Preseason: Towns 20 points, Timberwolves tackle lone ranger Doncic 25+5 Irving only 2 points in the half

On October 6, Beijing time, the preseason of the new NBA season kicked off, and the opener began in Abu Dhabi, with the Timberwolves defeating the Lone Rangers 111-99. Towns scored 20 points, the Timberwolves led by as many as 29 points and never trailed, Edwards was sidelined for an ankle sprain, and Lee Kyle had two points and five assists. Doncic only played the first half and had 25 points and five rebounds, while Irving was 1-of-6 from the field and scored just two points.

Statistics

Lone Ranger: Doncic 25 points and 5 rebounds, Irving 2 points and 2 assists, Hardy 13 points, Gwee 6 points, AJ Lawson 9 points and 8 rebounds, Levley 2 points and 5 rebounds

Timberwolves: Towns 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks, Lee Kyle 2 points and 5 assists, Alexander 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks, Gobert 9 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, McDaniels 9 points and 5 rebounds, Reid 16 points and 7 rebounds, Milton 12 points and 4 rebounds, Garza 12 points and 6 rebounds

Highlight moments

Downs beats 2+1!

Doncic breaks through for a dunk!

Doncic scored magically goal!

Gobert Big Hat Opponent!

McDaniels flew into a snap!

Star of the game: Towns + Doncic

Both Towns and Doncic have had good performances. Towns played 17 minutes and scored 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Doncic played only the first half, scoring 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Match Review

In the first quarter of the game, Towns, Conley and Alexander hit consecutive 3-pointers, and the Timberwolves quickly took the initiative and blasted out a 19-3 start. The Lone Ranger's first seven points all came from Doncic, who led 37-19 in the first quarter, and Doncic scored 14 points in the first quarter, but the Lone Ranger was already trailing by 18 points.

In the second quarter, the Timberwolves opened the gap further, and with Towns hitting a three-pointer, the score became 53-24, and the Timberwolves had a 29-point lead. Gwee hit two 3-pointers in a row, Hardy hit an outside shot, and the Lone Rangers closed the gap 9-0. McDaniels and Lively exchanged dunks, and Doncic scored five straight points. At halftime, the Timberwolves led the Mavericks 66-49, and Doncic had 25 points and five rebounds in the half.

Yibian fought again, the Lone Rangers replaced all the starters, and the Timberwolves were still fully present. Green and Hardy continued to narrow the gap for the Lone Ranger, Holmes hooked and hit, Lawson hit 3+1, and the Lone Ranger trailed by only 5 points. Lee Kyle scored on a free throw, Reid scored back-to-back points, and the Timberwolves opened the gap again, and the Timberwolves led 87-74 in the third quarter.

In the final quarter, both sides sent a large number of substitutes, and the Lone Ranger was unable to narrow the gap to single digits. The deep rotation of substitutes played the game, and in the end, the Lone Rangers lost their first preseason game to the Timberwolves 99-111.

Both sides start

Lone Ranger: Irving, Doncic, Grant Williams, Prosper, Leffley

Timberwolves: Conley, Alexander Walker, McDaniels, Downs, Gobert