Aaron Wiggins Notches Career Night in Loss to Timberwolves

The Thunder continued its recent stretch of defensive struggles, falling to Minnesota 132-102.

Oklahoma City started slow and struggled to get anything going offensively the entire game. As a team, the Thunder shot just 41.4% from the floor and allowed the Timberwolves to knock down 22 3-pointers.

Once again, the Thunder were plagued by a high-scoring second quarter. OKC allowed 42 points in the frame as the Wolves poured in 74 first half points.

The Thunder simply couldn’t stop Malik Beasley, who had a career night. The Timberwolves guard knocked down 11 3-pointers, going 11-for-17 from downtown. Those were the only shots he took all game.

Oklahoma City remains short handed, and this game was the second of a back-to-back, and it was clearly showing. Here’s who performed well in the loss:

Darius Bazley

Bazley had another efficient night in the starting lineup for the Thunder. He didn’t force many shots and kept his turnovers to a minimum.

The third year forward finished the night with 14 points and five rebounds. He shot an impressive 5-of-9 from the floor and drilled two triples.

Bazley played a good amount at the 5 tonight, spending time on Karl Anthony-Towns. He held his own defensive, and the Thunder bigs did a decent job in general on KAT. He recorded just 13 points and had five turnovers.

Bazley has a chance to build this momentum and finish the season strong with a hobbled Thunder lineup. He will have to be one of the main scoring options to finish the year.

Aaron Wiggins

Wiggins had a career night on Wednesday. He shot the ball with confidence and had a few nice drives to the rim. His 3-point shot looks more comfortable every game.

The rookie finished the night with a career high 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He also grabbed nine boards and dished out five assists.

Wiggins’ potential as a 3-and-D player is very intriguing. He has great size for a perimeter/wing defender and has the ability to shoot the ball at a high clip. Wednesday, he was 5-for-8 behind the line.

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