The Minnesota Timberwolves came from behind for an impressive overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at Target Center.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had lost six out of their last seven games including an uninspiring home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.
But on Friday, the Wolves staged a massive second-half comeback that largely came with All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench due to foul trouble. Then, after a furious Warriors rally tied the game in regulation, the Wolves built a large overtime lead that came under siege in the final seconds before a Towns free throw sealed the win.
The Wolves hung tough in the first half, trailing by five at the end of the first quarter but tying the game multiple times in the second frame. Golden State went on a late run just prior to halftime, however, and took a 68-52 lead into the break.
That lead ballooned to as many as 19 points, and with Towns headed to the bench with four personal fouls in the third quarter, the game appeared all but over.
But the starting lineup, sans Towns and plus Gorgui Dieng, went on a quick 16-5 run to pull the Wolves to within eight. Then, as reserves entered the game, the Wolves continued to get strong minutes from the likes of Anthony Tolliver and Jerryd Bayless. A steal and a pair of free throws from Tyus Jones in the closing moments of the third quarter allowed the Wolves to complete their comeback and tie the game at 86 heading to the final frame.
With Towns returning to the floor in the fourth, the Wolves led by as many as nine points and were up by six with two minutes left. But an easy dunk by Andre Iguodala, a bad shot by Bayless and a quick 3-pointer from Steph Curry trimmed the lead to one point with 49.6 seconds left.
After a timeout, Towns lost the ball on the other end but came back to block a layup attempt from Kevin Durant. Then, Andrew Wiggins lost the ball and committed a foul, but Draymond Green only made one of two free throws. In a tie game with 21.8 seconds left, Wiggins had two chances to win the game but missed both and the contest went to overtime.
Overtime was all Timberwolves for the first three-plus minutes as the Wolves led by nine points with 1:41 showing on the clock. A quick three from Curry was followed by a pair of bad Minnesota possessions. Then, another made three and only one of two made free throws by Bayless.
That meant a four point game with 20.2 seconds left. Curry missed a 3-point attempt but Draymond Green scored on the rebound. Josh Okogie made one of two free throws, and after a timeout, Durant sunk a 3-pointer that was waved off due to a foul on the floor by Keita Bates-Diop. It was a borderline call that canceled out what could have been a game-winning four-point play, but the odds are that the NBA’s Last Two Minutes Report that will be issued on Saturday will validate the referee’s decision.
Then, a made 3-pointer in the corner from Curry that was the stuff of legends. For some reason, Bayless chose not to foul Curry with a three-point lead in the closing seconds, and Curry made him pay.
After a timeout with 0.5 seconds left, Towns was grabbed from behind by Durant as he cut to the basket looking for a lob pass. KAT made the first free throw, intentionally missed the second, and that was that.
Here’s a video of the last few possessions:
https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1111960345936097280
The rest of the players
Keita Bates-Diop went scoreless in 16 minutes and was the culprit on the almost-4-point-play in the closing seconds of overtime. He grabbed five rebounds but missed all four of his shot attempts.
Cameron Reynolds played only 10 minutes but was on the floor during a couple of key possessions late as Saunders sought to maximize his team’s shooting capabilities. He drained a big fourth-quarter three and finished with four points, two assists and one rebound.
What’s Next?
The Timberwolves will play host to Jimmy Butler and the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night at Target Center. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CT.