Timberwolves 112, Spurs 110: The Donte DiVincenzo Extravaganza

DiVincenzo was the star of a night and third straight win that saw another flat performance from the starting unit

If you were waiting on the Donte DiVincenzo game, you got your wish on Sunday night.

With a foot on their chest courtesy of Victor Wembanyama and the visiting San Antonio Spurs, it was the former Villanova guard and feature of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade that shot life into the Minnesota Timberwolves and carried them out of a first quarter lull and to a third straight win.

The foot on the chest was almost immediate. Another opening stint from the starting lineup that lacked energy saw the Wolves close out the first quarter shooting nine percent from deep, get outrebounded 12 to 6, not hit a three point field goal until three minutes left in the quarter, and find themselves at one point in a double digit deficit.

Part of it stemmed from the inability to end possessions. So many trickle-out rebounds and failure to rebound from the guards led to a kickstart of San Antonio’s 15 second chance points for the game.

Enter DiVincenzo and the bench.

The confidence that overtook the Wolves was palpable when Josh Minott, DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Naz Reid joined Julius Randle on the floor. It was in Houston, Dallas, and in a lot of the other wins that have transpired this year.

“Those guys are all playing real fast..pushing and getting into stuff early,” Head Coach Chris Finch said afterwards. “We made enough plays, it was a good win…they’re not always gonna be pretty”

a 32-12 second quarter in which DDV played all 12 minutes brought Minnesota back into the game and went on to close it out in the second half down to the last possession.

There’s an important conversation to be had about the starting five and its inconsistent and at times downright poor play. After falling into a 12 point first quarter hole, they went on to give up a double digit lead later on in the third quarter.

If this game were to be lost, that would need to be the story after multiple debacles with a group that’s nearly cost them consecutive games. But it didn’t tonight.

A third straight win is a good story. Holding Victor Wembanyama to a poor shooting night is also a good story. But tonight was the christening of a player that a lot of people were starting to give up on; and he did it right in front of a sold out home arena.

---

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

The Big Ragu and the Bench Unit

33 minutes (16 of them consecutive), 26 points, seven rebounds, and a team-best plus 26.

This is the Donte DiVincenzo that everyone got excited about in the wake of unexciting news that a nine-year tenured played had been traded. Someone who was seen as a “plug and play” player that clearly needed an acclimation period is starting to show up in a big way off the bench, and find something that didn’t seem like it was there over the first couple months of the season.

The 26 points will get the headline more than the seven rebounds will, but both were just as important for a team that was flat in both areas to start.

“He’s stringing [games] together right now, making really quick decisions,” Finch said. “Him and Julius have really good chemistry.”

Convenient mention of Julius Randle. Tied at the hip with DiVincenzo in the trade, he too has been incredibly inconsistent and the subject of plenty of scrutiny. The pairing on the floor with his former Knick teammate and extending his minutes into the bench unit as been an awakening for him and showcased his effectiveness.

“I have something with Julius,” DiVincenzo said afterward. “When things aren’t going right, I just get back to my comfort zone with Julius, and now it’s expanding with everybody.”

Why is Randle finding ease in running with the second unit?

“Our pace is really up in their group,” he said. “We got multiple guys who can push the ball…everybody can run the floor.”

The theme is comfortability, and for the first time this season it’s coming forward more and more for two guys whose initial circumstances in coming to Minnesota were not comfortable. It showed both on and off the court at the time, and the inverse is starting to take shape now.

---

Emptying the Notebook

• The shot is still not falling for Jaden McDaniels, but his increased activity on the glass can not be overstated. He pulled down 10 rebounds on Sunday, and had six of them in the first half. When you think about it, it’s pretty crazy that this wasn’t happening on a more routine basis previously, but inconsistency from the whole team in that area has led his answering of the bell that much more important.
• I wrote about it briefly above, but the starting unit had another rough night together in the grand scheme of things. It may have to cost them multiple games before changes are made, but it’s clear at this point just how much the bench unit is outplaying them. Rolling over in the first quarter and proceeding to blow a lead in the third is bad news. But to their credit, they closed the game effectively and had an excellent last defensive possession that forced a bad Jeremy Sochan three.
• It was a fantastic Rudy Gobert game. It showed up in the box score with a trademark 17 point, 15 rebound performance, but also went back to being a true defensive anchor and putting up an admirable effort against Victor Wembanyama with Julius Randle.
• The Wolves had six fouls in the fourth quarter, but it felt like so many more. The officiating wasn’t great, but there was a stretch that singlehandedly kept San Antonio in the game just by going to the charity stripe. Defending without fouling is something that this team has struggled mightily with before, and it almost cost them late in the game on Sunday.

---

Up Next

The Wolves head to Oklahoma City for a huge New Year’s Eve game against the Thunder.

Since their NBA Cup finals loss to Milwaukee, OKC has rattled off six straight wins. A six game win streak of theirs, meets up with a three game win streak of the Wolves.

---

Highlights