Towns scores 33, sends Timberwolves past Warriors after early ejections in tourney game
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) When the NBA created the In-Season Tournament as a way to inject playoff-level intensity into regular-season games, the scuffle between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves that resulted in three early ejections on Tuesday night may not have been what the league had in mind.
With the game still scoreless and not yet two minutes old, Golden State’s Draymond Green was ejected after putting Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a headlock. Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, who got into a shoving match that resulted in Thompson’s jersey being ripped, were also tossed.
Once the dust settled, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 33 points, sending Minnesota to a 104-101 tournament victory over Golden State. The Wolves have won seven straight games for their longest win streak since 2004.
“We just found a way to win ugly in a game that was pretty ugly,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “All credit to (the Warriors), those guys, they were super physical and took us out of our rhythm. But we found a way to win it and showed some toughness mentally.”
The rematch of the Wolves’ 116-110 win at the Chase Center on Sunday was not lacking in intensity as the lead changed hands several times in the fourth quarter, until Towns gave Minnesota the lead for good with a 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining.
Towns also grabbed 11 boards, and Gobert had 13. Reigning Western Conference player of the week Anthony Edwards scored 20 points.
“I just saw some moments to make some shots. I'm glad I did,” Towns said. “My teammates put me in great positions. Mike (Conley) finished the game out. It was just a team win, a great win. (Edwards) made some big shots when we needed him, Rudy got some big rebounds and we could keep going down the list.”
Golden State was without leading scorer Stephen Curry, who was ruled out with right knee soreness. Coach Steve Kerr said an MRI revealed “nothing alarming,” and the star guard is considered day to day.
With Curry sidelined, Golden State got a different look on the floor, something Kerr said could help them find an offensive spark. Rookie Brandin Podziemski and Dario Saric led the charge, but Golden State's losing streak reached four.
Podziemski played 39 minutes, scoring a career-high 23 points with seven boards off the bench and hitting three 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater to end the third quarter. Saric got his second start with Golden State and added 21 on 6 of 15 shooting.
Chris Paul, who drew the start after coming off the bench in nine straight games, had 15 points with five rebounds and four assists.
“We don't have some regular rookies, you know what I mean,” Paul said of Podziemski's performance. “We've got some rooks who pay attention, know what they're doing. To be on a team like this, this early in the season, valuable minutes in big games, it's only going to be good in the long haul.”
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: At Phoenix on Wednesday night.
Warriors: Host Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Rudy Gobert vs. Draymond Green (Klay Thompson gains possession) | ||
| 11:45 | | Klay Thompson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:45 |  | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 11:26 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:22 | | Dario Saric defensive rebound | ||
| 11:17 | | Dario Saric turnover (traveling) | ||
| 10:56 | | Jaden McDaniels misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | Draymond Green defensive rebound | ||
| 10:40 | | Andrew Wiggins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:37 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 10:21 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:18 | | Draymond Green defensive rebound | ||
| 10:17 | | Klay Thompson technical foul (Double) | ||
| 10:17 | | Jaden McDaniels technical foul (Double) | ||
| 10:17 | | Draymond Green flagrant 2 (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 10:17 | | Draymond Green turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:17 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes flagrant free throw 1 of 2 | 1-0 |
| 10:17 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes flagrant free throw 2 of 2 | 2-0 |
| 10:04 | | Kevon Looney shooting foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 10:04 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-0 |
| 10:04 | | Rudy Gobert misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 10:01 | | Kevon Looney defensive rebound | ||
| 9:53 | | Andrew Wiggins misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:50 | | Kevon Looney offensive rebound | ||
| 9:50 | | Kevon Looney misses two point tip layup | ||
| 9:50 | | Warriors offensive rebound | ||
| 9:43 | | +3 | Dario Saric makes three point jump shot (Chris Paul assists) | 3-3 |
| 9:31 | | Rudy Gobert offensive foul (Dario Saric draws the foul) | ||
| 9:31 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:19 | | Timberwolves technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 9:19 | | +1 | Chris Paul makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 3-4 |
| 9:05 | | +2 | Chris Paul makes two point stepback jump shot (Dario Saric assists) | 3-6 |
| 8:49 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (lost ball) (Andrew Wiggins steals) | ||
| 8:33 | | +2 | Brandin Podziemski makes two point floating jump shot (Chris Paul assists) | 3-8 |
| 8:16 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (bad pass) (Andrew Wiggins steals) | ||
| 8:08 | | Chris Paul turnover (lost ball) (Anthony Edwards steals) | ||
| 8:03 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point running pullup jump shot | 5-8 |
| 7:47 | | Dario Saric misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 7:34 | | Mike Conley misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 7:31 | | Chris Paul defensive rebound | ||
| 7:25 | | Andrew Wiggins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:21 | | Brandin Podziemski offensive rebound | ||
| 7:18 | | Dario Saric misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:15 | | Warriors offensive rebound | ||
| 7:02 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker blocks Dario Saric's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 7:01 | | Warriors offensive rebound | ||
| 7:01 | | Warriors turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 6:48 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:46 | | Dario Saric defensive rebound | ||
| 6:36 | | Brandin Podziemski misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:32 | | Andrew Wiggins offensive rebound | ||
| 6:32 | | Chris Paul misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:29 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 6:29 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (lost ball) (Andrew Wiggins steals) | ||
| 6:27 | | Andrew Wiggins turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 6:27 | | Warriors 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:12 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point driving layup | 7-8 |
| 5:57 | | Naz Reid personal foul (Brandin Podziemski draws the foul) | ||
| 5:50 | | +2 | Andrew Wiggins makes two point jump shot (Jonathan Kuminga assists) | 7-10 |
| 5:33 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:30 | | Andrew Wiggins defensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | Chris Paul misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:20 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 5:15 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point running reverse layup (Kyle Anderson assists) | 9-10 |
| 4:58 | | +3 | Brandin Podziemski makes three point pullup jump shot | 9-13 |
| 4:43 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:39 | | Jonathan Kuminga defensive rebound | ||
| 4:34 | | Andrew Wiggins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:30 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving layup (Anthony Edwards assists) | 11-13 |
| 4:22 | | Kevon Looney personal foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 4:22 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 12-13 |
| 4:14 | | +2 | Gary Payton II makes two point cutting dunk (Brandin Podziemski assists) | 12-15 |
| 3:58 | | +3 | Naz Reid makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 15-15 |
| 3:37 | | +2 | Kevon Looney makes two point jump shot (Brandin Podziemski assists) | 15-17 |
| 3:28 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 3:08 | | +3 | Cory Joseph makes three point bank jump shot (Gary Payton II assists) | 15-20 |
| 2:53 | | Cory Joseph personal foul (Nickeil Alexander-Walker draws the foul) | ||
| 2:53 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:38 | | Kyle Anderson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:34 | | Gary Payton II defensive rebound | ||
| 2:33 | | Kyle Anderson personal foul (Gary Payton II draws the foul) | ||
| 2:25 | | Kyle Anderson blocks Cory Joseph's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:22 | | Shake Milton defensive rebound | ||
| 2:02 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point driving layup | 17-20 |
| 1:48 | | +2 | Brandin Podziemski makes two point driving floating jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists) | 17-22 |
| 1:33 | | Kyle Anderson misses two point driving bank hook shot | ||
| 1:29 | | Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound | ||
| 1:24 | | Shake Milton personal foul (Gary Payton II draws the foul) | ||
| 1:11 | | +3 | Gary Payton II makes three point jump shot (Brandin Podziemski assists) | 17-25 |
| 0:59 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point pullup jump shot | 19-25 |
| 0:50 | | +3 | Cory Joseph makes three point jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists) | 19-28 |
| 0:42 | | Shake Milton misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:42 | | Brandin Podziemski defensive rebound | ||
| 0:34 | | +2 | Brandin Podziemski makes two point running layup | 19-30 |
| 0:17 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point pullup jump shot (Rudy Gobert assists) | 22-30 |
| 0:02 | | Jonathan Kuminga misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:02 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:35 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:35 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | Timberwolves turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 11:23 | | Gary Payton II misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:18 | | Shake Milton defensive rebound | ||
| 11:15 | | Gary Payton II personal foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 11:02 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point alley-oop dunk | ||
| 10:59 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 10:58 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point putback layup | ||
| 10:58 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 10:58 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point tip layup | ||
| 10:58 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 10:52 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point tip layup | 24-30 |
| 10:43 | | +2 | Moses Moody makes two point driving reverse layup (Gary Payton II assists) | 24-32 |
| 10:30 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 27-32 |
| 10:14 | | +2 | Jonathan Kuminga makes two point stepback jump shot (Moses Moody assists) | 27-34 |
| 10:02 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving floating jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 29-34 |
| 10:02 | | Jonathan Kuminga personal foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 10:02 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 30-34 |
| 9:42 | | Jonathan Kuminga turnover (lost ball) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 9:33 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 33-34 |
| 9:31 | | Warriors 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:21 | | Trayce Jackson-Davis turnover (bad pass) (Mike Conley steals) | ||
| 9:13 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 9:09 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 9:05 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point driving floating jump shot (Shake Milton assists) | 35-34 |
| 8:49 | | +2 | Moses Moody makes two point pullup bank jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists) | 35-36 |
| 8:26 | | Kyle Anderson misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 8:26 | | Chris Paul defensive rebound | ||
| 8:18 | | +3 | Brandin Podziemski makes three point running jump shot (Moses Moody assists) | 35-39 |
| 7:58 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point cutting dunk (Rudy Gobert assists) | 37-39 |
| 7:47 | | Trayce Jackson-Davis offensive foul (Mike Conley draws the foul) | ||
| 7:47 | | Trayce Jackson-Davis turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 7:37 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 39-39 |
| 7:23 | | +2 | Chris Paul makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 39-41 |
| 7:10 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:10 | | Chris Paul defensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | Brandin Podziemski misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 6:47 | | Shake Milton defensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | +3 | Mike Conley makes three point running pullup jump shot (Shake Milton assists) | 42-41 |
| 6:22 | | Dario Saric misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:20 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 6:07 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (lost ball) (Moses Moody steals) | ||
| 6:04 | | Shake Milton shooting foul (Moses Moody draws the foul) | ||
| 6:04 | | +1 | Moses Moody makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 42-42 |
| 6:04 | | +1 | Moses Moody makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-43 |
| 5:47 | | Shake Milton offensive foul (Dario Saric draws the foul) | ||
| 5:47 | | Shake Milton turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 5:29 | | Cory Joseph misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:26 | | Andrew Wiggins offensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | Cory Joseph turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 5:11 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 5:08 | | Brandin Podziemski defensive rebound | ||
| 5:07 | | Brandin Podziemski turnover (lost ball) (Troy Brown Jr. steals) | ||
| 5:02 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:58 | | Kevon Looney defensive rebound | ||
| 4:49 | | +2 | Andrew Wiggins makes two point turnaround hook shot | 42-45 |
| 4:48 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 4:40 | | Andrew Wiggins shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 4:40 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 43-45 |
| 4:40 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 44-45 |
| 4:40 | | Anthony Edwards misses regular free throw 3 of 3 | ||
| 4:38 | | Kevon Looney defensive rebound | ||
| 4:28 | | Brandin Podziemski misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 4:23 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 4:14 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 46-45 |
| 4:01 | | +2 | Dario Saric makes two point driving layup (Cory Joseph assists) | 46-47 |
| 4:01 | | Naz Reid personal foul (Dario Saric draws the foul) | ||
| 4:01 | | +1 | Dario Saric makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 46-48 |
| 3:49 | | Troy Brown Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:45 | | Dario Saric defensive rebound | ||
| 3:35 | | Naz Reid shooting foul (Dario Saric draws the foul) | ||
| 3:35 | | Naz Reid technical foul | ||
| 3:35 | | Cory Joseph misses technical free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 3:35 | | Warriors offensive rebound | ||
| 3: |