Aldridge’s 39 Points Leads Spurs Past Wolves, 117-101

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SteemSports Presenter: @dwin0603

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SteemSports Editor: @theprophet0

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Lamarcus Aldridge finished the game with 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks as the Spurs defeated Minnesota despite a poor start on Saturday night. San Antonio won its third straight to slide up in the standings into fifth place. Five days ago, the Spurs were occupying the 10th place position and fell out of the playoff picture. The Spurs had lost three straight and lost nine of their last eleven; but they are now on a undefeated streak halfway through a six home game stand. It's unusual to see San Antonio below the standings because every season they always manage to finish on the top and win over 60 games. But, the Spurs have kept their poise and they are slowly moving back up to the top.

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Additionally, Rudy Gay lent a hand to Aldridge and scored 14 points. The veteran Spaniard big-man Pau Gasol finished just below the threshold for a triple-double recording 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. Manu Ginobili attributed 10 points and 2 steals. Tony parker showed signs of his age affecting his skills, as he only put up 6 points and 6 dimes. Danny Green and Patty Mills had 12 points a piece. San Antonio shot an outstanding 84 percent in the second quarter in a run led by Aldridge. That's their best completed shooting percentage since 2010 when they shot 86 percent in the third quarter of a match against Golden State. Aldridge scored 18 of 21 points in only five minutes in the second quarter including 12 straight points.

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Minnesota had a spectacular start to the game, shooting 78 percent from the field in the first five and a half minutes and they held San Antonio to only 17 percent. Spurs veterans Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, and Manu Ginobili responded and gave San Antonio the lead. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points and had 9 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jeff Teague added 16 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals. Derrick Rose finished with 8 points in 15 minutes of action, which is his season high with Minnesota.

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Jimmy Butler sat out and missed his eighth straight game subsequent to his right knee surgery. Wiggins is stepping up and getting all the touches because of Butler’s absence. There are rumors that Wiggins is not happy in his role with the team. He's not very happy that he's the third option behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler. Minnesota’s next game will be at home against Houston on Sunday night while the Spurs will host Houston the following night.

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