DETROIT – On Thursday, the Timberwolves entered a stretch of four games in which they can go undefeated. Two games apiece with the rebuilding Pistons and struggling Kings are on tap, and if the Wolves want fans and the league to take them seriously, sweeping these four would be a step in the right direction for a team that sill has tendencies to let winnable games slip.
The Wolves had more trouble with Detroit than they probably expected coming into the night, but they left Detroit with a 128-117 victory.
The Wolves were content to outscore the Pistons, who were without dynamic rookie Cade Cunningham. On other nights that strategy might backfire, but the Wolves had too much talent on the floor even as D'Angelo Russell missed his fourth consecutive game because of a left shin contusion.
The Wolves led by 16 in the fourth quarter but allowed Detroit to cut it to 122-117 with 50 seconds remaining. Karl-Anthony Towns blocked Jerami Grant and the Wolves ended Detroit's pesky upset bid as Patrick Beverley hit a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left.
The Wolves shot 51% for the night, 44% from 3-point range. Anthony Edwards got to the rim with ease when he wanted for 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Towns, who made his third All-Star game Thursday, overcame a slow start to score 21 with 14 rebounds. Taurean Prince continued his tear off the bench with 23 while Malik Beasley added 18.
Saddiq Bey had 21 points for Detroit, which shot 44%, while Grant had 20.
The night started just fine for the Wolves, who led 21-11 more than seven minutes into the opening quarter. The Wolves got a little too happy with themselves for their strong start. The defense began to slip in a big way. The Wolves were a step slow and allowed open looks inside and outside.
Detroit's bench gave it a boost on the scoreboard and by the end of the first quarter the Pistons were ahead 32-31.
Offense wasn't the issue in the first half as the Wolves shot 50% thanks in part to continued bench production from Prince, who had 15 in the first half.
The defensive slippage continued throughout the second as Detroit built its lead 67-59. As a result, the Wolves turned their frustrations on the officials as Towns and Beverley both picked up technical fouls.
The Wolves had 21 fast-break points to Detroit's four and hit nine of their 18 3-point attempts but still trailed 67-65 at the half. The Pistons shot 51% from the floor. They entered the night with the second-least efficient offense in the league.
The frustration didn't quite cool off in the locker room. Edwards picked up a technical after converting a layup in the third, and the defense didn't quite show up right away either. Detroit maintained a small lead most of the quarter even as the Wolves were getting what they wanted on the offensive end of the floor. Edwards had little trouble getting to the rim while Towns had 13 in the quarter.
The Wolves took their first lead of the second half on an Edwards layup with 3 minutes, 47 seconds to play at 87-85, a lead that prompted a Detroit timeout. The Wolves built on their lead thanks to their hot shooting from the outside. They hit their three 3s in the quarter in the closing minutes to make a run that boosted them to a 103-94 lead at the end of three quarters.
Detroit missed a few shots and the Wolves kept making theirs into the fourth, and that stretch allowed the Wolves to put some distance on the scoreboard. They would need the cushion as Detroit cut it to 117-112 inside of four minutes and again inside a minute before the Wolves held on for the win.
