Minnesota Timberwolves: Towns, Rose help Wolves win in Brooklyn

The Minnesota Timberwolves stopped a mini two-game skid with a 10-point victory in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon, led by solid games from Karl-Anthony Towns and Derrick Rose.

On Friday at Barclays Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Brooklyn Nets for the second time since Jimmy Butler was traded to Philadelphia.

The Wolves were led by 25 points from Derrick Rose and 21 points and nine rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns as Minnesota’s two-game losing streak was brought to an end with a 112-102 victory.

The Wolves started slowly as they spent far too much time shooting from the mid-range without success, and their All-Star big man was in foul trouble and off to his own slow start yet again. A late second quarter surge put the Wolves up by five points at halftime, but Towns only had two points at the break.

The third quarter belonged to KAT, however, as Towns scored at will against Jarrett Allen, who was suddenly in his own foul trouble, and backup Ed Davis. The Wolves outscored the Nets by a 35-23 margin in the frame, and Minnesota built a 17-point lead heading to the final quarter.

Brooklyn went on an 11-4 fun to open the fourth, however, before Rose led the Wolves back to a double-digit lead. But things got dicey again down the stretch, with the Nets pulling to within 104-100 before Minnesota pulled ahead for good.

It was a game that should have been over earlier than it was, but Minnesota’s inability to truly keep an inferior team at arm’s length was once again frustrating.

That said, sweeping the season series against a team like Brooklyn is something the Wolves needed to do, and they were able to overcome Towns’ seemingly nightly foul trouble to do so.

Highlight of the Day

Player of the Game

Derrick Rose: 25 points (11-17 FG, 2-2 3P, 1-1 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Rose was solid throughout, with a steady diet of scoring in the paint and in the mid-range, plus an awesome half-court passing highlight above.

Towns could have had a monster game had he avoided foul trouble early and he was awesome in the second half, but Rose’s consistency over his 29 minutes plus his flurry to stem the tide early in the fourth quarter gets him the POG honors.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 21 points (9-18 FG, 1-4 3P, 2-2 FT), 9 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block
• Taj Gibson: 16 points (6-7 FG, 1-1 3P, 3-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 3 steals, one assist, one block
• Jeff Teague: 15 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3P, 6-6 FT), 9 assists, 2 rebounds, one steal
• Robert Covington: 7 points (3-8 FG, 1-4 3P), 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 assists

Gibson was a huge part of this win, playing 26 minutes on an afternoon in which Towns was in foul trouble and Dario Saric (16 minutes) struggled to find a rhythm.

Teague was also solid from start to finish, and Covington had a great all-around game with five steals.

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves head home after a weird one-game road trip for a Saturday night date with old friend Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls in LaVine’s first return to Target Center.