Towns’ hook shot with 1.8 seconds left lifts Timberwolves past Trail Blazers
Karl-Anthony Towns made a hook shot on a pass from Ricky Rubio with 1.8 seconds left, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Portland Trail Blazers 106-105.
Damian Lillard’s four-point play had put the Trail Blazers ahead 105-104 with 3.5 seconds left.
The Trail Blazers had the ball down 1, but Lillard missed a 56-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have put them ahead.
During clutch time, the Timberwolves outscored the Trail Blazers 11-9. Towns scored 6 of the Timberwolves’ 11 on 3 for 3 shooting.
Towns had 27 points and 10 rebounds on 13 for 20 shooting, and Andrew Wiggins added 23 points (12 in the paint). Towns scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter.
For the Trail Blazers, Lillard had 31 points and 7 assists, and CJ McCollum added 21 points and 7 assists. Mason Plumlee had 15 points (12 in the paint) and 15 rebounds on 6 for 9 shooting.
The Trail Blazers turned it over 19 times, about 5 more than usual for this many possessions. The Timberwolves’ starters were outscored 41-26 in 14 minutes together.