Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points on just 9 field goal attempts, leading Minnesota to a perfect 3-0 record. A late 15-0 run put the game out of reach.
Game Story
If you want to know what a real Las Vegas Summer League game is like, then you should’ve tuned in for this one. This game had a total of 55 free throws, 52 fouls, 40 turnovers, and four technical fouls called between both teams. Most of these led to stoppages in play, resulting in a 1 hour and 55 minute game.
Summer League games are only 40 minutes long.
To their credit, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons rosters were chalk full of gritty, defense-first players. Daniss Jenkins, who’s on a two-way with the Pistons, was living in the jersey of Rob Dillingham right from the jump. Ron Holland was a nuisance on both sides of the floor. This forced the Wolves to have to run the offense through other creators, thus mudding things up.
They coughed the ball over seven times in the opening quarter, allowing Detroit to take an early nine point lead just minutes into the game. Fortunately for Minnesota, their best player, TJ Shannon, arrived to save them with an eight point stretch in just two minutes of game time. Dillingham also snuck in two layups in the final seconds of the first stanza, pulling Minnesota with a score of 21-23.
The Wolves rode that momentum into the second quarter. Their defense allowed for more transition opportunities including this highlight sequence featuring rookie Joan Beringer.
(If you are reading this on Apple News, please click here so you can view embedded videos important to the analysis and enjoy the best overall reading experience.)
Here’s that Rob Dillingham to Joan Beringer lob in transition
The bench trio of Amari Bailey, Tristen Newton, and Jesse Edwards played a role in Minnesota regaining a lead by halftime. They helped force the Pistons into a six turnovers of their own in the quarter. This helped the Wolves head into halftime with a 39-31 lead.
Things didn’t get smoother in the second half, as we kept getting numerous whistles. Even Tim Connelly, who was in a broadcast interview, lamented if we would ever see the end of this game. The Wolves returned to their careless ways, giving up six more turnovers to allow Detroit to creep back in. At least we got some highlight plays from Minnesota.
Dueling reverse layups by Amari Bailey and Rob Dillingham. Pretty
It may have taken 30 minutes of game time, but it finally felt like a real basketball game in the final quarter. Beringer was noticeably springy and active on the defensive end, breaking up two different lob attempts by the Pistons. Another one of his stops led to a Clark triple, his first of the game.
Joan Beringer swats away Jenkins leads to a Jaylen Clark finally nailing triple, getting the Wolves their biggest lead of the game
Leonard Miller, who has most struggled all summer, got loose for 12 of his 20 points in the period. He still has a long way to go defensively, but his awkwardly effective offensive skillset is there. He helped spur a late 15-0 Minnesota run to go up as much as 20 points with just over a minute left in the game.
Though it looked like an easy win for the Wolves, it was anything but that. Regardless, the end result was still an undefeated record.
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
Quick Hits
- TJ Shannon was again the most dominant player in the game, for either team. He scored a game-high 24 points on a just nine field goal attempts. This includes a perfect 3 for 3 mark beyond the arc and 9 of 9 from the stripe. The only blemish on his box score was the seven turnovers.
- It wasn’t an easy game for Rob Dillingham, but he still finished with 16 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals. It took him 17 shots to get there, and he also had a net neutral assist-to-turnover ratio, turning it over four times. At some point, he’s going to need to clean it up both in shot-making and play-making.
Filthy middy gather from Rob Dillingham, wow
— Jonah Maves (@hunchojman.bsky.social) 2025-07-15T21:08:42.606Z
- The box score won’t do him many favors, but Joan Beringer had another encouraging night in my opinion. We saw some cracks in his defense, jumping at some fakes and shots that he shouldn’t have, but he still moved really well and showed good presence. He finished with 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 7 fouls.
Joan Beringer steal, outstanding PnR defense
— Timberwolves Clips (@wolvesclips.bsky.social) 2025-07-15T22:24:53.320Z
- Amari Bailey really popped out there. He has a really strong handle as a two-guard and plays with a physicality similar to Shannon. His swing skill will be the jumper, as he went 0 for 2 from distance, but he plays in control and certainly looks like he should be on at least a two-way contract. He put up 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 impressive recovery blocks, in just 19 minutes.
Highlights
Box Score
Up Next
In less than 24 hours, the Wolves take to the court to face the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, July 16th at 4:00 PM CT. It will be interesting to see who is active for this game, as the coaching staff will surely be cautious in order to avoid potential injury.
Minnesota, like 27 other teams, will get at least one more game this weekend. The Wolves can only do their best at maximizing their chances to make the four-team “playoff” tournament now. As it stands now with this victory, they become one of just five teams with a 3-0 record. Point differential will likely factor in so the work is not done yet. They’re currently third best with a +11.3 differential, trailing San Antonio (16.7) and Sacramento (12.7).