StaTuesday: Breaking down Minnesota's record-setting game vs. Brooklyn
Minnesota Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell benched his starters for most of the second half of Friday's game again the Milwaukee Bucks, apparently displeased with their defensive effort.
That defense continues to be a work in progress, but the Timberwolves offset those struggles with a record-setting offensive performance in Saturday's 132-118 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Minnesota set a season high in points and a new franchise record in field-goal percentage at 68.4 percent. It was the most efficient shooting game by any NBA team in nearly 17 years.
Minnesota also set season highs for points scored and field goals made and tied its season assists high at 36. Its 10 made 3-pointers was its second-highest single-game total of the season.
"We did a great job coming in tonight of executing our offense," said rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored a game-high 28 points on 14-of-18 shooting. "We just did a great job of just being ourselves today."
Here's an in-depth statistical look at Saturday's game:
Minnesota began the game hot, taking a 24-10 lead in the first quarter on 11-of-13 shooting, led by a 4-of-4 start for Towns. The Timberwolves scored 37 first-quarter points on 17-of-23 shooting and 14 assists, the most for a single quarter this season.
The Timberwolves followed it up with a 31-point second quarter on 11-of-18 shooting. They finished the half with 68 points, their second-highest total in a half this season.
Minnesota was even more efficient in the second half, especially during its 35-point fourth quarter. The team was 11-of-15 from the field and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line in the fourth, as it finished off its highest-scoring game of the year.
Minnesota's first and fourth quarters were the team's most efficient shooting quarters of the season:
The team's 132 points tied them for the 13th-highest-scoring single game in the season among all NBA teams. Their 36 assists tied them for seventh best in a single game.
How does the performance compare in NBA history? At 68.4 percent, the Timberwolves tied the 1989 Chicago Bulls for the eighth-best single-game field-goal percentage since 1983-84.
Statistics courtesy STATS Inc.
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