There were some positives, but ultimately, the Wolves fell 116-113 at home on Friday night to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Wolves led 90-88 going into the fourth quarter but fouls played a huge part late in the game, and ultimately, that ended up dooming the Wolves.
Minnesota had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but Derrick Rose missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Wolves trailed 114-113, but as Dario Saric and Rudy Gay fought for a rebound, the replay showed it went off Saric, giving San Antonio the ball with 10 seconds left, forcing the Wolves to foul.
Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out in the fourth quarter but it was something that haunted him the whole game, as it has this season. Minnesota’s best player played just 21 minutes but still managed to finish with 23 points.
The Spurs were without DeMar DeRozan, who was a late scratch with an ankle injury. The trio of LaMarcus Aldridge, Gay and Marco Belinelli led the way for San Antonio, combining for 65 points.
Rose finished with 23 points and six assists in 26 minutes off the bench. Andrew Wiggins finished with 17 points and five rebounds, shooting an efficient 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from deep. Jeff Teague scored 15, Taj Gibson scored 14 and Josh Okogie added 10.
The Wolves fall to 21-24, 11th in the West. The Spurs improve to 27-20, fifth in the West.
The Wolves are back at it on Sunday at home against the Suns. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Fox Sports North and 830 WCCO. Tickets are available here.