Minnesota Timberwolves hot shooting leading to high scoring nights and more wins
By Michael Hebert
The Minnesota Timberwolves are improving in the last couple of games before the All-Star break, and a large part of that is shooting efficiency.
On Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota put their hot shooting on display led by Jimmy Butler (35 points) and Karl Anthony-Towns (30 points).
But what defined Minnesota’s efficiency from the floor recently happened with 7:37 left in the fourth quarter of the game against the Cavaliers.
Nemanja Bejinca pulled up from 25 feet and hit a 3-point jump shot that gave Minnesota a 14-point lead.
Despite the fact that the Timberwolves lost the game 140–138 by way of a LeBron James last-second shot, the Timberwolves have won three of their last six games scoring over 100 points each game.
Bejinca’s shot is an example of the improved shooting percentage from the field for Minnesota this season.
Minnesota is shooting 48.0 percent from the field for the season. Currently, that mark is good enough for a tie for fourth in the league.
The recent success comes as no surprise. Since guard Jimmy Butler returned to action on Jan. 27 following a knee injury, the 48.1 percent field-goal shooter has provided a boost to Minnesota.
Aside from Wednesday night, he scored 21 points in his first game back in a 111–97 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He followed that up by averaging 28.4 points per game over the next five games, including a 30-point performance in a 118–107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans last Saturday.
While Butler leads the charge in scoring, Karl Anthony-Towns is also a big factor averaging 19.9 points per game and shooting a better field goal range of 54.2 percent.
Minnesota is in fourth place in the Western Conference and only 1.5 games back from the third-place San Antonio Spurs.
If Minnesota wants to put themselves in a favorable position in the playoffs this season, they need to continue to be a top five team in the league in field goal percentage.
An obvious direct result in better shooting is more points, and the Timberwolves have had no problem in that area. They are tied for fifth in the league in that department at 109.5 points per game.
If Minnesota can keep up with the improved shooting and continue to score at a high rate, they can possibly find themselves in a good position in the postseason.
