With the 21-win Hawks in town, the Timberwolves simply could not afford to suffer a replay of Monday night’s deflating loss to a 20-win Memphis squad. And despite leading by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter, they needed every last one of Karl-Anthony Towns’ franchise-record 56 points down the stretch.
Atlanta came out on fire in the first quarter, knocking down seemingly every long-distance shot they launched towards the rim. Thankfully, the Wolves’ offense woke up towards the end of the frame, and while giving up 32 points in a quarter the league’s second-worst offense isn’t exactly a good thing, the Wolves took a two-point lead into the second quarter.