Nikola Vucevic had another great night in the NBA, but it was not enough for Orlando to record a victory on the road in Minneapolis, so the Timberwolves won 120:103.
After 17 minutes, the match gave a different picture. Orlando had a 19-point lead, and the "Magic" shot 76,4 percent from the field.
Our center dominated that phase of the game with 14 points in the first quarter. However, from the 17th minute, the match changed significantly, mostly thanks to the great defense of Wolves.
In the remaining six minutes of the second quarter, Orlando managed just two points out of 14 attempts.
The bad offensive trend continued in the third quarter when the "Magic" shot 7 of 23.
In the second half, the center of Minnesota, Karl Anthony Towns, had problems with fouls in the first part of the game.
KAT scored 21 points in the second half, for a total of 29 with 15 rebounds.
Jeff Teague, who returned after a nine-game layoff due to an ankle injury, was also excellent.
The Wolves point guard scored 23 points and had 10 assists. The players from the bench, Anthony Toliver with 11 points (3 triples), as well as Dario Šarić with 10, gave Minnesota additional strength.
In the end, Vucevic finished the match with 22 points and 7 rebounds, Evan Fournier added 21, while Terence Ross added 13 points from the bench.
"This match was ours. You don't come to someone's away game to lead by 20 points and then leave the match to them," Fournier was disappointed after the match.
"We were lazy, soft and undisciplined. Our defense didn't exist tonight. At this moment when we are fighting for the playoffs, and in this part of the season, this is unacceptable," Aaron Gordon was even harsher.
Minnesota coach. Tom Thibodeau, on the other hand, was pleased with the reaction of his basketball players.
"The moment we started to play defense, the match turned in our favor. In the last 5 minutes of the second quarter, we started and started to organize our defense. And in the attack, Toliver helped us with his three-pointers, which gave us extra energy ", said Thibodeau.
"When we entered the locker room at halftime, we simply had that feeling that we had the match in our hands. In the second half, we caught that momentum," said Karl Anthony Towns.
Other results:
cleveland - Jute 91:117
Boston - Dallas 114:93
Chicago - Indiana 116:119
Memphis - Brooklyn 100:109
Miami - Washington 115:109
Milwaukee - Atlanta 144:112
phoenix - Los Angeles Clippers 111:121
Los Angeles Lakers - New York 112:119
portland - Oklahoma 109:111
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