OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Andrew Wiggins’ 3-pointer from a few steps inside halfcourt banked in as time expired to give the Minnesota Timberwolves a 115-113 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
Oklahoma City’s Carmelo Anthony had hit a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds left to give the Thunder the lead before the Timberwolves inbounded to Wiggins, who rushed up the court and got free with help from a crushing pick by Karl-Anthony Towns before pulling up for the winner.
Wiggins scored 27 points and Towns had 27 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota (2-1).
Russell Westbrook scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter for the Thunder, who were coming off a loss at Utah on Saturday night. Anthony scored 23 points and Paul George scored 14 points on 6-for-20 shooting. Steven Adams had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder.
Minnesota led 61-54 at halftime behind 13 points from Towns and 10 from Wiggins. Adams scored 14 points before the break. The Timberwolves fought off several bursts by the Thunder and led 88-75 at the end of the third quarter.
The Thunder opened the fourth quarter with a five-point run that led to a Minnesota timeout. Oklahoma City continued the surge and got the crowd back into the game. A three-point play by Anthony cut Minnesota’s lead to 90-87 as Westbrook returned to the game from a rest.
Adams converted a three-point play to cut Minnesota’s lead to 106-105 with 1:50 to go, and a 3-pointer by Westbrook tied the game at 110.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Taj Gibson, who started for the Thunder at the end of last season, had 11 points and 10 rebounds. He barely got the ball inbounds on the final play. … Shot 57 percent in the first quarter to lead 28-23. … Minnesota beat Utah at home on Friday. … Jeff Teague scored 19 points and Jimmy Butler added 15.
Thunder: Adams had eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first quarter. … Six Thunder players scored in double figures. Raymond Felton and Jerami Grant each scored 12 points.
UP NEXT:
Timberwolves: Host the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
Thunder: Host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP .
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More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball .
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