Wiggins, Towns look to lead Wolves past another young team
The next generation of NBA stars will be on display again Wednesday in Orlando.
The Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Orlando Magic in yet another meeting between two of the league's five youngest teams, their third such matchup in the last week.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns topped 30 points in back-to-back losses to the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, teams that regularly roll out two of the league's youngest starting lineups.
Youngest Average Age of Starting Lineups (age on Nov. 9, 2016)
| Team | Years | Days |
| Phoenix Suns | 22 | 211 |
| Timberwolves | 22 | 279 |
| Denver Nuggets | 23 | 2 |
| Orlando Magic | 24 | 79 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 24 | 93 |
But while Towns emerged as the Wolves' offensive leader as a rookie, third-year guard Andrew Wiggins reasserted himself Tuesday, scoring a career-high 36 points in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets while hitting six 3-pointers.
Wiggins is primed for another big game Wednesday, and has excelled against the Magic throughout his career.
Andrew Wiggins, Last 3 Games vs. Magic
| Points/Game | 25.7 (77/3) |
| Rebounds/Game | 3.7 (11/3) |
| Field Goal % | .523 (23/44) |
| Free Throw % | .789 (30/38) |
The Wolves have struggled to close out wins in the second half, but Towns has been among the league's hottest scorers in the first quarter, and is now averaging 10.5 points per game in the opening stanza.
Most Points per Game in 1st Quarter, 2016-17
| Player | Team | Average |
| DeMar DeRozan | Toronto | 10.8 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota | 10.5 |
| Anthony Davis | New Orleans | 9.4 |
| James Harden | Houston | 9 |
| Carmelo Anthony | New York | 8.8 |
Statistics courtesy of STATS LLC.
