)

In the 2009 draft, Minnesota had the sixth overall pick, and desperately needed a point guard. Washington, which owned the fifth pick in the draft, felt like it was in win-now mode, and the Timberwolves traded guard Randy Foye and guard/forward Mike Miller to the Wizards for the No. 5 overall pick. The Wolves had a nice building block in Kevin Love, whom they received in a draft day trade the year before. Ricky Rubio was one of the flashiest point guards to come into the NBA in years and was compared by some to Pete Maravich. The top four picks in the draft were Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden and Tyreke Evans. And there he was, Rubio was there for the taking at No. 5. Minnesota drafted him and the 18-year-old was slated to be the point guard of the future. Of course, the Wolves made one of the biggest blunders in NBA history with their next pick, selecting Jonny Flynn over Stephen Curry, but I won’t get into that.

Ricky Rubio already was playing in Spain, and the Wolves had a limit for how much they could spend on his buyout from his team, so he played for Regal FC Barcelona in Spain for two years, before reaching an agreement on June 1, 2011, to play for the Timberwolves. The fans treated him like a rock star when he arrived. The Spaniard would show the appreciation was warranted with his glimpses of brilliance during the season. It was the lockout season, so the year started the day after Christmas when the Wolves took on the eventual Western Conference champ Oklahoma City Thunder at the Target Center.

In his first game, he electrified the crowd in his 26 minutes off the bench, registering six points, five rebounds and six assists in a 104-100 loss. He recorded his first double-double in a 103-101 loss to the eventual champ, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. Ricky shot 4-of-7 from the field, scoring 12 points and dishing out 12 assists, not to mention he was +9 on the night. It seemed like every game Minnesota played in, the starters would dig the team a hole, and when Rubio came in, the second team closed the gap. Even in those two home losses, the energy of the squad is not something seen in the Twin Cities since the Garnett, Cassell and Sprewell years.

With the Wolves off to a 3-7 start, head coach Rick Adelman inserted Rubio into the starting lineup, and it immediately paid dividens. Minnesota won at New Orleans, which started a stretch where the Wolves won 10 out of 15 to push them over the .500 mark and into the thick of the playoff race. Following a four-game losing streak, Minnesota won eight of 11 and were into the No. 8 place in the Western Conference. The fans were ready for a playoff basketball team. But, at 21-19, it all came crashing down.

Late in the game, with the Wolves in front 102-101 against the Los Angeles Lakers, Rubio tried to draw a charge at the 3-point line from Kobe Bryant. But the knees collided, and Rubio went down. Not only did the Wolves end up dropping that game to the Lakers, but they found out later that Rubio suffered a torn ACL and LCL and would miss the remainder of the season. It was like someone let the air out of the balloon. Following the loss to LA, Minnesota won just five of 20 games down the stretch, including dropping 13 of the final 14 games of the season. It was ust another “what if” in the Wolves history. Maybe 2012 was the year they’d get in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 if Ricky hadn’t gotten hurt. Rubio had given us a thrill for Wolves fans and it looked like the team was on the right track.

8. Ryan Saunders wins in his debut (2018)

In the 2018-19 season, the Timberwolves were coming off their first playoff appearance since 2004. However, the team was in dissaray. Star Jimmy Butler demanded a trade, and in November, the demand was met, as he was dealt to Philadelphia. After the trade of Butler and the whole fiasco that went with it, the Wolves wanted to just wipe the slate clean and re-start again with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. In early January 2019, after a win over the Lakers, Tom Thibodeau, the head coach and president of basketball operations, was let go. Ryan Saunders, the son of the former Wolves coach, the late, great Flip Saunders, took over on an interim basis. His first game was a big one against the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC, with the Wolves just two games below the .500 mark.

The game itself was a tight one, as Minnesota led by six at the end of the first, but the Thunder came back to tie it at halftime. OKC played well to start the quarter, and took the lead by six with four minutes remaining in the third and Wolves starting point guard Jeff Teague was ejected. However, Minnesota responded with a 10-2 run to without its floor general to wrestle the lead back, and would take a 96-93 advantage into the final quarter.....and what a wild one that would be.

Minnesota scored the first four points of the quarter to put Saunders’ bunch ahead by seven. The Timberwolves would take a nine-point lead with seven and a half minutes remaining after a triple from Anthony Tolliver. But the Thunder would climb back immediately on an 8-0 run. The lead would never grow more than four the remainder of the game, and even that was briefly. OKC took the lead on a 3-pointer from Russell Westbrook with three and a half minutes remaining, and it would be back-and-forth the next few minutes, trading baskets.

The young Timberwolves thought they had sealed the game with a big triple by rookie Josh Okogie in the right corner, which put them up 119-115 with 28 seconds remaining. However, OKC would not go away. After a missed 3 by Paul George, Westbrook skied for the rebound and was fouled by Taj Gibson. He would make both free throws to cut it to 119-117. Then Tyus Jones tried to escape a double team, but he traveled, giving the Thunder one final chance.

The Thunder would have multiple chances, as Westbrook missed a 3-pointer from the left corner over the outstretched arm of Karl-Anthony Towns. But Steven Adams grabbed the offensive rebound. He went back to Westbrook, and his final attempt was short, and the airball was grabbed and quickly flipped up by George. No good! Minnesota improved to 20-21, and the team just felt joy, which had not happened under Thibodeau that season, except for when Rose dropped 50. Andrew Wiggins scored 40 and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Wolves to the big victory.

7. Kevin Love drops a 30/30 game on New York (2010)

Back then, there was nothing Timberwolves fans could get excited about. Minnesota was 2-7 and along with Kevin Love, here were their other starters in the game: Sebastian Telfair, Wesley Johnson, Michael Beasley and Darko Milicic. The highlights were few and far between in those days, but Love was able to give the fans a thrill on November 12, 2010, as he became the first NBA player to record at least 30 points and 30 rebounds in a game since Moses Malone did it in 1982 against Seattle. In the game, he also helped the Wolves battle back from a 21-point deficit to win.

New York jumped all over Minnesota in the first half, and Love got off to a slow start. In the first quarter, he had zero points and two rebounds. The big man would finish with six points on 2-of-8 shooting.

The lead would balloon to 21 on a Landry Fields 3-pointer with nine minutes to play in the third. But then K-Love came alive. He scored 11 points and grabbed 15 of the 23 rebounds for the Wolves in the quarter to cut the deficit to seven. He caught fire with his shooting in the fourth. Following a free throw by Corey Brewer and bucket by Michael Beasley, Love scored four straight points to tie it up at 87. It was a 9-0 run to start the fourth, and the Wolves had an 89-87 lead. Love would score seven of nine points for Minnesota during a stretch in which the Wolves took control and stretched the lead from one to seven.

He grabbed his 30th rebound with four and a half minutes remaining, so all that remained was him scoring his 30th point. With less than a minute and a half left, Love received a pass from Michael Beasley at the top of the key, and he lined up the triple and knocked it down to record 31 points. The Wolves ended up defeating the Knicks 112-103 after falling behind by as many as 21 in the second half. With Love’s monster game, people forget about the terrific performance by Beasley, who scored 35 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists and recorded three steals. In a lost season (even if the game was in the first couple weeks), it was great to see something that made Wolves fans excited.

6. The former MVP dresses up as his former self for Halloween (2018)

It was one weird few seasons for Derrick Rose. In 2010-11, Rose led the Chicago Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The following year, he led the Bulls to a 50-16 record in the strike-shortened season. But in the first game of the playoffs, he jumped and passed it, but he was clearly in pain. An MRI revealed a torn ACL and missed the entire 2012-13 season. After that injury, he never was pre-injury self again. In a November 2013 game, he tore his meniscus and he missed a chunk of time. He returned late in the year and led the team to the No. 8 seed, but lost in six.

After a 2016 trade to New York, he once again tore his meniscus and missed the rest of the season. He would sign with the Cavs to join his buddy LeBron, but that was a bust and he was shipped to Utah, where he was waived shortly after the deal. Finally, after all those injuries, he would find a home in the Land of 10,000 Lakes with his former coach Tom Thibodeau.. He was picked up and played well, including in the playoff loss to Houston. Rose impressed the Wolves enough to sign him to a one-year deal. With the Rose signing, Minnesota had at one time or another four of the top five picks in that draft.

Minnesota made a bold move to keep Rose, and it paid off for the Wolves, as Rose was a valuable member off the bench, and could have won Sixth Man of the Year had he not missed the final three weeks of the season. The former MVP had plenty of highlights with the Wolves, but nothing could touch what happened on Halloween night against the Utah Jazz.

People should have seen good D-Rose coming that night when he made three of his first four shots en route to a 13-point and three-assist first quarter, helping the Timberwolves jump out to a 32-25 lead after one. He cooled down in the second, scoring just three points, but the Wolves still had a 65-56 advantage.

But Rose took over in the second half. Whenever Minnesota needed a basket, it was No. 25 who provided it. He was unconscious in the third quarter, scoring 19 on 9-of-11 shooting. He started the quarter fast with four in the first minute of the quarter to push the lead to 11. Utah briefly took an 87-86 lead, but a floater by Rose over the outstretched arms of Rudy Gobert re-gained the lead for the Wolves. Rose and Towns combined for 30 of the 36 points in the third, but the lead was still trimmed to five. Rose scored eight straight for the Wolves at one point in the third. But the game was still in doubt, and for Rose, just like Semisonic, it was closing time.

It was a tight final period, as the lead would never grow beyond six points on either side. And it was just a five and six-point lead for brief periods. Most of the quarter was within one possession. The former MVP was silent for the first four and a half minutes of the period, but came alive after that. Down 110-104, Rose crossed over Dante Exum and hit a tough layup. That started a personal 6-0 run by Derrick, which tied the game at 110. The layup to tie it put him at 41, and the last time he scored 40 in a game was seven years prior. His career-best was 42. He would blow past that total.

He would break his previous best on a triple from the corner to tie it at 119. It was his time to shine. Down one late? Rose calmly drove the lane and waited for Gobert to fly by to lay it up and in and give the Wolves the lead back. And then with the game tied at 123 with less than a minute to play, he demanded the ball and drove and hit a one-handed push shot over Exum to give the Timberwolves the lead they would never relinquish. However, his best play of the night was not even a made basket. With the former MVP at 50 points and Minnesota nursing a 3-point lead, his team needed a stop. Rose was up to the task.

5. This one’s for Flip (2015)

Flip Saunders is the best coach in Minnesota Timberwolves history. He led them to the playoffs eight consecutive seasons, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2004. Following three seasons with Detroit (leading the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals all three seasons) and a little more than two with Washington, he returned to Minnesota to attempt to save a franchise that had not made the playoffs since he left. In August 2015, he announced he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Weeks before the season, owner Glen Taylor announced Flip would not coach the team that season. On October 25, just three days before the Timberwolves opened the season, Flip passed away.

Minnesota’s first game was in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Like the Wolves, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers wore pre-game shootaround shirts honoring Flip. Minnesota had not had much success against the Lake Show in the last number of years, but the Wolves had first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns in his first game. It was a primetime matchup on ESPN, as KAT was taking on the No. 2 pick in the draft, D’Angelo Russell.

The Wolves started out well, leading 17-10, but the Lakers caught fire to end the quarter, ending it on a 21-5 run to take a 31-22 lead. Louis Williams had nine during that run. The Timberwolves were trailing double digits virtually the whole second quarter, by as many as 16, but Minnesota fought to cut it to nine at the break. In the second half, LA kept its distance and was on the verge of blowing it open, but once again, the young Timberwolves came back. They needed to make one last push to make the Flip game one to remember.

Minnesota’s young squad was determined to not let Flip down, as it sprinted out of the gate in the final period, outscoring LA 23-7 the first nearly 10 minutes of the fourth. But LA would come back, and went on a 9-1 run to trim it to 112-111 on a Lou Williams 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining. And then Kevin Martin missed a jumper, leaving the door open for LA to win it at the buzzer.

Flip would not let that happen.

Williams received the inbounds pass and received a screen before blowing past Towns to get a good look at the basket for a floater. It hit the back of the rim. No good! It was more than a 1-0 start to the season. It was more than a game. It was for Flip.

The rookie big man said it best afterward when he said “I think we had a sixth man on the floor."

4. KAT’s in the Cradle (2018)

Minnesota had not been to the playoffs since 2004, and the 2017-18 was its best shot after the offseason trade for Jimmy Butler. However, Jimmy got hurt shortly after the All-Star break and missed a good chunk of time. In the month of March, the Wolves were fading fast. The once-promising playoff hopes were slipping away. In the month, Minnesota was 4-7, including a home defeat at the hands of the lowly Memphis Grizzlies. Up next for the Timberwolves was a game against another poor team, the Atlanta Hawks. Earlier in the season, the Wolves fell at Atlanta with Butler healthy. Now, the team had to play them with Butler sidelined. Someone needed to have a superhuman night, and that guy would be Towns.

Kevin Love broke Kevin Garnett’s franchise record with 51 points in a double overtime loss to Oklahoma City in 2012. Corey Brewer, of all people, matched Love’s 51 with 51 of his own in a win against Houston in 2014. Then, almost as crazy, Mo Williams broke that record when he poured in 52 at Indiana in 2015. Insane. The Timberwolves would probably prefer if their scoring record happen in a loss or by guys who are considered role players.

Atlanta played well to start and jumped out to a 10-4 lead and led much of the first quarter, but the Wolves ended the quarter on a 7-1 run to take a two-point lead at the end of the first 12. KAT scored 26 in the first half and the Wolves took a 65-57 lead into the break. Most Wolves fans thought that was just another good half for the big man, but we didn’t realize he had 26. If he kept playing like that, he had a chance to break the franchise record for points.

I was at the game, and my thought process went from “I hope the Wolves win” to “I want to see KAT score 40 because I have never seen a player score 40 in a game before” because I knew Minnesota would win. Towns gradually filled up the stat sheet more in the third. A 3-pointer with less than three minutes left in the third gave the Wolves a 93-79 advantage, but a 39-point night. At this point, I knew the 40-point game was coming for Karl-Anthony. So....how about 50? He quickly nailed a triple early in the fourth, and then sank a free throw, but would go silent for nearly six minutes. Then magic happened.

After a triple by Atlanta’s Mike Muscala, Minnesota’s lead had been cut to six. Time for the Towns takeover. Towns’ shot, followed by three free throws after being fouled attempting a 3, he all of a sudden had 48 and the Wolves lead was up to 11. KAT made his way to the 50-point mark with a layup while getting fouled. That tied him for second on the franchise single-game scoring record, only one behind Mo Williams’ 52. The fans who were eagerly anticipating Towns breaking the scoring record didn’t have to wait much longer. However, KAT toyed with fans when given the ball at the 3-point line on the following possession. He was open, but when the Hawks went toward him to defend the shot, he quickly passed it to the left corner to Jeff Teague, who splashed a triple from the left pocket to insert the dagger. But Towns wouldn’t pass it to a teammate on the next possession.

Towns received a pass from Tyus Jones, and was determined to shoot. He pumped a few times before letting a 3-pointer fly from the left corner.....and there was never a doubt, as he drilled it to break the record. He added a pair of free throws for good measure to make his total 56. It was great to have a big time player grab this record, and in a win as well. Not only did he pour in 56, he grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out four assists. It was a great night for the Timberwolves and it helped lead them back to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

3. The Big Ticket returns (2015)

There is zero doubt the best and most loved player in Minnesota Timberwolves franchise history is Kevin Garnett. In his time with Minnesota from 1995-2007, he led the Wolves to eight consecutive playoff appearances, including a Western Conference Finals berth in 2004. He also averaged more than 20 points per game in nine of his seasons, and won an MVP award in that 2003-04 season. But with Minnesota paying KG a good portion of money and the team going nowhere fast, the organization dealt him to Boston for blossoming big man Al Jefferson and a number of role players. In his time with the Celtics, he helped lead them to the NBA Finals twice, and winning it once. He was traded to Brooklyn, along with Paul Pierce, and the Nets had one decent year, but then fell off a cliff.

In the 2014 offseason, Kevin Love wanted out, and the Wolves sent him to Cleveland to pair with LeBron James. In return, the Wolves received No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, Thaddeus Young and 2013 No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett. Well, midway through the season, the Timberwolves wanted veteran leadership to help the team. Minnesota traded one of the pieces acquired for Love, Thaddeus Young, to Brooklyn for KG. The ‘Big Ticket’ was coming back home to Minneapolis.

The Wolves were terrible, as they went into battle against Washington at a pathetic 12-43. But the house was full. KG was back. They had a sweet intro for his return to the place where it all started. The game, however, did not start well for the home team. Washington jumped out to an 18-3 lead. The Wolves didn’t make their first basket until five and a half minutes remained in the quarter, and didn’t make their second until three and a half minutes remained. Ultimately, Minnesota ended the first quarter on an 8-2 run to cut it to nine at the end of the first. Eleven points in the first quarter is terrible, but only down nine was a win.

Minnesota fought back in the second, and No. 21 scored his first point on a free throw with a little more than four minutes remained in the half to cut it to 37-33. After missing his first two shots of the game, Garnett scored his first field goal since returning to the Wolves with a jumper with three and a half remaining in the first half to cut it to 35-33. The score would be tied at the half after KG blocked a Drew Gooden shot at the half buzzer.

The second half would be all Timberwolves. Garnett started the half with a pair of assists, one to Wiggins for a dunk, and the other to Kevin Martin for a triple. Those baskets helped the Wolves take their first lead of the game. And then Rubio found Garnett for a layup for his second and final basket of the night to put Minnesota in front 58-53. The Wolves dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Wizards by 14. They ended up winning 97-77. It was a great offensive performance the final three quarters, considering they only scored 11 in quarter No. 1.

The organization knew they weren’t getting the MVP level KG they had prior to trading him, but seeing him back with the Wolves was an incredible sight. For the game, he scored five points on 2-of-7 shooting, but grabbed eight boards, had one steal, two blocks and dished out two crucial assists. Even in the midst of a disastrous season, this was just one of those nights for the Timberwolves. Who would want to let down the Big Ticket?

2. Kevin Love called game (2012)

After not making the playoffs since 2004, it seemed like this Wolves team was the one that was going to break the streak. This team was exciting to watch, even though they started out 6-8. Even the losses were thrillers. They played right with the two NBA Finals participants, Oklahoma City and Miami, and they beat the Spurs. Following the Lockout, which lasted until late December, the Wolves were able to sign 2009 fifth overall pick Ricky Rubio after drafting Derrick Williams from Arizona in June. The team was an NBA League Pass darling.

Minnesota took its young, exciting, team to Los Angeles for a matchup with the new-and-improved Clippers, led by Blake Griffin. Offseason trade acquisition Chris Paul was injured and did not play. The game was televised nationally on ESPN. It looked like LA was going to run away and hide, as it led by nine after one and 11 at the half. It was just 23-20 Clippers before LA ended the first on an 8-2 run and went on a stretch where they outscored the Timberwolves 31-18 to make it 53-38.

The young Timberwolves cut their deficit to just two at 62-60 in the third on a dunk by Darko Milicic. Yes, that Darko Milicic. Every time LA got a bit of breathing room, Minnesota came back. A layup by Randy Foye for the Clippers gave them a 12-point lead with nine and a half minutes remaining. A 7-0 run got the Wolves right back into it, which set the stage for a thrilling finish.

With Minnesota down by three with less than a half minute to play, the Wolves went to an unlikely scoring option to tie the game up. Rubio, who is known much more for his passing ability, hit the biggest shot of the game to that point. Luke Ridnour drove in the lane and kicked out to Williams, who made the extra pass to Rubio in the corner. The rookie from Spain had missed his first 10 shot attempts of the game, but came up clutch with a massive 3-pointer to tie it up with 20 seconds remaining. Rubio also played great defense with the game on the line, forcing Chauncey Billups into a tough shot, which was missed. Kevin Love rebounded the ball with two seconds left. Minnesota called timeout, which set up Mr. Love for the winner.

In the NBA, you can advance the ball after a timeout, so Minnesota was inbounding the ball on the LA side of the court. A beautiful play design by head coach Rick Adelman, who had Williams curl off a screen first and head toward the basket, and Love was left all alone for a deep triple, which he splashed it from the top of the key. Pandemonium in Los Angeles! It was a great play call and Minnesota had the crowd stunned. Unfortunately, the Wolves weren’t able to make the playoffs that season, but it was a lot of fun watching that team the first 40 games of the season.

1. Playoffs, at last (2018)

It had been 14 years the Minnesota Timberwolves had not made the playoffs. Both the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves had 46 wins and were fighting for that last playoff spot in the brutal Western Conference. Needless to say, it was the biggest game in years for Timberwolves, and it would take place on the last day of the regular season and at the Target Center. The teams had met just six days prior in Denver with the Nuggets coming away with a 100-96 win. Denver was coming in on a six-game winning streak, while the Wolves had won two in a row since the loss to the Nuggets.

Minnesota went into halftime with an eight-point lead, but Denver came back to cut it to one on multiple occasions in the third quarter. The Wolves took a five-point lead into the fourth. Minnesota had a lead as high as eight in the final quarter, but could never shake Denver. Jamaal Murray scored the Nuggets final eight points to help push the game into overtime. With the game tied at the end of regulation, free agent signing Taj Gibson blocked a potential game-winning shot attempt from Nikola Jokic to keep it tied. For a team that had not made the playoffs in 14 seasons, what is five more minutes?

Jimmy Butler, who was acquired in an offseason trade from Chicago, would not let the Wolves lose. Butler scored seven of the team’s 11 points in overtime to will the team to the playoffs. Fellow offseason acquisition, Jeff Teague, nailed a huge jumper to give the Wolves a 107-106 lead with a little more than a minute remaining. With the Wolves in front 108-106, Will Barton missed a jumper with 24 seconds left, and Minnesota rebounded it, and Andrew Wiggins went to the free throw line. The much-maligned recent No. 1 overall pick calmly buried them both to give them a two-possession lead, and another stop sealed the trip to Houston for the playoffs. Butler scored a team-high 31 and Towns dropped in 26 on 12-of-19 shooting. Minnesota fell 4-1 in the playoffs to Houston, but for a team so starved for a trip to the postseason, this was cool to see.