Karl-Anthony Towns produced 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to a 105-101 win over the Miami Heat in Minneapolis on Monday night.
The Heat have lost five straight games in Minnesota. Miami’s last win at Minnesota was in November 2017. Further, the Heat have lost seven straight road games this season, including four on the just-completed trip.
Towns fouled out with 1:37 left in the fourth quarter as Kyle Lowry drew a charge. But Rudy Gobert went 4-for-4 on free throws after Towns fouled out. Those were his only points of the game, but they helped the Timberwolves win their fourth straight game.
Minnesota rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards had 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a game-high four steals. He had 18 of his points in the second half.
Miami was without starters Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro and reserve Duncan Robinson due to injuries. Those three players average a combined 46.8 points this season.
Minnesota’s Kyle Anderson, who is averaging 6.3 points, missed the game due to back spasms.
Timberwolves guard Jordan McLaughlin had 12 points, making 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. He entered the game shooting 3-for-24 for the season on 3-pointers.
Lowry led Miami with 21 points and nine assists. Max Strus had 19 points, and Bam Adebayo added 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
There were six lead changes in a competitive first quarter that ended with Miami on top 33-30. Towns led all first-quarter scorers with 12 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor, including 2-of-3 on 3-pointers. Adebayo led Miami with 10 points.
Miami stretched its lead to 15 points in the second quarter as Minnesota went nearly seven minutes without a field goal. By halftime, Miami led 60-47.
In the third quarter, the Wolves ended a string of missed 3-pointers by making five straight, leading to a 21-4 run and a 74-71 lead on a McLaughlin trey with 3:57 left in the period.
By the end of the third, the Wolves led 84-79.
Minnesota hung on in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to its free-throw shooting. For the game, Minnesota made 17-of-20 from the foul line. Miami made just 20-of-30.
–Field Level Media