Wiggins, Towns look to lead Wolves past another young team

The next generation of NBA stars will be on display again Wednesday in Orlando.

The Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Orlando Magic in yet another meeting between two of the league's five youngest teams, their third such matchup in the last week.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns topped 30 points in back-to-back losses to the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, teams that regularly roll out two of the league's youngest starting lineups.

 Youngest Average Age of Starting Lineups (age on Nov. 9, 2016)

Team Years Days
Phoenix Suns 22 211
Timberwolves 22 279
Denver Nuggets 23 2
Orlando Magic 24 79
Oklahoma City Thunder 24 93


But while Towns emerged as the Wolves' offensive leader as a rookie, third-year guard Andrew Wiggins reasserted himself Tuesday, scoring a career-high 36 points in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets while hitting six 3-pointers.

Wiggins is primed for another big game Wednesday, and has excelled against the Magic throughout his career.

Andrew Wiggins, Last 3 Games vs. Magic

Points/Game 25.7 (77/3)
Rebounds/Game 3.7 (11/3)
Field Goal % .523 (23/44)
Free Throw % .789 (30/38)


The Wolves have struggled to close out wins in the second half, but Towns has been among the league's hottest scorers in the first quarter, and is now averaging 10.5 points per game in the opening stanza.

Most Points per Game in 1st Quarter,€“ 2016-17

Player Team Average
DeMar DeRozan Toronto 10.8
Karl-Anthony Towns Minnesota 10.5
Anthony Davis New Orleans 9.4
James Harden Houston 9
Carmelo Anthony New York 8.8

Statistics courtesy of STATS LLC.