The Minnesota Timberwolves got some big contributions from some unexpected sources at the Palace of Auburn Hills tonight, as they got a rare road win against the Detroit Pistons, 116-105 on Wednesday night.
Kevin Love had 20 points and 20 rebounds. . .his eighth 20/20 game of the season. . .but the biggest shock was definitely the play of point guard Jonny Flynn. Flynn, who has been (rightly) much maligned since his return from the D-League, only had seven points on the evening, but contributed with 14 assists and only turned the ball over twice on the evening. Those assists helped the Wolves to shoot 52.6% from the field on their way to tonight's 11-point victory.
Not to be overlooked were the contributions of Minnesota's bench. The Pistons had a 32-30 lead after the first quarter, but the Minnesota bench eventually wore them down. In fact, the Minnesota bench scored 33 straight points for the Timberwolves. . .the last eight of the first quarter and the first 25 of the second quarter. By the time the teams went to the locker room at the half, Minnesota had a 63-61 lead.
The newest Timberwolf, Anthony Randolph, chipped in with 19 points on the night, and rookie Lazar Hayward tossed in 16.
Austin Daye led the Pistons in scoring with 22, and Greg Monroe added 18 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort.
For more on the fallout from this one, be sure to check out the good folks at Canis Hoopus.