Towns, Timberwolves roll to 113-92 win over Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 of his 28 points in the first half and the Minnesota Timberwolves led from start to finish Tuesday night in a 113-92 win over the Orlando Magic.
Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves (26-10) won easily despite getting only six points and three assists from leading scorer Anthony Edwards.
Edwards set up Towns for a 3-pointer on Minnesota's first shot. He made it, and the Timberwolves ran off to an 11-0 lead and never let it go.
“Tonight I just took what the defense gave me, taking the three when it was open and just shooting it,” said Towns, who made all five of his 3-points shots. “The first shot of the game was me in the corner and (the defense) didn’t decide to come. (Edwards) made a great pass in the corner.”
The Timberwolves led 33-16 after a first quarter in which Gobert scored 11 points and the Magic shot 6 for 27 (22% ).
“I thought it was our best start of the season," Gobert said. “The ball pressure, the focus, the energy, the urgency from the first play of the game was at a high level.”
Towns agreed.
“Everyone did a great job of building the lead, sustaining the lead and just continuing to find a way to attack,” said Towns, who had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Moritz Wagner led the Magic (21-16) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Jalen Suggs had 20 points and five rebounds and Paolo Banchero had 18 points on 8 for 22 shooting.
The Magic shot only 35% for the game and 28% in the first half.
“We kind of lacked energy,” said Wagner. “That's what we do, you know. We're probably not the best shooting team in the league so we've got to create havoc. We've got to be the ones to bring the energy, the juice, and we didn't really do that.”
Edwards, who came in averaging 26.8 points per game, was called for his third foul early in the second quarter and played only eight minutes in the first half. He took only seven shots and did not score in double figures for the first time this season.
Jaden McDaniels had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, and “did a really, really good job on Banchero,” according to coach Chris Finch.
Playing without Franz Wagner and Joe Ingles (sprained ankles), Wendell Carter Jr. (knee) and Gary Harris (calf strain), the Magic had only 10 available players including Markelle Fultz, who played 13 minutes in his second game back from a long absence due to a knee injury.
Towns took over the scoring load midway through in the second quarter and helped Minnesota push its lead to 34 points early in the second half.
Orlando never got the margin under 17 in the second half.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Visit Boston on Wednesday night.
Magic: Visit Miami on Friday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Rudy Gobert vs. Goga Bitadze (Jalen Suggs gains possession) | ||
| 11:32 | | Paolo Banchero misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:31 | | Magic offensive rebound | ||
| 11:31 | | Magic turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 11:16 |  | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 3-0 |
| 10:57 | | Chuma Okeke misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:54 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 10:53 | | Jalen Suggs personal foul (Jaden McDaniels draws the foul) | ||
| 10:43 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point layup (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 5-0 |
| 10:34 | | Jalen Suggs misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:31 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 10:27 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:23 | | Chuma Okeke defensive rebound | ||
| 10:04 | | Jalen Suggs turnover (bad pass) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 9:53 | | Paolo Banchero blocks Karl-Anthony Towns's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:49 | | Goga Bitadze defensive rebound | ||
| 9:47 | | Paolo Banchero misses two point running layup | ||
| 9:43 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 9:42 | | Caleb Houstan personal foul (Jaden McDaniels draws the foul) | ||
| 9:37 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 8-0 |
| 9:20 | | Chuma Okeke misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:16 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 9:08 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point layup (Mike Conley assists) | 10-0 |
| 9:08 | | Goga Bitadze shooting foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 9:08 | | Magic 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:08 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 11-0 |
| 9:02 | | Anthony Edwards personal foul (Jalen Suggs draws the foul) | ||
| 8:50 | | +3 | Caleb Houstan makes three point jump shot (Jalen Suggs assists) | 11-3 |
| 8:29 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (lost ball) (Paolo Banchero steals) | ||
| 8:25 | | Paolo Banchero misses two point running layup | ||
| 8:20 | | Chuma Okeke offensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Chuma Okeke misses two point tip layup | ||
| 8:18 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 8:09 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (lost ball) (Goga Bitadze steals) | ||
| 7:54 | | +3 | Jalen Suggs makes three point pullup jump shot | 11-6 |
| 7:34 | | Mike Conley turnover (bad pass) (Paolo Banchero steals) | ||
| 7:30 | | +2 | Paolo Banchero makes two point running finger roll layup | 11-8 |
| 7:15 | | Mike Conley misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 7:14 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (traveling) | ||
| 6:59 | | Paolo Banchero misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:56 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 6:49 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point cutting dunk (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 13-8 |
| 6:40 | | Jalen Suggs misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 6:37 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 6:19 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving layup | 15-8 |
| 6:05 | | Anthony Edwards shooting foul (Paolo Banchero draws the foul) | ||
| 6:05 | | +1 | Paolo Banchero makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-9 |
| 6:05 | | Paolo Banchero misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:03 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 5:51 | | Goga Bitadze shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 5:51 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-9 |
| 5:51 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-9 |
| 5:39 | | Rudy Gobert blocks Goga Bitadze's two point reverse layup | ||
| 5:35 | | Goga Bitadze offensive rebound | ||
| 5:26 | | Jalen Suggs misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:22 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 5:13 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:09 | | Caleb Houstan defensive rebound | ||
| 5:00 | | Paolo Banchero misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:53 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 4:49 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point running layup (Mike Conley assists) | 19-9 |
| 4:33 | | +2 | Markelle Fultz makes two point floating jump shot (Paolo Banchero assists) | 19-11 |
| 4:31 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:12 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point dunk (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 21-11 |
| 3:52 | | Caleb Houstan misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:51 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 3:38 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving layup (Nickeil Alexander-Walker assists) | 23-11 |
| 3:26 | | Trevelin Queen misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:23 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 3:18 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point running jump shot (Naz Reid assists) | 26-11 |
| 2:56 | | Caleb Houstan misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:51 | | Trevelin Queen offensive rebound | ||
| 2:51 | | Trevelin Queen misses two point tip layup | ||
| 2:51 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 2:42 | | Naz Reid misses two point layup | ||
| 2:39 | | Caleb Houstan defensive rebound | ||
| 2:30 | | Paolo Banchero misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:27 | | Caleb Houstan offensive rebound | ||
| 2:25 | | +3 | Moritz Wagner makes three point jump shot (Trevelin Queen assists) | 26-14 |
| 2:01 | | Naz Reid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:58 | | Moritz Wagner defensive rebound | ||
| 1:39 | | Markelle Fultz misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:37 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 1:31 | | +3 | Naz Reid makes three point jump shot (Nickeil Alexander-Walker assists) | 29-14 |
| 1:16 | | +2 | Moritz Wagner makes two point cutting layup (Paolo Banchero assists) | 29-16 |
| 1:01 | | Caleb Houstan shooting foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 1:01 | | +1 | Kyle Anderson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 30-16 |
| 1:01 | | +1 | Kyle Anderson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-16 |
| 0:49 | | Chuma Okeke misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:47 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 0:37 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:33 | | Markelle Fultz defensive rebound | ||
| 0:29 | | Markelle Fultz misses two point running layup | ||
| 0:26 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 0:23 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses two point running layup | ||
| 0:21 | | Naz Reid offensive rebound | ||
| 0:21 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point putback layup | 33-16 |
| 0:03 | | Moritz Wagner misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:03 | | Cole Anthony offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:48 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:45 | | Moritz Wagner defensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Naz Reid shooting foul (Moritz Wagner draws the foul) | ||
| 11:34 | | +1 | Moritz Wagner makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 33-17 |
| 11:34 | | +1 | Moritz Wagner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-18 |
| 11:31 | | Cole Anthony personal foul (Jordan McLaughlin draws the foul) | ||
| 11:12 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point driving layup | 35-18 |
| 10:54 | | Rudy Gobert blocks Anthony Black's two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:50 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 10:43 | | Cole Anthony personal foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 10:37 | | Naz Reid turnover (lost ball) (Moritz Wagner steals) | ||
| 10:33 | | +2 | Moritz Wagner makes two point running dunk (Anthony Black assists) | 35-20 |
| 10:13 | | Trevelin Queen personal foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 10:12 | | Anthony Edwards offensive foul (Anthony Black draws the foul) | ||
| 10:12 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:02 | | +3 | Chuma Okeke makes three point jump shot (Anthony Black assists) | 35-23 |
| 9:47 | | Mike Conley misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:45 | | Chuma Okeke defensive rebound | ||
| 9:38 | | +2 | Cole Anthony makes two point running jump shot (Chuma Okeke assists) | 35-25 |
| 9:21 | | Naz Reid turnover (lost ball) (Anthony Black steals) | ||
| 9:14 | | Cole Anthony misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:12 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 9:08 | | Anthony Black shooting foul (Mike Conley draws the foul) | ||
| 9:08 | | +1 | Mike Conley makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 36-25 |
| 9:08 | | +1 | Mike Conley makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-25 |
| 8:48 | | +3 | Anthony Black makes three point jump shot (Trevelin Queen assists) | 37-28 |
| 8:29 | | Kyle Anderson misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:25 | | Chuma Okeke defensive rebound | ||
| 8:16 | | Trevelin Queen turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 8:06 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jordan McLaughlin assists) | 39-28 |
| 7:48 | | Cole Anthony misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 7:45 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 7:39 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive foul (Charge) (Moritz Wagner draws the foul) | ||
| 7:39 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 7:25 | | Jordan McLaughlin shooting foul (Trevelin Queen draws the foul) | ||
| 7:25 | | +1 | Trevelin Queen makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-29 |
| 7:25 | | +1 | Trevelin Queen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-30 |
| 7:11 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point cutting dunk (Naz Reid assists) | 41-30 |
| 6:55 | | Moritz Wagner turnover (lost ball) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 6:51 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point running layup | 43-30 |
| 6:27 | | Cole Anthony misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:24 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 6:14 | | Magic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:14 | | Magic 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:00 | | +3 | Trevelin Queen makes three point jump shot (Goga Bitadze assists) | 43-33 |
| 5:43 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point turnaround hook shot (Mike Conley assists) | 45-33 |
| 5:20 | | Paolo Banchero misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:18 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 5:18 | | Jalen Suggs personal foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 5:18 | | Kyle Anderson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 5:18 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 5:18 | | +1 | Kyle Anderson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 46-33 |
| 5:05 | | Goga Bitadze offensive foul (Off the ball) (Mike Conley draws the foul) | ||
| 5:05 | | Goga Bitadze turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:55 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving dunk (Mike Conley assists) | 48-33 |
| 4:55 | | Magic 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:40 | | Moritz Wagner misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:39 | | Magic offensive rebound | ||
| 4:37 | | Paolo Banchero offensive foul (Charge) (Nickeil Alexander-Walker draws the foul) | ||
| 4:37 | | Paolo Banchero turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:27 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 51-33 |
| 4:07 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker blocks Paolo Banchero's two point driving layup | ||
| 4:07 | | Jalen Suggs offensive rebound | ||
| 4:03 | | +2 | Paolo Banchero makes two point cutting dunk (Jalen Suggs assists) | 51-35 |
| 3:44 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point reverse layup (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 53-35 |
| 3:44 | | Trevelin Queen defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 3:26 | | Anthony Black turnover (bad pass) (Mike Conley steals) | ||
| 3:22 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point running dunk (Mike Conley assists) | 55-35 |
| 3:05 | | Naz Reid technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 3:05 | | Jalen Suggs misses technical free throw 1 of 1 | ||