Karl-Anthony Towns posts 39 as Wolves whip Warriors

Karl-Anthony Towns unloaded 39 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, D’Angelo Russell added 22 points and 7 assists, and the host Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 129-114 win over the Golden State Warriors in Minneapolis on Tuesday, March 1 (Wednesday, March 2 Manila time).

The Timberwolves went on a 12-1 run to close the first quarter and take a lead they never relinquished. 

Minnesota’s advantage swelled to as many as 21 points through a combination of efficient offense and stingy defense.

Led by Malik Beasley’s 6-of-9, the Timberwolves shot 16-of-40 from beyond the three-point arc. Beasley scored 20 points off the bench.

Towns added another 3-of-6 from long range, part of his 14-of-22 night shooting overall, as he fell just one point shy of matching his season-high in scoring.

Minnesota held Golden State to 41-of-90 shooting on the other end, including 13-of-45 from deep. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 34 points, but at 5-of-16, shot more than 6% less than his season-long three-point average coming into Tuesday’s contest.

Taurean Prince contributed to the defensive effort with three steals and a blocked shot. He also finished with 11 points in 20:44 of action.

Seven Timberwolves scored at least 8 points, with Naz Reid notching 9 off the bench, Patrick Beverley scoring 8 of his 10 in the first half, and Jaden McDaniels chipping in 8.

Six Warriors scored in double figures, but none other than Curry had more than 15 points. Damion Lee scored 15, Jonathan Kuminga added 14, and Jordan Poole registered 12 off the bench.

Gary Payton II posted 14 points and Andrew Wiggins – who spent more than five seasons with the Timberwolves before he was a part of a February 2020 trade that sent Russell to Minnesota – finished with 12 points.

The loss was Golden State’s fourth in its last five games, and sixth in the last eight. – Rappler.com