Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a career-high 33 points Wednesday in Orlando, but the Minnesota Timberwolves still fell 132-120 to the Magic. Shannon did it in 31 minutes and added five assists, giving the Wolves their brightest offensive performance on a night when several regulars sat.
Shannon made 11 of 14 shots and hit 5 of 7 from three-point range. He had never scored more than 25 points in an NBA game before Wednesday, and his burst came while Minnesota rested Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Ayo Dosunmu and Mike Conley in the second game of a back-to-back.
Jaden McDaniels returned after missing six games, but the Wolves could not keep pace with Orlando. Minnesota was already all but locked into the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, which made the night less about the result than about what Shannon could do with a bigger role.
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That answer was clear. Shannon became only the second player in Timberwolves history to post at least 30 points, five three-pointers and five assists while shooting 70 percent or better. Anthony Edwards has done it twice for Minnesota, a reminder of the company Shannon joined while spending most of the season outside Chris Finch’s rotation.
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For one night, the rookie’s scoring touch changed the shape of the game even as the final score stayed lopsided. What comes next is whether Wednesday was a one-off spike or the kind of night that finally pushes Terrence Shannon Jr. into a more regular place in Finch’s plans.
