The Brooklyn Nets concluded their four-game road trip with a 120-113 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, despite 31 points from D'Angelo Russell.
Overshadowing the result was the right leg injury suffered by Caris LeVert late in the second quarter. LeVert went down with 3.7 seconds remaining in the half leaping to defend against Minnesota's Josh Okogie at the rim in transition. According to Brooklyn Nets PR, LeVert was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Trailing 93-85 going into the fourth quarter, the Nets got within a point, 95-94, on a Jared Dudley 3-pointer with 9:31 to play and were down 97-96 after two Ed Davis free throws with 8:27 to go. But Minnesota took control of the game with a 13-3 run capped by a 3-pointer from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Russell's 31 points were a season high and his nine 3-pointers were a career high. He also had six assists. Dinwiddie had 14 points, Hollis-Jefferson had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Davis grabbed 14 rebounds.
A 3-point surge late in the first quarter had the Nets up 31-30. Russell knocked down three, followed by Allen Crabbe and DeMarre Carroll to keep Brooklyn within 28-27. Davis threw down a dunk off an offensive rebound to put the Nets up by one at the end of the quarter.
Russell had two more threes in the second quarter, the second putting Brooklyn up 49-44. The Nets took their largest lead of the half, 51-46, on a Russell drive, and were still up 53-48 after Hollis-Jefferson cut to the rim to score off a pick and roll with Russell. But the Wolves put together a 9-0 run going into halftime for a 57-53 lead.
Russell had 19 points and five rebounds at halftime and LeVert had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Towns had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Wolves.
Another run of 3-pointers -- two more from Russell, followed by Carroll and Dinwiddie -- had the Nets up 72-70 in the third quarter. But after Crabbe's free throw made it an 80-78 game, a 15-3 run gave the Timberwolves a 10-point lead, the largest of the game to that point.
UP NEXT
The Nets are back in Brooklyn on Wednesday night to face the Miami Heat. After going down to D.C. to play the Washington Wizards on Friday, they'll host the LA Clippers at Barclays Center on Saturday.