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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- With Minnesota's slow start to the season a distant memory, Andrew Wiggins firmly believes the Timberwolves are ready to make an anticipated push back into playoff contention.
With only 22 games left in the regular season, they better be. Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and 17 rebounds, Wiggins scored 27 points and Minnesota beat the Sacramento Kings 102-88 on Monday night.
"Right now we need these games," Wiggins said. "They were in front of us and we need a game like this to keep going forward."
With four wins in the last five games, Minnesota is doing just that. Ricky Rubio
had nine points and 11 assists to help the Timberwolves move within one
game of the Kings as both teams try to catch Denver for the eighth spot
in the West.
"We're trying to make the push," Rubio said. "We know it's hard. There's a lot of teams in there, but we're not going to quit."
Towns
and Wiggins were dominant against the Kings, who had beaten the Wolves
handily in the first two games between the teams this season.
Towns
shot 13 of 19 from the floor and sparked a big run in the second
quarter when Minnesota took control. Wiggins exploited a size advantage
against Sacramento and repeatedly scored inside.
"Karl got a bunch
of them off the offensive glass when we had to help, Andrew just went
to spots on the floor and said, `I'm 6-foot-8, I'm going to post up
here, I'm going to get this shot and that shot," Kings coach Dave
Joerger said. "He's got a nice tempo to his game." Kosta Koufos had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Sacramento. The Kings are 1-2 since trading All-Star DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans during the All-Star break.
The
Wolves led by 21 at one point and maintained a double-digit lead
throughout the second half to win for the fourth time in six games.
Two
nights after an exhausting 142-130 loss to Houston, Minnesota got off
to a slow start and trailed until a 13-0 run early in the second
quarter. Towns scored nine points during the run, including a putback
that extended the Wolves' lead to 38-31.
Minnesota went on another big run before halftime, capped by Rubio's 18-foot jumper to put the Wolves up 60-44 at halftime.
Sacramento made its best push coming out of the break and closed within 63-56 before Wiggins made a pair of long jumpers.
"Slow
start and then our bench came in and got us going," Timberwolves coach
Tom Thibodeau said. "We scored 40 points in the second quarter, held
them to 19, and that's what turned it." Nemanja Bjelica had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolves.
WIGGINS STREAK OF 20s
Wiggins
has scored 20 or more points in a franchise-record 18 consecutive
games. Kevin Garnett owns the second-longest streak of 16, having done
it twice during his career.
"I'm
just trying to stay aggressive and keep attacking," Wiggins said. "I'm
getting to my spots and my teammates do a great job of setting screens
and getting me open."
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: It took Wiggins a
while to warm up, but once he got going, Sacramento had no answer. That
helped take some pressure off Towns after the 7-footer carried
Minnesota's offense early.
Kings: Without Cousins, the team is
searching for a consistent scoring threat. Only one Sacramento player --
Koufos -- made more than five baskets. A sloppy second quarter on both
ends of the court didn't help.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Play at Utah on Wednesday. The Jazz have won both games between the two teams this season.
Kings: Host Brooklyn on Wednesday in the Nets' first visit to Golden 1 Center.
Check out the team sites for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Sacramento Kings for more game coverage.
NEW YORK -- Plenty of DeMar DeRozan and plenty of defense.
That's how it will have to be for the Toronto Raptors without Kyle Lowry.
"It's going to take a village to win," coach Dwane Casey said.
DeRozan
made a turnaround jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining, finishing with 37
points and leading the Raptors to a 92-91 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night.
The
Raptors won their fourth in a row after learning earlier in the day
that Lowry will have right wrist surgery that could sideline him the
rest of the regular season. Carmelo Anthony
scored 24 points for the Knicks, but finished a 9-for-26 night when he
missed a long jumper as time expired, tossing his headband in disgust.
Newcomers Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker
were on the floor down the stretch as the Raptors clawed back from a
17-point, first-half deficit. Ibaka finished with 15 points, helping
Toronto limit New York to 38 second-half points.
Toronto moved
percentage points ahead of Washington for third place in the Eastern
Conference. The Raptors host the Wizards on Wednesday. Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee each scored 16 points for the Knicks, who waived Brandon Jennings on Monday and learned Joakim Noah will have knee surgery that will knock him out for at least three weeks.
If there's going to be a playoff push, it will be without two key veterans signed last summer.
"The
grind don't stop," Anthony said. "Like I said, it's unfortunate what
happened with Brandon, it's unfortunate what happened with Jo, but the
grind don't stop and we can't stop because of that."
The Knicks
led by 17 in the first half and 53-40 at halftime, but the Raptors
limited them to 14 points in the third quarter to pull to 67-63. Toronto
then got the first eight points of the fourth against the Knicks'
stagnant second unit, taking a 71-67 lead and forcing Anthony and Rose
to re-enter with 9:25 remaining.
"A sense of urgency kicked in,"
DeRozan said. "You never want to lose. When you get down a lot like
that, you want to pick it up and fight a lot harder. It's a bad thing to
get down that much, but it just shows you the fight we have."
It
went back and forth from there, with Lee's 3-pointer giving the Knicks a
92-91 lead with 10.6 seconds to play. But the Raptors got the ball to
DeRozan, who spun left and launched his jumper while falling away.
TIP-INS
Raptors:
Toronto has won the last six meetings. ... Casey needs one win for 300
has an NBA coach. ... DeRozan has scored 20 or more in eight straight
games against the Knicks.
Knicks: The Knicks said Noah would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. ... Lance Thomas scored 12 points.
LOSING LOWRY
On
Sunday, Casey said the swelling in Lowry's wrist was down and said the
point guard was day-to-day. The Raptors listed him as questionable in
their game notes Monday, but surgery was recommended after he got a
second opinion Monday . Lowry said he wasn't really surprised because he
didn't know what to expect.
"I had no idea what it would be," he
said. "I thought some local treatment may have helped it but it just
wasn't getting any better."
PLAYING TIME, NOT PLAYING STYLE
Jennings'
departure came a day after Phil Jackson confidante Charley Rosen wrote
on Fanragsports.com that Jennings "resists the triangle" and is a
"profound disappointment" because of his erratic play.
The Knicks
have focused since the break on playing more triangle, Jackson's
preferred offense, while Jennings thrives in playing faster.
But coach Jeff Hornacek said Jennings only wanted to play more, not differently.
"Brandon
obviously wanted to play more minutes here," Hornacek said. "With
Derrick out there, it made it awfully tough, so maybe this gives him an
opportunity to get somewhere where he can play some more minutes."
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Washington on Wednesday. Toronto has won eight straight meetings.
Knicks: Visit the Magic on Wednesday, their first of two trips to Orlando in a seven-day span.
Check out the team sites for the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks for more game coverage.
