Towns hits 7 3-pointers, Wolves beat Jazz without Wiggins
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends in the first half during an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
SALT LAKE CITY — Karl-Anthony Towns had seven 3-pointers and 29 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves handed the Utah Jazz their first home loss, 112-102 Monday night.
Without second-leading scorer Andrew Wiggins, the Timberwolves held the Jazz to 36.8% shooting and were bolstered by Jeff Teague’s 21 points and 11 assists.
Kelan Martin had seven of his 14 points in Minnesota’s decisive run in the fourth quarter, and Robert Covington added 15 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 18 points before fouling out and Donovan Mitchell had 17 points on 5-for-24 shooting for Utah.
The Jazz led 88-85 before the Timberwolves began a game-changing shooting streak.
Towns hit three consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth, the final jumper from 29 feet with 4:45 to play. Teague hit two free throws in the midst of Towns’ 3-point display and added a driving layup and two more foul shots a short time later.
The point guard then found Martin for a 3-pointer and the largest lead of the night for either team at 103-90.
Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Jazz, who fell to 6-1 at home this season.
Wiggins missed his third straight game — the first two for personal reasons and this one due to illness. He was playing the best basketball of his career and had scored at least 25 points in six straight games. The Timberwolves lost the other two without the high-scoring wing.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Towns got his fourth foul with 5:03 left in the third quarter by kicking Gobert during a 3-point attempt. … Shabazz Napier was out with a sore hamstring.
Jazz: Utah looked disjointed in Jeff Green’s first extended run at center in Utah during the first half and the Jazz were outscored by nine during the experiment. … Dante Exum played his first game of the season after knee surgery in March. … Emmanuel Mudiay drew a standing ovation with a fake behind-the-back-dribble drive that fooled his defender for a layup late in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
TImberwolves: Host the Jazz on Wednesday night.
Jazz: Return engagement with the Wolves in Minnesota.
