SALT LAKE CITY — Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
Anthony Edwards added 23 points and nine rebounds, and D’Angelo Russell also finished with 23 points to help Minnesota beat league-leading Utah on the road for the second time this season.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead the Jazz, who lost at home for just the fourth time overall this season. Mike Conley added 18 points and seven assists, and Rudy Gobert grabbed 17 rebounds.
The Jazz erased an 11-point deficit with a 12-0 run and took a 93-92 lead on Bogdanovic’s 3-pointer with 3:41 left. But Towns put the Timberwolves back ahead with a layup and Minnesota held Utah scoreless until the final seconds.
The Timberwolves trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half before rallying to overtake the Jazz in the third quarter. Minnesota went ahead for the first time when Jaden McDaniels scored a layup off a steal, putting the Timberwolves up 62-61.
His basket was part of a 20-7 run by Minnesota to open the second half. Edwards punctuated the stretch with a 3-pointer, extending the Timberwolves’ lead to 72-65. His first basket of the fourth quarter gave Minnesota its largest advantage at 92-81.
Three consecutive 3-pointers from Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale and Joe Ingles highlighted an 11-0 run that helped Utah take a 23-10 lead midway through the first quarter. The Jazz eventually built a 33-16 lead later in the quarter after going 9 of 15 from the perimeter.
Minnesota clawed back into the game just before halftime when the shots stopped falling for Utah. The Jazz shot just 29% from the field in the second quarter and made only two 3-pointers in that stretch. Edwards made three layups to fuel a 12-2 run that cut Utah’s lead to 58-52 going into the locker room.
The teams will square off again Monday when Minnesota hosts Utah.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Edwards has made 140 3-pointers this season, the fourth-highest single-season total for a Minnesota player. … Minnesota committed zero turnovers during the second quarter. … The Timberwolves outscored Utah 20-5 in second-chance points. … Minnesota improved to 4-11 on zero days rest this season.
Jazz: Conley eclipsed 5,000 career assists during the first quarter after dishing out five in the quarter. He now has 5,003 career assists. … Jordan Clarkson missed three free throws in the first half, marking the first time he has missed multiple free throws in a game this season. … Utah committed 20 turnovers, which led to 23 points for Minnesota.
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