NBA: Karl-Anthony Towns scores 39, Wolves whip Warriors
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates after drawing a foul against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter of the game at Target Center on March 1, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 129-114. David Berding/Getty Images/AFP
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 39 points and grabbed nine rebounds, D’Angelo Russell added 22 points and seven assists, and the host Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 129-114 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves went on a 12-1 run to close the first quarter and take a lead they never relinquished. Minnesota’s advantage swelled to as many as 21 points through a combination of efficient offense and stingy defense.
KAT rips through and gets to the basket!
KAT is up to 31 PTS on 11-19 shooting on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/oz9UCQxdQa pic.twitter.com/Tfdx1dTiVt
— NBA (@NBA) March 2, 2022
Led by Malik Beasley’s 6-of-9, the Timberwolves shot 16 of 40 from beyond the 3-point arc. Beasley scored 20 points off the bench.
Towns added another 3 of 6 from long range, part of his 14-of-22 night shooting overall, as he fell just one point shy of matching his season-high in scoring.
THIS IS FUN 🐺 pic.twitter.com/XQPtkFm5EG
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 2, 2022
Minnesota held Golden State to 41-of-90 shooting on the other end, including 13 of 45 from deep. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 34 points, but at 5 of 16, shot more than 6 percent less than his season-long 3-point average coming into Tuesday’s contest.
Taurean Prince contributed to the defensive effort with three steals and a blocked shot. He also finished with 11 points in 20:44 of action.
Seven Timberwolves scored at least eight points, with Naz Reid notching nine off the bench, Patrick Beverley scoring eight of his 10 in the first half, and Jaden McDaniels chipping in eight.
Six Warriors scored in double figures, but none other than Curry had more than 15 points. Damion Lee scored 15, Jonathan Kuminga added 14 and Jordan Poole registered 12 off the bench.
Gary Payton II posted 14 points and Andrew Wiggins – who spent more than five seasons with the Timberwolves before he was a part of a February 2020 trade that sent Russell to Minnesota – finished with 12 points.
