Field Level Media
Feb 11, 2019
Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves ended a four-game losing streak with a 130-120 win against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Minnesota's second-leading scorer Derrick Rose returned after missing the past three games with an ankle injury and scored 22 points off the bench. Third-leading scorer Andrew Wiggins sat out with an illness.
Dario Saric scored 19 points after moving into the starting lineup for the second time since being traded to the Timberwolves in the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 12. Jeff Teague had 19 points and 10 assists while Taj Gibson scored 14 points in his first game as a non-starter in nearly two years.
Lou Williams scored a season-high 45 points off the bench, including 21 in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who went 3-3 on their six-game road trip. Montrezl Harrell scored 18 points with 12 rebounds and six assists while Landry Shamet finished with 15 points, both in reserve roles.
The Clippers had fallen behind by at least 20 points in each of the first five games of the road trip, but rallied to win three of those games.
They hit that deficit again Monday when Towns made a hook shot to put Minnesota ahead 78-57 with 9:36 left in the third quarter. The Clippers trailed by as many as 23 points midway through the quarter before cutting the deficit to eight entering the fourth.
Williams got Los Angeles within four on a drive with 6:48 left, but the Clippers couldn't get any closer. They trailed 119-115 with just over four minutes left when the Timberwolves scored six straight points in the paint to go back up by 10 with 2:51 left.
Gibson's layup capped a 9-0 run for Minnesota's first lead at 19-13 with 4:27 left in the first quarter. The Clippers moved back ahead midway through the second quarter and took a 52-45 lead on a free throw by Gallinari following a technical foul on Jerryd Bayless with 3:54 left in the half, but the Timberwolves closed on an 18-3 run to take a 63-55 lead into the break.
--Field Level Media