NBA on Dec. 23: Role players save Timberwolves

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On the last game day before Christmas, the Oklahoma City Thunder failed to claim their fifth straight win after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves at home 112-114. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors again took a tough win against the Los Angeles Clippers 129-127.

Role players contribute to Minnesota's victory

Robert Covington #33 of the Minnesota Timberwolves penetrating to the hoop. /VCG Photo

Andrew Wiggins scored the Timberwolves' highest 30 points, including 15 in the first quarter. Karl Anthony-Towns played only 27 minutes because of fouls but he still dropped 18 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Paul George continued his recent incredible scoring performance by putting down the court's highest 31 points but he missed the game-winning shot in the end. Russell Westbrook took another triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Timberwolves makes the shot against the defense of Jerami Grant #9 of OKC. /VCG Photo

Minnesota played out of character in the first quarter by sharing the ball crisply and passing it directly to the team's two stars, Wiggins and Towns. Moreover, Towns and Wiggins kept challenging OKC's defense in the restricted area and saw their efforts pay off. The Timberwolves led 35-25 after the first quarter.

However, the Thunder changed their tactics on defense, making it more difficult for Wiggins and Towns to get the ball. Meanwhile, they also increased their offense in the paint to hurt Towns. With a 35-15 in the second quarter, OKC regained a 10-point lead after the first half.

Josh Okogie #20 of the Timberwolves handles the ball. /VCG Photo

The Timberwolves' role players stood out in the third quarter, as they became more aggressive on defense, forcing turnovers and turning them into points. Minnesota took the lead again (80-78) before finishing this quarter 33-17 and expanded their lead to six points (86-80).

Though OKC launched a counter-strike in the last quarter as Westbrook and George kept dropping points, the Timberwolves always responded, like the three-pointers by Robert Covington and Dario Saric. In the end, Wiggins scored Minnesota's last three points with a one layup and one free-throw to help his team win the game.

Warriors really know how to play good games

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors looks very happy after the game. /VCG Photo

Golden State's Stephen Curry on Sunday scored the court's highest 42 points including making a game-winning shot in the last second to help his team take their second consecutive win. Kevin Durant also played a crucial role in the victory with his 35 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.

Like usual, Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari dropped the Clippers' highest points with 32 and 25 respectively. The two delivered amazing three-point rates of in total 91.6 percent (11/12). Louis Williams scored 25 points before he had to leave the court for facial injury.

Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Los Angeles Clippers shoots a three-pointer. /VCG Photo

Actually this game was mostly about three-pointers. The Clippers were totally unstoppable from the three-point line in the first half, making 13 out of 16 attempts. However, even with such remarkable shooting performance, they led only by four points (71-67) after the first half.

The Warriors started to find their target outside the three-point line in the second half and had went on multiple scoring runs. As the game entered the last three minutes, Golden State were still leading 125-117. However, then Gallinari and Avery Bradley of the Clippers again made one respective three-pointer before Bradley tied the score with a put-back dunk (127-127).

Curry responds to fans cheering after he makes the game-winning shot. /VCG Photo

In the Warriors' last attack, Curry put down two game-winning points and left only 0.5 second on the clock. Harris missed his first three-pointer in the game and the Clippers had to watch their two-game win streak come to an end.

Though the Warriors won their last two games, neither one came easy. On Saturday before they beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-116 at home, the Warriors at one time led by 18 points (93-111). But, they allowed Dallas to catch up, coming to within one point (117-116). It was Durant's three-pointer at the end that gave them the win.

Draymond Green #23 and Klay Thompson #11 of Golden State high-five each other. /VCG Photo

As Golden State chases their third straight NBA Final Championship, some fans have complained that their dominance has made the NBA boring. Surprisingly, the team has not been as dominant as many have expected. It's improbable that the Warriors would lose on purpose but playing tough games could at least make NBA look less "boring."

Other games on Sunday included: (away teams come first)

Atlanta Hawks 98-95 Detroit Pistons

Washington Wizards 89-105 Indiana Pacers

Charlotte Hornets 103-119 Boston Celtics

Phoenix Suns 103-111 Brooklyn Nets

Chicago Bulls 112-92 Cleveland Cavaliers

Miami Heat 115-91 Orlando Magic

New Orleans Pelicans 117-122 Sacramento Kings

Dallas Mavericks 118-121 Portland Trail Blazers

Memphis Grizzlies 107-99 Los Angeles Lakers