It was far from pretty but the Timberwolves hung on for a 112-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Friday afternoon.
A slow start in the 11 a.m. tipoff was erased by the Wolves when they outscored the Nets 67-46 during the second and third quarters, leading by as many as 18 points late in the third quarter.
Minnesota led by 16 after a 3-pointer by Derrick Rose with 10 minutes to go in the game, but the Nets rallied and cut the lead to 104-100 with a couple of minutes to go before running out of gas in the loss.
Rose led the Wolves with 25 points off the bench and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds despite barely playing in the first half after picking up three quick fouls.
Taj Gibson stepped up when Towns went to the bench with foul trouble, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in 26 minutes.
Andrew Wiggins continued his shooting slump as he connected on just 4-of-14 attempts and finished with seven points. The 23-year-old swingman is 16-of-47 (34 percent) from the field over his last three games and just 3-of-13 from 3 (23 percent).
Note: The victory is Minnesota’s first on the road this season (1-8).
Up next: Wolves host Zach LaVine and the Bulls on Saturday.
