NBA Roundup: Karl-Anthony Towns, Wolves Whip Warriors

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots the ball as Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) guards him during the fourth quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Mar 1, 2022. Harrison Barden/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 39 points and grabbed nine rebounds, D'Angelo Russell added 22 points and seven assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 129–114 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves went on a 12–1 run to close the first quarter and take a lead they never relinquished. Minnesota’s advantage swelled to as many as 21 points through a combination of efficient offense and stingy defense.

Minnesota held Golden State to 41-of-90 shooting on the other end, including 13-of-45 from deep.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 34 points but hit just 5 of 16 3-point attempts. Golden State’s Damion Lee added 15 points.

Raptors 109, Nets 108

Gary Trent Jr. scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as Toronto defeated visiting Brooklyn to complete a home-and-home sweep of the Nets.

Scottie Barnes added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who defeated the Nets 133–97 on Monday in New York. Toronto’s Pascal Siakam had 18 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Malachi Flynn added 15 points.

James Johnson scored 19 points for Brooklyn. Seth Curry added 18, and LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Celtics 107, Hawks 98

Boston overcame a 17-point deficit in the first half to defeat visiting Atlanta.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points on 12-for-25 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists. The Celtics held a 56–33 scoring edge in the second half.

Atlanta’s Trae Young scored 31 points but shot just 2 of 7 from the 3-point arc and was held to nine points in the second half. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 15 of his 25 after halftime.

Clippers 113, Rockets 100

Ivica Zubac recorded his 18th double-double on the season while Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson combined for 35 points as visiting Los Angeles completed a three-game season series sweep of Houston.

Zubac paired 22 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Clippers to their sixth win in seven games—with the past two coming against the Rockets. Jackson had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds while Morris chipped in 18 points while shooting 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Rockets absorbed their 10th consecutive loss. Jalen Green scored 20 points, Christian Wood tallied 17 points and eight rebounds, and Jae'Sean Tate posted 12 points and nine rebounds.

Wizards 116, Pistons 113

Kyle Kuzma collected 21 points and nine rebounds to fuel host Washington to a victory over Detroit.

Thomas Bryant had 16 points off the bench and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 for the Wizards, who had eight players score in double figures. Washington shot 50 percent from both the floor (41 of 82) and 3-point range (13 of 26) en route to snapping a modest two-game losing skid.

Jerami Grant led Detroit with 26 points, highlighted by a 3-for-5 performance from 3-point range. Rookie Cade Cunningham contributed 20 points and nine rebounds and Saddiq Bey added 19 points and seven boards.

Mavericks 109, Lakers 104

Luka Doncic recorded 25 points and eight rebounds and Jalen Brunson added 22 points as visiting Dallas notched a victory over slumping Los Angeles.

Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 16 points and nine rebounds and Spencer Dinwiddie had 14 points and nine assists as the Mavericks won for the eighth time in their past 10 games and 21st in their past 28.

LeBron James registered 26 points and 12 rebounds and Carmelo Anthony added 20 points for the Lakers, who have lost 10 of their past 13 games and 15 of 21.