Timberwolves’ late-game collapse historic
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders was eager to work after a restless night, a lack of sleep that was not attributable to the nocturnal habits of his 7-monthold son.
His team was the cause after a late-game collapse so stunning it’s destined to be the defining moment of the season no matter what else comes down the stretch.
“We put ourselves in the history books for the wrong reason,” said star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Timberwolves lost a 17-point lead on Sacramento on Monday with just 2:49 left in regulation, proceeding to lose, 133-129, to the Kings in overtime. According to ESPN research, this was the first time in 8,379 games — since the tracking of NBA play-by-play data began with the 1996-97 season — that a team trailing by 17 or more points in the final three minutes had rallied to win.
“Trust me, I understand, especially as a Minnesota fan, a game like last night hurts. It does. It hurts all of us,” said Saunders, who is 32-57 since taking over midway through last season.
The Timberwolves had a double-digit lead for 36:18 of game time that lasted until 1:05 remained in the fourth quarter. They led 108-86 with 6:20 to go in the fourth quarter, 115-98 when Andrew Wiggins hit a 3-pointer with 2:49 remaining in regulation and 117-103 with 1:46 left.
Minnesota was up 119-113 with 34.9 seconds on the clock when Shabazz Napier went to the free-throw line and missed both tries. Buddy Hield’s 3-pointer and De’Aaron Fox’s intentionally missed second free throw he turned into an uncontested layup with 3.6 seconds remaining for the Kings forged a tie that was unfathomable just a few possessions earlier.
Mavericks
Dallas center Dwight Powell had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon, an injury that ended his season. The team said the surgery was performed by Dr. Bob Anderson in Green Bay, Wis.
Powell went down with a non-contact injury with 2:57 left in the first quarter of a Jan. 21 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Three days after the injury, the Mavericks acquired center Willie Cauley-Stein in a trade with Sacramento.
In six NBA seasons, Powell averaged nearly 10 points and six rebounds.
Elsewhere
AC Milan and its fans paid tribute to Kobe Bryant with lights and applause before and during Tuesday’s Italian Cup game against Torino at San Siro stadium. Bryant, who grew up in Italy between the ages of 6 and 13, was a devout Milan fan. The 18-time NBA All-Star with the Los Angeles Lakers died Sunday with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, Calif.