The Minnesota Timberwolves got back to .500 on Tuesday night, surviving a second-half barrage from the New York Knicks in a 112-110 victory.
The Timberwolves got off to a fast start thanks to the play of their stars. The trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards scored Minnesota’s first 26 points of the night and made sure the Wolves were off and running.
The Timberwolves also got a strong effort from their bench. Naz Reid (nine points) and Malik Beasley (10 points) led the way for Minnesota to score 43 points from their reserves and take a 61-51 lead into halftime.
After landing in foul trouble in the first half, Julius Randle (21 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) came alive in the third quarter to help the Knicks outscore Minnesota 40-25. Although the Knicks had a 96-91 lead heading into the fourth, the game came down to the wire.
The Timberwolves forced an R.J. Barrett turnover with 47.4 seconds to go. With Minnesota down 109-108, Towns drove to the basket and put the ball off the glass to give the Timberwolves the lead with 29.3 seconds to go.
SUCH A TOUGH BUCKET#NBAAllStar @KarlTowns pic.twitter.com/ptjnuDdt7y
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 19, 2022
After knocking down the free throw to put Minnesota ahead 111-109, Jarred Vanderbilt fouled Randle, who made one of two free throws to cut the Wolves’ lead in half.
The Timberwolves almost turned the ball over on the next possession but Russell recovered the loose ball to draw a foul. Russell made one of two free throws to give the Knicks a final chance but Alec Burks 3-pointer was offline and Minnesota escaped with the win.
The Timberwolves (22-22) will head to Atlanta on Wednesday night to take on the Hawks.
