Game Recap

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Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves weathered the absence of leading scorer Anthony Edwards to beat the Utah Jazz 101-90 on Thursday night.

The Wolves moved into a tie with Boston for the best record in the league (14-4).

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored a season-high 20 points and Rudy Gobert had 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for Minnesota.

Edwards, who averages 26.2 points per game, was sidelined with a right hip pointer he suffered in Tuesday’s win over Oklahoma City. Coach Chris Finch said Thursday he didn’t expect Edwards to be out long.

Simone Fontecchio led Utah with 16 points and five assists. Ochai Agbaji had in 13 points and six rebounds for the Jazz, who also lost Wednesday at Memphis.

With Edwards out, Alexander-Walker had an opportunity to shine. The fifth-year guard helped ignite a 15-0 run in the second quarter that helped pull Minnesota out of a slow start.

Towns scored seven straight points during that run on the way to topping 30 points for the second time this season.

The Wolves shot 9 of 22 in the first quarter and trailed 23-20. Towns picked up his second foul with just over five minutes to play in the period.

Alexander-Walker scored 10 points in the second quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers. He also had a steal that led to a layup.

Minnesota outscored Utah 35-19 in the third quarter.

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Timberwolves Take Down Jazz, 101-90

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley each had 18 and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the Memphis Grizzlies 119-97 on Sunday.

Rudy Gobert added 13 points to help the Timberwolves win for the fourth time in the last five games. Conley added a season-high 10 assists and was 6 of 9 from 3-point range.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 18 points, while Santi Aldama finished with 14. Desmond Bane scored 13 points, but was 5 of 16 from the field as Memphis lost its fourth straight dropped to 0-8 at home.

The Timberwolves sit atop the Western Conference standings, while Memphis was struggling to stay out of the conference cellar, trying to maintain any competitiveness as it deals with injuries and the 25-game suspension of Ja Morant.

The Timberwolves were dominant in the first half as Minnesota was still shooting 60% from the field overall and 6 of 10 from outside the arc midway through the second quarter. With Memphis shooting under 40%, including 2 of 19 from 3-point range, the Timberwolves’ lead reached 20 before they carried 60-43 into the break.

Minnesota continued to maintain the advantage in the third quarter, eventually stretching it to 90-66 after three quarters. And that came with Towns and Gobert playing limited minutes in the period with foul troubles.

Memphis cut it to 102-90 midway through the third, but the Timberwolves rattled off eight straight points, including 3-pointers from Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to end any hopes of a Memphis comeback.

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Anthony Edwards scores 24 points, Timberwolves rout Grizzlies 119-97

MINNEAPOLIS -- —&nbsp;De'Aaron Fox&nbsp;had 36 points and 12 assists, and the&nbsp;Sacramento Kings&nbsp;prevented the&nbsp;Minnesota Timberwolves&nbsp;from clinching a spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament with a 124-111 victory Friday night.

The Kings improved to 3-0 in Group C of the Western Conference, which they could clinch later Friday if Golden State lost to San Antonio. The quarterfinals start on Dec. 4.

Harrison Barnes&nbsp;had 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter,&nbsp;Malik Monk&nbsp;scored 17 points and&nbsp;Domantas Sabonis&nbsp;added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who beat Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Minnesota in group play and have one game to go.

Anthony Edwards&nbsp;scored 35 points and&nbsp;Karl-Anthony Towns&nbsp;added 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who took their first loss of the tournament. Their 11-3 start overall and 7-0 at home were the&nbsp;best in franchise history, and they took the court with the best record in the NBA. It was their first loss in eight home games.

The Kings led for all but 79 seconds of the first quarter.&nbsp;Nickeil Alexander-Walker&nbsp;swished a 3-pointer that brought the Wolves within 72-70 less than three minutes after halftime, but they didn't get nearly enough deep shots to drop down the stretch.

The Kings had the decided edge in points in the paint (58-42), on second chances (26-15) and off the bench (45-25). They shot a season-best 48.6% from 3-point range, hitting 17 of 35.

This fast-paced matchup between two on-the-rise clubs was Minnesota's first home game in the soccer-style tournament, with a special sky blue court unveiled to look like the players were walking on water.

The Kings looked unsinkable at the beginning, with a surge of energy for the final stop on this six-game road trip. Entering the evening just 25th in the league in 3-point shooting (34.4%), they heated up in a hurry with a 7-for-9 start from deep. The Wolves brought the NBA's second-best 3-point defense to boot, yielding to opponents at a 32.3% clip.

Fox, who was one of six Kings to make multiple 3s, pitched in a&nbsp;soaring left-handed slam&nbsp;off a crossover dribble in the paint that put them up 48-33. They built their biggest lead of the game (57-35) on a dunk by Monk that punctuated a 19-4 spurt to open the second quarter.

Edwards wouldn't let the Wolves stay that far behind, continually attacking the rim the way the coaching staff has long urged him to. Towns capped a 13-0 run with a layup. Edwards flicked one in with 32 seconds left before the break, cutting the lead to 70-64.

Kings: Host Golden State on Tuesday, their final group play game of the in-season tournament.

Timberwolves: Visit Memphis on Sunday. Their last scheduled game for the round-robin portion of the tournament is Tuesday against Oklahoma City.

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Wolves Fall to Kings, 124-111

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points, and the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New York Knicks 117-100 on Monday night.

Minnesota (10-3) is 6-0 at home — tying a franchise record to start a season — and has won nine of its past 10 games. That stretch included seven straight wins, the franchise’s longest streak since 2004 — which was the last year the Wolves made it past the first round of the playoffs.

Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Julius Randle had 21 for New York, which shot 34.8% (32 of 92) to Minnesota’s 51.3%.

The Knicks (8-6) came in allowing a league-low 104.9 points per game.

After a quiet first half, Edwards scored nine points during a 16-5 Wolves run to open the third quarter. Mike Conley’s third 3-pointer of the night gave them a 76-61 lead with 7:53 remaining in the period.

They never trailed by less than 11 the rest of the way.

Rudy Gobert scored 16 points for the Wolves. Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels left with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter and didn’t return. That opened up extended minutes for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Naz Reid added 10 points as the Wolves’ bench outscored New York’s reserves 43-30.

Quentin Grimes started for the Knicks after missing their previous two games with a sprained left wrist.

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Timberwolves stay atop West, undefeated at home as Edwards, Towns shine in 117-100 win over Knicks

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NEW ORLEANS -- — Karl-Anthony Towns capped a 29-point performance with a running floater off the glass with 5 seconds left, and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 14-point deficit in the final 7:32 to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-120 on Saturday night.

Anthony Edwards scored 23 points before fouling out with 10 seconds left while guarding Brandon Ingram along the perimeter. But Ingram missed one of his two free throws, allowing Towns to put Minnesota in front from close range.

The Pelicans still had a shot to win it as time ran out, but Ingram, who had a game-high-30 points, missed a mid-range jumper. That capped a difficult closing stretch for the New Orleans star, who made just one shot and turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans led 108-94 with 8:04 left after Matt Ryan's third 3 of the game, but momentum turned quickly when Towns drew Herb Jones' fifth foul. That started a 7-0 Minnesota run that included a breakaway layup and transition 3 by Pelican Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Towns scored 12 in the fourth quarter, including a 3 that gave Minnesota its first lead of the second half at 119-117.

Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the T-Wolves. Jaden McDaniels added 12 points.

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Towns' 29 points and late scoring leads Timberwolves past Pelicans 121-120

PHOENIX —  Devin Booker scored 31 points in his return from a calf injury, Kevin Durant also scored 31 and the Phoenix Suns cruised past the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-115 on Wednesday night.

The Timberwolves had their seven-game winning streak snapped.

Booker returned after missing five games with a strained right calf. It was expected to be the first game of the season that all three Suns stars — Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal — played together, but Beal was a late scratch with a sore back.

The combo of Booker and Durant provided plenty of production on Wednesday. Booker shot 12 of 22 from the field, adding five assists and four rebounds. Durant made 11 of 15 shots.

Phoenix dominated the game for the majority of the night, taking a six-point lead after one quarter, a 22-point lead at halftime and a 28-point advantage into the final quarter.

Eric Gordon scored 15 for the Suns, Grayson Allen added 14 and Drew Eubanks had 13, including a dunk over Karl Anthony-Towns.

Anthony-Towns led the Timberwolves with 25 points on his 28th birthday. Mike Conley had 14 points while Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels both scored 13.

The Suns took a 76-54 halftime lead after shooting 63% from the field. Booker scored 18 points while Durant added 17.

The Timberwolves were playing one night after an eventful game against the Golden State Warriors. An altercation between Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels escalated when Draymond Green grabbed Rudy Gobert around the neck and dragged him away.

Thompson, McDaniels and Green were all ejected. Green was given a five-game suspension by the NBA on Wednesday.

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Wolves Fall To Suns, 133-115

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overpowered the Golden State Warriors 116-110 on Sunday night for their sixth straight victory.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and a season-best 14 rebounds for Minnesota in the first of two straight games between the teams in San Francisco.

Stephen Curry scored 38 points, but the cold-shooting Warriors didn't get enough other contributions to keep up with Minnesota's fast-paced attack. Golden State shot only 12 for 43 from 3-point range.

Curry has 11 straight games with four or more 3-pointers to start the season, the first time it’s been done in NBA history according to ESPN Stats & Info. His 3 with 5:15 to play pulled the Warriors to 100-89 and forced a Minnesota timeout.

He was 1 for 5 from deep to start the game and 2 of 9 midway through the third, when the Warriors were just 8 of 22 from the field.

After Dario Saric's layup with three seconds left in the first, Curry stole the inbounds pass and scored to beat the buzzer and put the Warriors up 31-29. But the Timberwolves led at halftime, then used a 35-point third quarter to take an 89-73 advantage.

Rudy Gobert had 10 points, 10 rebounds and season-high five blocks as Minnesota won for the seventh time in eight games.

Saric made four of his first five shots on the way to 11 points to go with 10 rebunds and Klay Thompson scored 16 points as the Warriors dropped both in a home back-to-back after losing 118-110 to Cleveland a night earlier. Golden State has a three-game losing streak and four losses in the last five.

Minnesota won again at Chase Center after a 99-96 victory on March 26 to snap a 12-game losing streak on Golden State's home floor.

Golden State's Draymond Green added nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists a day after being ejected after pushing Donovan Mitchell earned him a second technical.

Double-technicals were issued to Naz Reid and Jonathan Kuminga late in the first.

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Edwards, Towns lead Timberwolves past Curry and Warriors, 116-110

SAN ANTONIO -- — Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and 12 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame 29 points from Victor Wembanyama to hold off the San Antonio Spurs 117-110 on Friday night in their In-Season Tournament opener.

Anthony Edwards added 28 points and Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 10 rebounds as Minnesota won its fifth straight.

Wembanyama was 12 for 21 from the field and 3 for 7 on 3-pointers. The No. 1 pick, who was coming off a difficult debut at Madison Square Garden in a loss to New York on Wednesday, added nine rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.

Devin Vassell added 29 points for San Antonio.

Minnesota had notable victories over Boston and Denver but had not won on the road this season.

San Antonio has lost four straight, dropping its previous two by an average of 31 points to Indiana and the Knicks.

In danger of another blowout loss, the Spurs opened the final quarter shooting 9 for 12 from the field and 3 for 5 on 3-pointers to close within 104-97 with three minutes remaining.

The Timberwolves did not let the Spurs get any closer.

Minnesota built an 18-point lead in the third quarter after a sluggish start.

The Wolves were 9 for 15 on 3-pointers in the second and third quarters while outscoring the Spurs 68-46. Minnesota outscored San Antonio 34-19 in the third, sparked by a 19-5 run.

The Spurs limited the Wolves to 22 points in the first quarter after allowing 44 and 33 in the opening period of their previous games.

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Timberwolves hold off Spurs 117-110 for fifth straight win

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