After putting up two dominant performances with the Iowa Wolves, Terrence Shannon Jr. clearly proved that he was too explosive a player to be contained by the G-League.

Shannon, a former Illini guard and 2024 Minnesota Timberwolves first-round pick, had shown moments of brilliance with the big club but struggled to earn floor time before being sent to Iowa on Nov. 19. In Des Moines, Shannon played as if he were out for vengeance, averaging 33.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists before Minnesota recalled him only four days later.

But over the Timberwolves’ next four games, Shannon wouldn’t set foot on the court. With coach Chris Finch sticking to a tight eight-man rotation, Minnesota went 1-3 over the stretch.

Then came Monday and the Timberwolves’ 109-80 blowout of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Finch finally emptied his bench and allowed Shannon a chance to conquer his next medium: gravity.

Against L.A., Shannon notched career highs in minutes (six), points (five), hit a three and snagged a board, but – in an act that has somehow become routine for a player who has averaged just 4.1 minutes in five career NBA games – also gave those in attendance a show.

With just under a minute left in the game, Shannon caught an outlet pass in stride along the right sideline and accelerated through the gears across midcourt.

With only Lakers guard Gabe Vincent between him and the rim, Shannon pounded an in-and-out dribble at the three-point line and screamed into the paint, where he met Lakers big man Christian Koloko at the rim.

Rotating a little too late, Koloko stood no chance to contest and, after leaping and realizing his mistake at the last moment, pulled away and could only watch as Shannon elevated and hammered home a one-handed dunk.

Finch might have been able to justify holding back Shannon while the Timberwolves got off to a 6-3 start, but Minnesota is just 4-7 since and is getting little production from its backcourt beyond the contributions of All-Star Anthony Edwards. Even if Shannon i sn’t ready for a starting role, his G-League production alone suggests that he’s likely deserving of an expanded role with the parent club.

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MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — The number of deer crashes in Minnesota and western Wisconsin is up right now. 

In a couple of cases, the crashes have been fatal. Last week, a 69-year-old Hastings man was hit and killed by another driver. It happened after he was trying to remove a deer he hit from a Minnesota roadway. 

The Minnesota State Patrol says they’ve received nearly 2,800 calls for animals in the roadway so far this year.  It’s at a pace similar to last year. 

At Fix Auto Collision in Maple Grove, Taggert Feehan is working on a vehicle with minor damage. It’s an easier job compared to other cars and trucks that have come in recently — especially those that have collided with deer. 

“It’s really amazing what a deer or an animal can do if you hit them at a high enough speed,” said Taggert.

It is a major reason why this is their busiest time of year. 

“When the clocks go back, now we are driving in the dark in the morning and we are driving in the dark in the evening,” said Matt Feehan, owner of Fix Auto. 

Post-harvest, animals have also lost a majority of their coverage so they’re on the move and they’re unpredictable. Drivers have told Feehan that they’ve seen them come from woods, the ditch even from up above. 

“The one that went through the windshield, it actually jumped off a bridge. Somebody was driving under the bridge, and it came landing. They didn’t see it coming it fell literally out of the sky,” Feehan said. 

Feehan said vehicle damage can be extensive, ranging anywhere from $1,000 up to $15,000 or more. 

“Maybe the deer hits here but that’s only the chest and then maybe the back swings around, and then as you are driving, it bounces all the way down the side,” Feehan said.

The best thing you can do to avoid these kinds of crashes is to make sure your headlights are clean, your tires have plenty of tread and, of course, you want to keep your head on a swivel — especially at night.

The state patrol said you shouldn’t swerve to avoid a deer. Swerving can cause you to veer into oncoming traffic. 

“It’s an abrupt and scary situation for anyone driving a car,” Feehan said.

The state patrol also wants to remind drivers that deer are most active between 6-9 p.m.