Edwards, Towns lead Wolves' 106-80 blitz of Murray, Jokic for 2-0 series lead over champion Nuggets

DENVER (AP) — Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns powered Minnesota's 106-80 blitz of the Denver Nuggets on Monday night that gave the Timberwolves a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals over the reigning but reeling NBA champions.

Towns and Edwards both scored 27 points as the Wolves improved to 6-0 in the playoffs and gave themselves a chance to close out the fuming Nuggets with wins Friday night and Sunday in Minneapolis.

So dominant were the Wolves that they had the Nuggets throwing both fits (Michael Malone) and objects onto the court (Jamal Murray).

Aaron Gordon led Denver with 20 points, Nikola Jokic had 16 points and 16 rebounds but their third-leading scorer was sub Justin Holliday with 13 points. Murray scored 8 points on 3-of-18 shooting.

The Wolves staggered the Nuggets with body blow after body blow even though their starting center Rudy Gobert was back home in Minneapolis attending the birth of his son Sunday. But they didn't need Gobert's shot blocking prowess and rim protection on this night to continue their domination of the Nuggets at Ball Arena, where Denver was 36-8 before their back-to-back losses to Minnesota.

Kyle Andeson replaced Gobert in the starting lineup and the Timberwolves hounded Jokic and disrupted Denver's offense just the same.

During a 43-18 first-half flourish by the Timberwolves — Edwards was on the bench for much of it, no less — the Nuggets grew so frustrated that Malone ran way out onto the court and got in official Marc Davis' face for an extended blowup during a timeout and somehow avoided a technical.

So did Murray after Denver's ailing point guard threw a heat pack onto the court in frustration as Towns was about to score on a layup in the second quarter.

It wasn't clear if the officials realized it was Murray who threw the object onto the court and not a fan. He will likely face punishment from the league, however.

Frustrated by their slow starts — the Nuggets have trailed by double digits in six of their seven playoff games and by nine in the other — Malone challenged his team to get off to a strong start for once.

“What are we waiting for?" he pleaded after Sunday's practice.

Only Aaron Gordon heeded his coach's call, scoring 13 quick points, including a 3-pointer that brought the Nuggets to 18-17 late in the first quarter.

Things unraveled for Denver after that because Jokic was the only other starter to score for the Nuggets before the second quarter. Jokic had just eight points by halftime and Murray, still bothered by a strained left calf, scored just two first-half points for the duo's worst offensive output in a half this season.

Trailing 61-35 at the break, the Nuggets' 26-point halftime deficit was Denver's largest in a home playoff game in franchise history.

The Wolves led 82-60 after three quarters and cruised the rest of the way.

-Associated Press-

NBA: James leads Lakers into playoffs after thriller

LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James scored 30 points as the Los Angeles Lakers muscled their way into the NBA playoffs on Tuesday with a thrilling come-from-behind 108-102 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers clinched seventh seed and advanced to a Western Conference first-round playoff series against the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies starting on Sunday after a pulsating duel at the Crypto.com Arena.

The Timberwolves will have a second chance to reach the postseason when they face either New Orleans or Oklahoma City on Friday where the eighth seeding in the Western Conference will be up for grabs.

New Orleans and Oklahoma City face each other on Wednesday to determine who advances to that game.

"This is what our sport is all about -– getting to April and having an opportunity to play in the postseason," the 38-year-old James said after the win. "We've been battle-tested all year and since the All-Star break we've been playing some good basketball."

A nerve-jangling fourth quarter saw the Lakers battle back from a 10-point deficit to move to the brink of victory after James engineered a three-pointer for German international Dennis Schroder to put Los Angeles 98-95 ahead with just 1.4 seconds remaining.

But as the home crowd prepared to celebrate, Anthony Davis was called for a rash foul on Mike Conley as the Timberwolves veteran attempted a desperate game-tying late three.

Conley's effort missed but he duly stepped up to drain three free-throws under excruciating pressure to knot the game at 98-98 and force overtime.

Yet the Lakers regrouped to start overtime with a flurry of points, Rui Hachimura's three-pointer and a Schroder layup putting Los Angeles five points clear at 103-98.

The Lakers kept their noses in front and after a missed three-point attempt by Taurean Prince that could have tied it for Minnesota, the hosts closed out the win.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Gobert suspended one game after punching teammate

LOS ANGELES -- The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday suspended Rudy Gobert for one game for punching a teammate, ruling him out of the team's play-in clash with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Minnesota said in a statement Gobert would not travel to Los Angeles for Tuesday's clash with the Lakers, where the winner will secure a postseason berth.

"The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has suspended center Rudy Gobert for one game following yesterday's incident," the Timberwolves said in a statement.

Gobert was benched by the Timberwolves on Sunday during the team's roller-coaster 113-108 defeat of New Orleans after a stunning incident in the second quarter where he aimed a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson.

The players were forcibly separated by other Timberwolves players. Gobert was pulled from the game following the clash.

The French center later apologized for the incident on Twitter, saying that "emotions got the best of me".

"I should not have reacted the way I did regardless of what was said," Gobert wrote.

"I wanna apologize to the fans, the organization and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that I truly love and respect as a teammate."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Davis propels Lakers to key win over Timberwolves

LOS ANGELES -- Anthony Davis shook off a twisted ankle to score 38 points and help the Los Angeles Lakers rally for a crucial 123-111 NBA victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

The Lakers improved their record to 39-38 -- their first time over .500 this season -- and more importantly leapfrogged ahead of the Timberwolves into seventh place in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

LeBron James scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and D'Angelo Russell had 12 points and 10 assists as all five Lakers starters scored in double figures.

The Lakers trailed by as many as 13 early in the third and were charging when Davis twisted his left ankle late in the period, grimacing as he lay on the court and limping off before returning to the game.

He finished with 17 rebounds, going hard at Minnesota even before star Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert departed the game with a knee injury.

"He kicked our ass in every way possible," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of Davis.

Added Lakers coach Darvin Ham: "It all starts with AD. We have a team that can make some things happen, but you've got to have that one pivotal force that can lead the charge ... in our case, it's AD."

That's even more true with James still returning to full strength after a month-long absence with a torn tendon in his right foot.

With Davis leading the way, the Lakers out-scored the Timberwolves 35-18 in the third quarter to take control and Ham said early indications were that Davis's injury wasn't serious.

"I think it's just a twisted ankle," Ham said.

The Boston Celtics followed up their big win over Milwaukee with 122-114 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Jayson Tatum scored 39 points and handed out 11 assists and Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 for the Celtics, who inched closer to the Bucks in the battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics drilled 17 three-pointers -- five of them from Tatum -- and trail the Bucks by one and a half games atop the East.

- Sixers hold off Raptors -

In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the 76ers built a big early lead and held on for a 117-110 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

James Harden scored 15 of his 23 points in the second quarter as the Sixers tightened their hold on third place in the East.

Philadelphia connected on 30 of 39 shots from the field in the first half, leading by as many as 24 on the way to a 20-point halftime lead.

The Raptors, locked in battle for a play-in tournament berth, hit back, Fred VanVleet pulling them within two points with a three-pointer with 5:50 left to play.

A jumper from Embiid and a three-pointer from PJ Tucker gave Philadelphia some breathing room and they held on for the win.

Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 29 points and VanVleet added 19. All five Raptors starters scored in double figures but the Sixers bench out-scored Toronto's reserves 34-17.

"Good teams win ugly games," Tucker said. "Literally everybody stepped up on our team tonight. It's good energy and we needed everybody for the win."

The Sixers win left them three and a half games in front of the fourth-placed Cleveland Cavaliers, who fell 130-116 to the fifth-placed New York Knicks.

Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 48 points for the Knicks to help make up for the absence of Julius Randle, who sprained an ankle on Wednesday.

The sixth-placed Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-107. Mikal Bridges scored 42 points as the Nets boosted their bid for the final direct playoff berth.

Dorian Finney-Smith added 19 points for Brooklyn, who were up by four at halftime and out-scored Atlanta 42-24 in the third quarter.

The Chicago Bulls tightened their grip on 10th place in the East and the final play-in berth with a 121-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The Bulls are three games ahead of the Washington Wizards, who fell 116-109 to the Orlando Magic.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: T-Wolves center Rudy Gobert says refs helping stars win

NEW YORK - Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert says NBA referees try to help teams with star players defeat teams from smaller markets with unfair foul calls.

The 30-year-old French 7-footer (2.16m) launched his tirade after the T-Wolves lost 107-100 to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, the Star Tribune newspaper and The Athletic reported.

"It's really not fair," Gobert said of officiating calls, which sent Phoenix to the free throw line 27 times to only 12 for Minnesota.

"I've been in this league for 10 years and I try to always give the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard for me to think (referees) are not trying to help (the Suns) win tonight. It's hard for me to think they didn't try to help the (reigning champion Golden State) Warriors win the other night or the Sacramento Kings the other night."

Gobert, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and last season's top NBA rebounder, played nine seasons for the Utah Jazz before joining the Timberwolves this season.

"It's just so obvious. As a basketball player that's been in this league for so long, it's disrespectful, and it sucks, to be honest," Gobert added.

"We work so hard to be in a position to compete with the best and we just get manipulated into those situations where it just impacts the game for the other team too much. They know how to do it. They do it a lot of different ways. Tonight was another way of doing it."

Gobert, who was whistled for five fouls, and the T-Wolves fell to 39-38, one game behind Golden State for the last guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Minnesota slipped into the group of teams set for a play-in series to reach the playoffs, with Gobert implying referees were helping to boost playoff bids for teams with stars like Phoenix's Kevin Durant, Golden State's Stephen Curry and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are just behind Minnesota in the Western Conference.

"We understand that it's also a business," Gobert said. "Unfortunately. It's sad, but it's good also. It's really good. But it's true. We understand that we're not the biggest of the markets.

"I think you want to see (Durant) in the playoffs, Steph in the playoffs, you want to see LeBron in the playoffs. The Timberwolves are not there yet. We got to keep putting our head down, keep playing through that, and it's frustrating for sure, especially for me."

The T-Wolves play host to James and the Lakers on Friday in a crucial games for the playoff chances of both clubs. The Lakers lead the NBA in free throw attempts per game with 26.7, three more on average than Minnesota.

Last week, the NBA fined Phoenix coach Monty Williams $20,000 for complaining about officiating in a loss to the Lakers during which Los Angeles shot 46 free throws to only 20 for the Suns.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Embiid's 59 points lead Sixers past Jazz, Garland's 51 not enough for Cavs

LOS ANGELES -- Joel Embiid scored 59 points to carry the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-98 victory over Utah on Sunday, just one of two 50-point performances that lit up the NBA night.

Cleveland guard Darius Garland scored 27 of his 51 points in the fourth quarter, but his heroics weren't enough to prevent the Cavaliers from surrendering their first defeat on their home floor, 129-124 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Embiid's epic, which improved on his prior career best of 50 points, proved to be all the 76ers needed to hold off the tenacious Jazz.

The Cameroonian big man added 11 rebounds and eight assists along with seven blocked shots, all just a day after he scored 42 points in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

"I've never seen a more dominating performance, when you combine defense and offense," 76ers coach Doc Rivers said after Embiid became the first player in league history with 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game since blocks became an official statistic in the 1973-74 season.

With the Jazz pressing late, Embiid scored 26 of Philadelphia's 27 points in the fourth quarter.

Chants of "M-V-P" were raining down at the Sixers' Wells Fargo Center as Embiid poured it on.

The teams were tied heading into the final period, and Embiid's turnaround jump shot with less than six minutes remaining knotted the score at 94-94.

He hit two free throws on Philadelphia's next possession for a 98-96 Sixers lead. His fadeaway jump shot with a minute remaining put Philadelphia up 103-98 and he closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws.

In Cleveland, Garland barely beat Embiid to the first 50-point performance of the season as he became the fourth Cavaliers player to hit the half-century mark along with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Walt Wesley.

Garland's 10 three-pointers -- six in the fourth quarter -- were just the start as Garland dazzled with an array of agile jump shots and bullish drives to the basket.

"Special," Cavs veteran Kevin Love said of Garland's performance. "A masterclass by Darius that was just beautiful."

Cavs star Donovan Mitchell was cheering from the bench as he sat out with a sore ankle, but Garland's career night wasn't quite enough.

D'Angelo Russell scored a season-high 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting and handed out 12 assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points for the Timberwolves, who led by 24 late in the third quarter.

- Thunder silence Knicks -

Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into New York and thumped the Knicks 145-135 to the vocal dismay of the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and Josh Giddey had a triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the young Thunder squad.

Australia's Giddey, 20, joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to post triple-doubles in their first two games at the iconic Manhattan arena.

"We come here once a year, so you've got to have fun while we're here and luckily in my time we've had two wins, so it's been going good so far," Giddey said in a post-game interview.

Lu Dort also scored 24 points for Oklahoma City, who connected on 62.5% of their shots from the field. That included making 17 of 31 from three-point range.

The Knicks out-scored the Thunder 48-36 in the first quarter, setting a franchise record for points in the first period.

But Oklahoma City buckled down defensively in the second, holding the Knicks to 25 and scoring 43 to lead by six at the break.

They never trailed and led by as many as 19 in the second half.

In Washington, Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points and Deni Avdija chipped in 21 to lead the Wizards to a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Washington notched a fourth straight victory despite the continued absence of Bradley Beal. The Grizzlies were short-handed as well, with Ja Morant sidelined by a sore left ankle and Desmond Bane out with a troublesome toe.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Hayward scores 29 as Celtics get past T-Wolves

Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 29 points and the visiting Boston Celtics played strong defense down the stretch to hold off the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-117 on Friday night.

Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and Jaylen Brown and Daniel Theis chipped in with 25 apiece as the Celtics came out of the All-Star break to win their fourth road game in the last five. Boston has won 12 of 14 overall.

Malik Beasley had 27 points to pace the Timberwolves, who were without star center Karl-Anthony Towns, out with a sprained left wrist.

Boston led most of the way, including by as many as 13 points in the second quarter and 12 in the third period.

Tatum's 3-pointer put the Celtics up 98-88 with 10:50 remaining, before the Timberwolves made a late push. Minnesota got within 100-98 on Jordan McLaughlin's trey and subsequently within one on three occasions, the last time at 108-107 on two Naz Reid free throws with 6:20 to go.

But Hayward countered with a 3-pointer and the Celtics held the Timberwolves to just four points in the next 4:20 while gradually pulling away.

Hayward shot 12 of 17 and the Celtics outshot the Timberwolves 46.3 percent to 40.4 percent.

Tatum (11 rebounds), Theis (game-high 16 rebounds) and Marcus Smart (10 points, 10 assists) all recorded double-doubles for Boston, which went without injured point guard Kemba Walker.

Beasley connected on 4 of 8 from behind the arc for Minnesota, which lost for the 16th time in its last 17 games.

D'Angelo Russell had 18 points and a game-high 13 assists for the Timberwolves. Reid finished with 19 points, Juan Hernangomez 17, McLaughlin 11 and Josh Okogie 10.

The Timberwolves were outrebounded 58-43 but stayed close by outscoring the Celtics 45-30 on 3-pointers.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Brogdon's late basket lifts Pacers over Timberwolves

Malcolm Brogdon nailed a tiebreaking 15-footer with 18.7 seconds left and T.J. Warren scored a game-high 28 points Friday night as the host Indiana Pacers spoiled the return of Karl-Anthony Towns with a 116-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to sweep a tightly contested home-and-home series.

The Pacers won 104-99 at Minnesota on Wednesday in a game Towns missed with an illness to continue a string of 15 straight absences after earlier having suffered a knee injury.

The All-Star center had a team-high 27 points in 28 minutes in his first game since Dec. 13, and was still producing with 1:48 remaining when his two free throws pulled Minnesota into a 114-all tie.

But with the score still tied, Towns committed an out-of-bounds turnover with 1:16 to go and teammate Andrew Wiggins had a similar miscue with 31.3 seconds left, setting up Brogdon's game-winner.

The Timberwolves had a chance to tie after Brogdon's clutch hoop, but Shabazz Napier misfired with 8.4 seconds remaining.

The Timberwolves' Robert Covington managed to tie up Warren for a jump ball as they battled for the rebound, but the Pacers were able to run out the clock after Warren controlled the tap.

Brogdon finished with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double.

The Pacers led for almost the entire first 46 minutes, going up by as many as 11 in the second quarter. They finished each of the first three periods with a 6-point lead.

A hoop by Aaron Holiday with 8:12 remaining allowed the Pacers to match their largest lead at 107-96, before the Timberwolves rallied.

Warren hit 11 of his 18 shots for the Pacers, who outshot the Timberwolves 56.1 percent to 45.5.

Jeremy Lamb chipped in with 18 points, Doug McDermott had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Holiday scored 13 points for Indiana, which won its fourth straight.

Towns' 27 points included three 3-pointers, helping the Timberwolves, who dropped their fourth in a row, to run up a 51-24 advantage in scoring from behind the line.

Wiggins backed Towns with 22 points, while Josh Okogie had 15, Jarrett Culver 12, Napier 12 to go with a team-high nine assists, and Covington nine to complement a game-high 10 rebounds.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Jokic racks up triple-double as Nuggets fend off Wolves

Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Jamal Murray scored 28 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-100 on Friday night.

Will Barton added 13 and Paul Millsap and Gary Harris scored 11 each for Denver, which won all five games on its current homestand.


Minnesota played its second straight game without center Karl-Anthony Towns and lost its ninth in a row. Towns, who leads the Timberwolves in scoring (26.5) and rebounds (11.7) per game, is nursing a sprained left knee.

Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points, Gorgui Dieng had 18, Jeff Teague finished with 13 and Robert Covington 10 for Minnesota.

The Timberwolves were able to withstand an early push by Denver to keep it a game in the second half.

Trailing 63-51 in the first minute of the third quarter, Minnesota went on a 9-2 run to get within 65-60. The teams traded baskets and free throws to keep it at five, but Dieng hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut Denver's lead to 72-70 and prompt a Nuggets timeout.

The Timberwolves had two chances to tie or take the lead before Malik Beasley hit a corner 3-pointer, and Murray scored nine points in the quarter to make it 82-75 heading into the fourth.

Denver opened up a 91-80 lead on Barton's layup with 8:46 left. Covington shot an air ball on a 3-point attempt, and Beasley hit another corner shot from deep to put the Nuggets ahead 97-84.

Minnesota called a timeout, but 3-pointers by Murray and Jokic gave Denver a 19-point lead, their biggest of the game.

The Nuggets used hot shooting to race out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter. Denver made 12 of its first 13 shots and led 31-14 and 33-16, and then missed its last five shots of the quarter, allowing Minnesota to get back into it.

The lead was still 17 until the Timberwolves scored 13 straight to make it 44-40 midway through the second. The Nuggets built their lead back to 10 at halftime.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: George, Leonard combine for 88 in Clippers' win over Wolves

Paul George scored 46 points and Kawhi Leonard added 42 as the visiting Los Angeles Clippers showed off their star power Friday and held on for a 124-117 victory Friday over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Leonard and George became the first duo in Clippers history to each score at least 40 points in a game.

Montrezl Harrell added 18 points off the bench as the Clippers won despite playing without a true point guard. 

Patrick Beverley sat out after leaving Wednesday's game at Toronto with a concussion, while Lou Williams also was sidelined with a sore right calf.

Despite the lack of a playmaker the Clippers delivered 16 assists to 17 for the Timberwolves. George had seven of those assists for the Clippers, who won their fourth consecutive game, all on the road.

The Timberwolves went to work with their own scoring duo as Karl-Anthony Towns scored 39 points and Andrew Wiggins added 34. Towns added 12 rebounds and stayed in the game despite an injury to his left knee with 1:42 remaining.

The Timberwolves lost their seventh consecutive game overall and their seventh consecutive home game.

The Clippers led 33-29 after one quarter and extended the advantage to 65-58 at halftime by shooting 47.7 percent from the field and forcing Minnesota into 10 turnovers.

The Clippers outscored the Wolves 37-23 in the third quarter to take a 102-81 lead, leading by as many as 27 in the period. But Minnesota refused to go away, going on a 25-9 run to open the fourth quarter and cutting the deficit to four points twice in the final 1:04.

The Clippers managed to close out the victory as George shot 17 of 31 from the field and 6 of 15 from 3-point range. Leonard went 10 of 24 overall and 3 of 3 from distance, while making all 19 of his free throws.

Rodney McGruder scored four points for Los Angeles in his first game since Nov. 27 after sitting out with a hamstring injury. Terance Mann added three assists in 17 minutes while making his fourth start of the season.

Jeff Teague scored 22 points and Robert Covington added 10 as the Wolves were 38 of 85 (44.7 percent) from the field, but just 10 of 41 (24.4 percent) from 3-point range.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Booker nets 26 as Suns dump slumping Timberwolves

Devin Booker had 26 points and three 3-pointers and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 24 points on his 24th birthday when the host Phoenix Suns pulled away from the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 125-109 victory Monday night.

Dario Saric had 20 points and was a rebound short of his fifth double-double in the last eight games and Ricky Rubio had 16 points and 14 assists for the Suns, who beat Timberwolves for the second time in 17 days to get within one game of .500.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 33 points and 15 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins had 23 points and Jeff Teague had 16 points and four assists off the bench for the Timberwolves, who extended a season-long losing streak to five.

The teams yoyo-ed through 15 lead changes and 16 ties through the first 27 minutes before the Suns opened some space when Booker made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 73-68 lead. The Suns gradually pulled away, stretching their lead to as many as 19. Minnesota was never closer than seven in the final nine minutes after Cam Johnson's trey made it 100-90.

Suns center Aron Baynes, who had missed the previous four games and nine of the last 10 with injuries, had 12 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. His 3-pointer late in the third quarter made it 92-81, the Suns' largest lead to that point.

The Suns made 16-of-40 3-pointers, their eighth game with at least 15 makes this season. Oubre, Saric, Rubio, Johnson, Baynes and Frank Kaminsky had two 3-pointers apiece.

Rubio has at least 13 assists in his last three games and at least nine assists in six straight games, the longest streak by a Suns player since Goran Dragic in March 2013. The Suns have 29 or more assists in their last seven, their longest stretch since 2007.

Minnesota lost all four games on the trip that ended in Phoenix, by a total of 52 points. They gave up 121, 137 and 142 points in the first three losses.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Davis drops 50 in Lakers’ win over Timberwolves

Anthony Davis scored a season-high 50 points, sparking the Los Angeles Lakers to a 142-125 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.

Davis connected on 20 of 29 shots from the floor and converted all 10 of his free throws in 39 minutes. It was his fourth career 50-plus scoring game. Davis also had seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.

LeBron James had 32 points and 13 assists for the Lakers, who won their fourth in a row and 14th in 15 games. Alex Caruso added 16 points, while Danny Green finished with 12.

Andrew Wiggins, who missed Friday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a left thumb sprain, and Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 19 points each. Josh Okogie added 18 points, while Robert Covington had 16 for the Timberwolves, who lost their fourth consecutive contest. Eight players scored in double figures for the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves rallied from several double-digit deficits throughout the contest before fading in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles used a 16-4 burst to seize a 103-84 lead after a 3-pointer by Caruso with 4:14 left in the third, but Minnesota cut the gap with a 19-7 run to pull within 110-103 heading into the fourth. Towns scored 13 points in the third.

The Timberwolves trailed by 11 early in the second quarter before putting together a 24-9 surge for a 55-51 lead after three free throws by Covington at 5:27. However, the Lakers closed the half on an 11-0 run for a 73-65 advantage at the break.

Davis scored 27 points in the first half, while James had 16 before intermission despite being limited by foul trouble.

The Lakers shot 61.2 percent to 50 percent for the Wolves in the first half. Overall, Los Angeles outshot Minnesota 58.5 percent to 51.8 percent. The Lakers committed just 10 turnovers to 15 for the Timberwolves. The Lakers also outrebounded the Timberwolves, 41-33.

Lakers reserve guard Rajon Rondo sat out the contest with a strained hamstring. He is listed as day-to-day.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Harden scores 49, carrying battered Rockets by Wolves

James Harden recorded his fifth 40-plus point scoring effort during the Houston Rockets' seven-game winning streak, posting 49 in a 125-105 victory over the host Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Hamstrung by a roster depleted by injuries, Harden took a career-high 41 shot attempts. He finished 8 of 22 on 3-pointers and added five rebounds and six assists over 39 minutes.

A trio of guards provided Harden support offensively. Ben McLemore followed his 21-point performance Friday against Indiana with 20 points, including a pair of free throws with 1:29 left in the third quarter that gave the Rockets their first double-digit lead at 89-79.

Austin Rivers and Chris Clemons scored 19 points apiece for the Rockets, who also received a career-best 16 rebounds from center Isaiah Hartenstein. Houston shot 19 of 49 on 3-pointers.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 11 points in the first half but struggled to contain Harden. They also missed the production of their second-leading scorer, forward Andrew Wiggins, who missed his second consecutive game (personal reasons).

Karl-Anthony Towns paired 27 points with 15 rebounds to pace the Timberwolves, while Jake Layman scored 21 on 9-of-14 shooting. Robert Covington chipped in 17 points, while rookie Jarrett Culver added 13 points, all in the first half.

With the Rockets missing their second- (Russell Westbrook), third- (Clint Capela), fourth- (Danuel House Jr.) and fifth-leading scorers (Eric Gordon), Harden asserted himself offensively from the opening tip, hoisting 17 first-quarter shots to keep Houston afloat. Harden started the game 1 for 6 from the floor but went 6 of 11 down the stretch and tallied 18 points in the period, as the Rockets shot 6 of 12 from behind the arc and eked out a 31-30 advantage.

Clemons teamed with Harden to score all 13 points in a 13-3 Houston run that erased most of the Timberwolves' 21-10 lead. Clemons, an undrafted rookie out of Campbell, matched his career high of 16 points by the intermission. 

With Harden producing 30 points by the break, that duo was able to offset Towns' 18 points and the combined 24 points from Culver and Layman to lead 64-62.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Antetokounmpo, Bucks put away host Wolves

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 34 points and 15 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks rode a third-quarter surge to a 134-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday in Minneapolis.

Antetokounmpo, who was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier on Monday, shot 14 of 19 from the field in a game that began with a delay of nearly an hour due to a basket malfunction.

Khris Middleton scored 26 points following a 9-of-15 effort from the field for the Bucks, who have won three in a row overall and nine of their last 11 encounters with the Timberwolves. Eric Bledsoe chipped in with a season-high 22 points after making 8 of 14 shots from the floor.

Andrew Wiggins recorded 25 points for Minnesota, which played without Karl-Anthony Towns as the two-time All-Star center served the second contest of his two-game suspension for an altercation with Philadelphia's Joel Embiid on Wednesday.

Robert Covington scored 11 of his 15 points in the first quarter for the Timberwolves, and Jordan Bell pumped in 12 to eclipse his season total set over his first three games.

Milwaukee scored 22 of the first 30 points in the third quarter, with Antetokounmpo working the interior while Middleton sandwiched 3-pointers around a jumper to push the lead to 86-65. Donte DiVincenzo drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the Bucks' 38-point third quarter and push the team's advantage to 102-82.

The game turned physical in the second quarter, as Middleton was whistled for a flagrant-1 foul after inadvertently hitting Bell in the face as he attempted to block a dunk.

A few minutes later, Ersan Ilyasova undercut Covington on the latter's bid for a layup, resulting in the Minnesota power forward grimacing in pain before retreating to the locker room. Covington returned to start the third quarter.

Bledsoe scored seven of his team's first 12 points to stake Milwaukee to an eight-point lead just over two minutes into the game.

One of the hoops was discovered to be uneven during warmups, prompting the delay of 59 minutes. Both teams were given 7 1/2 minutes to warm back up before the pregame routine continued with the national anthem and player introductions.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

FIBA World Cup: Loss to Nigeria, Iran rout dash China's Olympic dreams

Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Josh Okogie scored 7 of his team-high 19 points in the final 1:37 of the game, as Nigeria thwarted a late rally by China to win 86-73 in the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Sunday.

A 3-pointer and 2 free throws by Abudushalamu Abudurexiti got the hosts closer 77-71 inside the last 2 minutes in Guangzhou. 

But Okogie converted a 3-point play off Abudushalamu's foul, then went 4 of 4 from the free-throw line as a result of China fouling in the next possessions, which gave Nigeria enough cushion to frustrate star center Yi Jianlian and the hometown fans.

Yi finished with 27 points to lead all scorers.

The win sent the African side to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because it finished the tournament with the best record among other teams from the continent.

Meanwhile, China had held out hope that its point differential would be sufficient to qualify for the Olympics.

But after Iran dismantled the Philippines 95-75 in a game that ended later, the Middle Eastern squad ended up with a higher aggregate margin of victory (plus-7) compared to China (minus-10).

After a rousing 70-55 victory over Cote d'Ivoire in the group stage, China was stunned in a 79-76 overtime loss to Poland.

Needing a win in its third game, the once dominant team in Asia stumbled out of the gates against Venezuela and ended up falling 72-59.

China beat Korea 77-73 in its first classification game, but had hoped to win big against Nigeria to grab an Olympic seat.

Instead, the hosts — who boast of players with NBA experience and size advantage such as Yi — couldn't take advantage of the crowd support to finish the World Cup as underachievers.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics' Hayward explodes for 35 in beating Wolves

Boston's Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 35 points and Terry Rozier got the start for an injured Kyrie Irving and scored 16 points on Wednesday to lead the Celtics to a 115-102 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Irving suffered a right eye injury in a loss to San Antonio on New Year's Eve and his status remains day-to-day. Minnesota also was short-handed without Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose and Robert Covington dressing.

Hayward connected on 14 of 18 shots and went 4-for-7 from 3-point range, including a 27-footer from the top of the key with 4:37 left that put the Celtics up 106-92 after Minnesota had cut a 21-point deficit to six.

In the teams' first meeting, Hayward scored 30 points in a Celtics' 118-109 win on December 1.

Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with a season-high 31 points. Karl-Anthony Towns finished 28 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

Minnesota came alive in the third quarter after the Celtics had grabbed a 60-42 halftime lead. The Timberwolves cut the deficit to 77-67 on a Towns' 26-foot, 3-pointer.

Boston's Marcus Smart sprained his shoulder in a collision with Towns early in the third with the Celtics up 18. When he returned, the Celtics were up only 85-74.

Towns scored 20 third-quarter points and the Timberwolves trailed just 87-81 heading into the fourth quarter.

Marcus Morris also injured his shoulder on a driving layup in the fourth. Morris left the game and did not return.

Boston shot 61.5 percent from the field in the first half and went 8-for-17 from 3-point range. Minnesota was a dreadful 41 percent from the field and only 3 of 10 from beyond the arc in the first 24 minutes.

The Timberwolves looked like they still were dragging from a New Year's Eve loss to New Orleans as the Celtics went on a 16-0 second-quarter run to go up, 47-27.

Hayward's 23-foot, 3-point jumper ignited the rally that saw Minnesota miss nine straight shots and turn the ball over four times.

Tyus Jones ended the drought with a 12-foot jumper, but Hayward answered with another 3 to give the Celtics a 21-point lead.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Green's return boosts Warriors in win over Wolves

Draymond Green returned from an 11-game absence with a solid all-around performance, and Stephen Curry led a barrage from 3-point range with a game-high 38 points Monday, lifting the Golden State Warriors to a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Oakland, Calif.

Green, who had seen the Warriors go just 6-5 while he recovered from a bruised toe, contributed seven points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to Golden State's fourth straight win.

Karl-Anthony Towns paced Minnesota with 31 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Warriors led by just six at halftime before easing away in the second half on the strength of 3-point shooting.

Green put in 29 minutes in his return. He finished with the game's best plus/minus rating (plus-11).

Curry hit 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, while teammates Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson combined for eight more, helping Golden State outscore the Timberwolves 57-21 on 3-pointers by hitting 19 of 43 from beyond the arc.

Curry, who returned from a groin injury during the Warriors' recently complete trip, topped 30 points for the ninth time this season. Golden State has gone 8-1 in those games.

Thompson finished with 26 points and Durant 22 for the Warriors, who complete a two-game homestand with a showdown with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

Jonas Jerebko added 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, off the bench for Golden State, which shot better from 3-point range (44.2 percent) than overall (41.9 percent).

Towns' 30-point game was his fifth of the season, the double-double his 16th.

Derrick Rose and Andrew Wiggins complemented Towns with 21 and 20 points, respectively, for the Timberwolves, who shot just 7-for-25 on 3-point tries.

Dario Saric had 13 points for Minnesota, while Jeff Teague collected a game-high 11 assists before fouling out.

The Timberwolves, who had won six of their previous eight games, outshot the Warriors overall for the game, hitting 45.8 percent from the floor.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Hayward explodes for 30 as Celtics beat T-wolves

Gordon Hayward enjoyed his best game of the season, scoring 30 points while also adding nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the visiting Boston Celtics to a 118-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis on Saturday night.

The Celtics extended their modest win streak to three games, getting the last two on consecutive nights.

The T-wolves saw their season-best win streak snapped at four games.

In the first quarter, the Celtics crawled back from an early seven-point deficit to lead 29-26 through the end of the opening frame on the strength of strong ball movement.

The second quarter saw the Celtics expand that lead to 57-48 by halftime, built largely with nine 3-pointers to the T-wolves' four triples. Hayward (14 points) and Kyrie Irving (12) were already in double figures for the Celtics at the break, while Derrick Rose responded with 12 for Minnesota.

A high-scoring 3rd quarter saw the Timberwolves shave only two points from the halftime deficit. Boston relied heavily on an inside-out game between Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

Trailing 89-81 early in the final frame, the T-wolves ripped off an 8-0 run to tie the game with less than nine minutes remaining before Boston responded with its own 9-0 run. The Celtics never looked back.

For the Celtics, in addition to Heyward they got big performances from Jayson Tatum, who scored 19 points and added nine rebounds. Irving also chipped in with 21 points and nine assists.

Jaylen Brown missed his third straight game for the Celtics because of a nagging back injury, resulting in Marcus Smart's third start of the season.

The Timberwolves were led by Towns, who posted 20 points and nine rebounds. Robert Covington added 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in a spirited effort for the losing side. Rose scored 26 off the bench.

Up next for Boston is a four-day gap before the Celtics visit the New York Knicks on Thursday. Minnesota's next contest is the third game of their current 4-game homestand as they host the Houston Rockets on Monday.

--Field Level Media

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Towns' double-double leads Wolves over Bulls

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 35 points and pulled down 22 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 111-96 win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night at Minneapolis.

Derrick Rose added 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting off the bench to help knock off his former team. Jeff Teague finished with 18 points for Minnesota, which has won back-to-back contests to climb two games within .500.

Zach LaVine scored 28 points to lead Chicago, which fell short for the sixth time in the past seven games. Jabari Parker had a season-high 27 points, and Justin Holiday registered his second consecutive double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Minnesota outscored Chicago 62-46 during the second half to win its fourth straight game at home against the Bulls. Each of the Timberwolves' last three home wins over the Bulls have come by double digits.

Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau improved to 4-1 against the Bulls, with whom he began his head coaching career.

Towns scored at least 30 points and pulled down at least 20 rebounds for the third time in his career. The 23-year-old fell just four points shy of his season high of 39, which he notched Nov. 9 against the Sacramento Kings.

The Timberwolves opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to seize command. Towns totaled eight points during the scoring binge, including a jump shot and six free throws. Dario Saric started the run with a slam dunk off a feed from Tyus Jones.

Chicago led 50-49 at halftime. Wendell Carter Jr. and Towns traded baskets in the final minute.

Minnesota held close despite a woeful first half from Andrew Wiggins and Robert Covington, who combined to shoot 0 for 20 from the field. The Bulls also struggled to find their rhythm but leaned on Parker and LaVine, who combined to score 30 points on 17 shots before the break.

Parker scored 20-plus points for the third straight game, which marks his best streak since signing with his hometown Bulls this summer.

The game marked the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams. The series will conclude in Chicago on Dec. 26.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Harris, Millsap lead Nuggets past T-wolves

Jamal Murray scored 18 points, including two free throws with 6.8 seconds left, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-101 in Minneapolis on Wednesday night.

Paul Millsap scored 12 of his game-high 25 points during a decisive third quarter and Gary Harris had 18 points for Denver.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Derrick Rose had 20 points off the bench for Minnesota.

Denver led by 13 early in the fourth quarter when its offense went cold and Minnesota got hot. Rose hit four free throws, Dario Saric had a three-point play and then Rose hit a 3-pointer from the top of the circle in a 12-0 run that cut the Nuggets' lead to 89-88.

Harris and Rose traded 3-pointers, and then Harris hit a layup to give Denver a 94-91 lead. After both teams missed, Nikola Jokic hit a 3-pointer to put the Nuggets up 97-91 with 3:07 left.

The Timberwolves got within two on a steal and dunk, but Harris hit a layup and Millsap a runner to make it 101-95.

Minnesota scored four straight but had to foul Murray, who drained two free throws to clinch it.

The Nuggets trailed 56-50 at halftime but caught fire on both ends of the floor in the third quarter. Denver hit 14-of-24 shots and had six steals to take the lead for good.

Harris scored his only points of the third to get things rolling and Millsap had a bucket, split two free throws and then hit a step-back jumper to give the Nuggets a 57-56 lead.

After Andrew Wiggins hit a 3-pointer for the Timberwolves, Murray hit one from behind the arc and Millsap scored seven straight Denver points to put the Nuggets ahead 67-65.

Millsap's 3-pointer started a 16-2 Nuggets run that gave them an 80-67 lead with 1:56 left in the period. Millsap left the game early in the run to get stitches above his left eye and returned midway through the fourth quarter.

Denver outscored Minnesota 35-18 in the third to lead 85-74.

source: news.abs-cbn.com