NBA: Timberwolves knock off Pistons for third straight win
Patrick Beverley #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates a late second half three pointer with Anthony Edwards #1 while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on February 03, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP
Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, Taurean Prince supplied 23 off the bench and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves downed the Detroit Pistons 128-117 on Thursday.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota, which has won three straight. Malik Beasley contributed 18 points and Jarred Vanderbilt tossed in 13. Patrick Beverley added 11 points and seven assists, and Jaden McDaniels chipped in 10 points.
Frank Jackson led the Pistons with 25 points. Saddiq Bey had 21 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high eight assists, while Jerami Grant contributed 20 points and Trey Lyles added 13.
The Timberwolves had 23 fast-break points and scored 21 points off 16 Detroit turnovers.
ANT AND-ONE 🗣🗣🗣 pic.twitter.com/1IU9LDGuBu
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 4, 2022
Both teams were missing key players. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, the top pick of last year’s draft, sat out due to a right hip pointer. Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell was sidelined by a left shin contusion.
The Pistons emerged from a wild first half with a 67-65 lead. Grant and Bey had 13 points apiece to lead Detroit, while Prince topped the Timberwolves with 15 points.
Detroit nudged the lead to five points, 82-77, midway through the third quarter when Grant knocked down a corner 3-pointer.
A Jackson 3-pointer less than a minute later made it a six-point spread, but Minnesota responded with 11 unanswered points, including six straight from Towns. Prince capped it off with a 3-pointer to put Minnesota up 90-85 with 3:13 left in the quarter.
Towns had a fast-break dunk, giving him 13 points for the quarter, as Minnesota carried a 103-94 lead into the final quarter.
The Timberwolves extended it to 15 with a 10-4 run to start the fourth. Beasley scored five of those points and Prince capped it with a 3-pointer.
Prince’s layup with 7:39 remaining made it 117-101. Minnesota then went scoreless for nearly five minutes while Detroit went on an 11-0 run. Jackson had a four-point play and two assists in that span.
Edwards stopped the run with a three-point play. Beverley clinched the victory with a 3-pointer in the final minute.
