San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TOWNS THE HERO IN T-WOLVES’ WIN
Karl-anthony Towns broke from a sideline huddle knowing his next shot likely would decide whether the Minnesota Timberwolves escaped New Orleans with a comeback victory or lost their second straight.
High-scoring Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards had fouled out with 10 seconds left, the Pelicans led by a point, and Wolves coach Chris Finch drew up a play for his dynamic forward.
“You play the whole game to hopefully have an opportunity to be in that situation; I looked at it as the funest part of the night,” Towns said. “This game’s supposed to be fun and I had a lot of fun in that situation.”
Towns capped a 29-point, nine-assist performance with a running floater off the glass with 5 seconds left, and Minnesota overcame a 14point deficit in the final 7:32 to beat New Orleans 121-120 on Saturday night.
Edwards scored 23 points before fouling out while guarding Brandon Ingram along the perimeter. But Ingram missed one of his two free throws, allowing Towns to put Minnesota in front from close range.
The Pelicans still had a shot to win it as time ran out, but Ingram, who had a gamehigh-30 points, missed a midrange jumper. That capped a difficult closing stretch for the New Orleans star, who made just one shot and turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter.
Thunder 130, Warriors 123 (OT): Shai Gilgeous-alexander had 40 points, six rebounds and six assists, and visiting Oklahoma City sent Golden State to its sixth straight loss.
Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins hit a go-ahead 3pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, then Oklahoma City rookie Chet Holmgren responded with a game-tying shot from deep to beat the buzzer and send the game to overtime.
Holmgren scored a season-high 36 points and added 10 rebounds and five assists, and Jaylin Williams had 22 points and six rebounds
Bucks 132, Mavericks 125: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and Damian Lillard added 27 as Milwaukee beat visiting Dallas and extended its winning streak
T-wolves 121, Pelicans 120
to four games.
Antetokounmpo was averaging 41.3 points in his last three games before being held to 16 Friday night in Charlotte. Against the Mavericks, he connected on 18 of 26 shots, including a pair of 3pointers, and grabbed 14 rebounds to go along with seven assists.
Kyrie Irving scored 39 while Luka Doncic added 35 for Dallas (9-4).
Knicks 122, Hornets 108: Jalen Brunson scored 32 points as New York extended its winning streak to three games with a victory at Charlotte.
Lamelo Ball led all scorers with 34 points for Charlotte, which lost its fourth straight game. Rookie Brandon Miller had 29 points and Miles Bridges 19.
Grizzlies 120, Spurs 108: Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 27 points as short-handed Memphis overcame a 19point deficit and sent host San Antonio to its eighth straight loss.
Memphis outscored San Antonio 33-14 in the final quarter.
San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Keldon Johnson scored 22 points.
Bulls 102, Heat 97: Demar Derozan scored 23 points and Chicago snapped a three-game skid, rallying to beat visiting Miami and halting the Heat’s winning streak at seven games.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 for the Heat, who didn’t trail in the game until the final minute. Bam Adebayo had 24 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
Friday’s late results
Lakers 107, Trail Blazers 95: Lebron James matched his season high with 35 points and Los Angeles handed host Portland its sixth straight loss.
Suns 131, Jazz 128: Kevin Durant scored 38 points and Devin Booker had 24 points and a career-high 15 assists to boost visiting Phoenix.
Clippers 106, Rockets 100: James Harden hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer while getting fouled with six seconds to play, giving host Los Angeles its first victory since his arrival and snapping a six-game losing streak.
Timberwolves’ Karl-anthony Towns, who scored 29 points, shoots the game-winning basket with 5.2 seconds remaining on the clock against the Pelicans.