MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Norman Powell and the Toronto Raptors used one final push to slip by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Powell scored a season-high 31 points and the Raptors topped the Timberwolves 86-81 on Friday night, closing the game with an 11-0 run.
Toronto (15-15) earned its third straight win to reach .500 for the first time after starting the season 1-6.
Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Malik Beasley scored 13 and Jordan McLaughlin had 11.
Minnesota dropped its third in a row since winning at Toronto on Sunday. In that victory over the Raptors, the Timberwolves overcame a four-point halftime deficit with a 37-point blitz in the third quarter.
On Friday, they made a comeback that was even more dramatic.
After trailing by as many as 19, the Wolves clawed their way back into the game with a 16-0 run midway through the third quarter. Jake Layman had a dunk and a 3-pointer during the stretch, which tied the game at 57.
Minnesota led 81-75 with 3:30 to play when Toronto took over. Fred VanVleet hit a pair of free throws, Powell scored on a transition layup, and Pascal Siakam threw down a tying dunk.
On Minnesota’s next possession, Towns was called for a moving screen, and on the other end, Terence Davis hit his third 3-pointer of the quarter to make it 84-81 with 30 seconds to play.
The Wolves had a chance to tie it, but Beasley’s 3-pointer was short, and Davis hit two free throws for Toronto.
Comments