Expect high-scoring game when Wolves, Nuggets meet
The Minnesota Timberwolves finish off a two-game set on the road to open the season in Denver against the Nuggets. Here's one thing we can relatively be assured of: a lot of points will be scored.
Since the 2006-07 season, these two teams have both scored over 100 points in a game 23 times -- which is tied for the most such occurrences during that span.
MOST GAMES BOTH TEAMS W/ 100-PLUS POINTS SINCE 2006-07
Teams | Instances |
Wolves vs. Nuggets | 23 |
Nuggets vs. Warriors | 23 |
Warriors vs. Suns | 23 |
Lakers vs. Warriors | 23 |
Kings vs. Lakers | 22 |
If Minnesota can pull out a victory, it will be the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Wolves have won their first two road games of the season. There are only four teams with a longer drought, all of which date back to 2000-01: Brooklyn, Charlotte, Cleveland and Philadelphia. Three of those four teams -- with the exception of the Nets, who played at home in their opener -- already have a road loss this season.
Two players who helped the Wolves win their opener against the Los Angeles Lakers were Ricky Rubio and Karl-Anthony Towns, both of whom had rarely seen performances.
For Rubio, not many have done to the Lakers what he did Wednesday night. He is just one of three players to record 28 or more points, 14 or more assists and shoot 58 percent or better in a game against the Lakers since 1985-86. The other three are Denver's Ty Lawson on Feb. 10, 2015 and Phoenix's Kevin Johnson on Jan. 9, 1990 and Feb. 26, 1989.
Towns did something not seen often from a rookie.
LAST 5 PLAYERS W/ 14-PLUS PTS, 12-PLUS REB IN NBA DEBUT
Player | Year | Points | Rebounds |
Lamar Odom, Clippers | 1999 | 30 | 12 |
Shawn Marion, Suns | 1999 | 14 | 14 |
Andrew Nocioni, Bulls | 2004 | 17 | 14 |
Blake Griffin, Clippers | 2010 | 20 | 14 |
Karl-Anthony Towns, Wolves | 2015 | 14 | 12 |
Statistics courtesy STATS Inc.