NEW YORK (AP) – Anthony Edwards scored 23 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Brooklyn Nets 107-102 yesterday to snap a three-game losing streak.
“Right now every win feels like two, and every loss feels like three. It’s just crazy,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “We desperately needed this game.”
Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Mike Conley scored 18 points, nine in the fourth quarter. Minnesota moved within a half-game of eighth-seeded New Orleans, which lost to 121-103 to Sacramento.
“It’s a very good feeling, obviously us winning,” Towns said. “We need some teams to lose, and they’re losing.”
Spencer Dinwiddie had 30 points and six assists, Mikal Bridges scored 24 points and Dorian Finney-Smith had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who had their three-game win streak snapped.
Their lead over Miami for the number six seed in the Eastern Conference was cut to one game after the Heat’s 118-105 victory in Detroit.
“There were a couple of opportunities where we didn’t keep them away from the rim,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “That ended up being the difference in the game.”
Similar to their first meeting, a 124-123 Nets win, the teams traded momentum in the game, which featured 24 lead changes and eight ties.
But Minnesota shot 53 per cent in the fourth quarter and outscored Brooklyn 14-7 over the final 4:06 with Gobert, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, on the bench.
