Wolves sweep season series with 99-95 win over Hawks
MINNEAPOLIS -- Zach LaVine had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds in place of the injured Ricky Rubio, and the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the season series with the Atlanta Hawks with a 99-95 victory on Wednesday night.
Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting for the Wolves (7-8), who won their second home game in a row after an 0-6 start at Target Center. The Wolves entered the night last in 3-point field goals, but went 9 for 21 against the Hawks.
Paul Millsap had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Jeff Teague scored 22 points for the Hawks (10-7). But Atlanta shot just 37.8 percent from the floor and 25 percent on 3s for its fifth loss in seven games.
Damjan Rudez scored 13 points and hit 3 of 4 3s for Minnesota. Gorgui Dieng had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
LaVine was roasted on defense by Teague in the first half, including a streak of 10 straight Atlanta points in the second quarter.
Rubio first tweaked his left ankle on Monday against Philadelphia and tried to play through it on Wednesday. But another spill in the second quarter ultimately limited him to 21 minutes.
LaVine hit a couple of big shots in the fourth quarter and Wiggins converted a tough layup in traffic with 1:25 left to put the Wolves ahead for good.
The Hawks ran circles around the rest of the Eastern Conference during an electric regular season last year before losing to the Cavaliers in the conference finals. But the going has been a little tougher in the first month of this season as teams are little more prepared for the buzzing ball movement and 3-point bombing that the Hawks bring every night.
They had lost four of their previous six games, but appeared to recapture some of the zip on Tuesday night in a 24-point home win over Boston.
The first meeting between these two teams was a wild one in Atlanta, with the Timberwolves jumping out to a 34-point lead in the third quarter and then giving it all back. But Wiggins took over down the stretch, and the young Wolves closed out a 10-point win that bolstered their confidence early in the season.
