Charlotte Hornets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Match Player Stats On Nov 05, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 5, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jeff Teague had 18 points and 12 assists, Andrew Wiggins scored a team-high 20 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves coasted to another easy victory, 112-94 over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

Jamal Crawford provided a big spark with 15 points off the bench, and Minnesota was 26 of 30 from the free-throw line to win its fifth straight game, the first five-game winning streak for the franchise since Jan. 2-10, 2009.

The Timberwolves (7-3) cruised to a 112-99 win against the Dallas Mavericks a night earlier in the first game of the rare back-to-back home set.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and Jimmy Butler chipped in 13 for Minnesota, which led by as many as 23 points for the second night in a row. Gorgui Dieng contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Dwight Howard had 13 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte (5-5), which has lost two straight games and is 1-4 on the road this season. Cody Zeller led the Hornets with 16 points off the bench, while Jeremy Lamb and Marvin Williams each had 13 points.

While the acquisition of Butler certainly brought the biggest headlines for the Timberwolves in the offseason, Minnesota also made a big move in trading point guard Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz and signing Teague.

Teague's shooting was seen as a better fit to space the floor for the Wolves' offense that included Towns, Wiggins and Butler. Teague had a somewhat slow start to the season but now has scored in double-doubles in four of his past five games.

His shooting was on display Sunday. He was 7 of 15 overall but 4 of 5 from 3-point territory. He came down on successive series and stopped for quick 3-pointers as Minnesota opened up a big lead in the second quarter and settled in from there.

A night after going 4 of 12 with 13 points in a loss to San Antonio, Hornets guard Kemba Walker was held to a season-low nine points, though he added nine assists. He was 4 of 15 from the floor and didn't make his first basket until 4:13 left in the first half.

NOTES: Charlotte G Michael Carter-Williams made his first appearance of the season, playing eight scoreless minutes. Williams, who has dealt with knee issues, was active for just the second time. ... The Hornets started the game leading the league in rebounding but were outrebounded 54-38 on Sunday. Minnesota is 6-0 this season when outrebounding opponents and had a season-best plus-17 rebounding margin a night earlier against Dallas. ... The Timberwolves' 68 first-half points were their most in a half this season.