Exum returns as Wolves roll Jazz

IT WAS relief and frustration for injury-plagued Australian point guard Dante Exum yesterday as he played his first game of the season for the Utah Jazz after knee surgery in March.

Exum joined friend and fellow Aussie Joe Ingles on the Jazz bench but the two were unable to help Utah to a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Karl-Anthony Towns had seven three-pointers and 29 points, and the Timberwolves handed the Jazz their first home loss, 112-102

Without second-leading scorer Andrew Wiggins, the Timberwolves held the Jazz to 36.8 per cent shooting and were bolstered by Jeff Teague’s 21 points and 11 assists. Kelan Martin had seven of his 14 points in Minnesota’s decisive run in the fourth quarter, and Robert Covington added 15 points.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 18 points before fouling out and Donovan Mitchell had 17 points on five-for-24 shooting for Utah.

Exum managed just two points in 14 minutes off the bench but again proved his worth on the defensive end with a steal and a block.

Ingles — who has struggled at times this season as the Jazz’s sixth man — found some stroke, hitting 3 threepointers among his 12 points, while adding eight rebounds and five assists.

In Phoenix, Aussie big man Aron Baynes was unable to overcome his former team — the Boston Celtics, as his Suns went down 99-85.

Baynes started against his ex-teammates and managed nine points with five assists and six rebounds.

“Credit to (Boston), they’re playing well, but I’m not sure if it was them or if it was just us,” Suns center Aron Baynes said. “We just have to be better at sticking to what we do.