Alexander Shun | @alexpshun
Digital Content Manager | KFAN.com
He missed a free-throw with just 12.1 seconds left in the game, opening the door for the Phoenix Suns to take the lead and potentially steal the game. However, Andrew Wiggins made sure to redeem himself and send the Minnesota Timberwolves home winners.
Trailing 111-110 with a little over six seconds remaining in the game, Wiggins got the ball and drove to his right, stumbled down, regainined himself then rose up and nailed the jumper as the buzzer sounded.
"My mind was made up once I got the ball that I was going to shoot it," Wiggins said. "I got to my spot. I knew the pull-up would be there...As soon as it left my hands, I knew it was good."
That game-winner capped a great night for the third-year forward who finished with 31 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Wiggins, of course, downplayed his performance after the game, saying that he thought he played "alright" and could have done some things better, but after looking at the stat sheet it's hard to tell exactly what those things are.
The Timberwolves entered the fourth quarter with an 87-79 lead only to see it flip to a 93-92 Suns lead with seven minutes remaining.
The lead changed sides multiple times in the final minutes before it changed for the final time on Wiggins jumper.
Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in a double-double for Minnesota (18 points, 10 rebounds) while Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad both added 16 points to round out the box score.
Rising star Devin Booker led Phoenix with 26 points including going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc while veteran big man Tyson Chandler added 22 points, 17 rebounds and two blocked shots in the Suns' loss.
Minnesota now boasts a three-game winning streak for just the second time this season and although the wins are great, it's the manner in which they're winning the games that is perhaps most impressive.
With their one-point victory on Tuesday night, the Timberwolves have now won three-consecutive games by three points or less for the first time ever.
"[We're] just being patient with it," Dieng said. "Early in the season, we were down and everyone was trying to take us out of the hump, but now you see we're playing clean basketball...I think we're getting better, especially in the fourth quarter."
The Timberwolves will go for their fourth-straight win on Thursday night when they host the Indiana Pacers at Target Center in the first game of a three-game homestand.