Timberwolves 112, Pelicans 110
By Peter Finney Jr., The Sports Xchange
NEW ORLEANS -- Guard Andrew Wiggins drew a blocking foul against Eric Gordon and hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 112-110 comeback victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at the Smoothie King Center.
In earning only their ninth road victory of the season, the Timberwolves (19-40) were led by center Karl-Anthony Towns with 30 points and 15 rebounds, guard Zach LaVine with 25 points and Wiggins with 20.
The Timberwolves trailed 86-76 entering the fourth quarter, but they used a 28-17 run in the first 9:17 of the period to take a 104-1043 lead. LaVine hit the go-ahead shot, a 3-pointer from the left wing, with 2:43 remaining, giving him nine points during the run.
Gordon tied the game at 106 with a 3-pointer from the left wing and then put New Orleans back in front, 108-106, with two free throws. But Wiggins drove to the basket and made both free throws to tie the game at 108, and forward Gorgui Dieng then hit a go-ahead driving layup with 24.5 seconds left to put Minnesota ahead, 110-108.
Gordon, who had 31 points for New Orleans, tied the game again at 110 with a pair of foul shots at 12.2 seconds, setting up the final sequence in which Wiggins drove to the basket and got the foul against Gordon.
The Timberwolves trailed by 14 points but used a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to 74-67 with 2:41 left in the third quarter. Gordon hit a 3-pointer from the right wing and forward Ryan Anderson added a fall away jumper and free throw to extend New Orleans' lead to 86-76 after three.
Anderson normally comes off the bench as one of the NBA's best sixth men, but he came out firing in making a rare start for the injured Davis,
Anderson scored 20 first-half points, including a 26-foot, 3-pointer to beat the buzzer and give New Orleans a 56-45 halftime lead
Anderson added nine first-half rebounds.
While Anderson did his damage from the outside, the Pelicans attacked the Timberwolves in the paint, driving consistently into the lane for easy layups.
Gordon, returning from a one-month absence due to a broken right finger, got all four of his first-half baskets with drives into the lane. New Orleans held a 32-20 advantage on the inside.
Towns kept the Timberwolves within reach with 13 first-half points and five rebounds.
NOTES: F Anthony Davis, the Pelicans' leading scorer (24.1 ppg.) and rebounder (10.2 rpg.), suffered a pregame foot injury and was scratched from the lineup against the Timberwolves. There was no immediate word on the type or severity of the injury. Davis has played in 51 of 58 games this season but has been limited in five other games because of in-game injuries. ... SG Eric Gordon returned to the New Orleans lineup after missing the last 16 games with a broken ring finger on his right (shooting) hand. "The one thing is that because it was his hand, he's been able to, cardio-wise, kind of stay up," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "But I expect him to be a little rusty." ... Minnesota coach Sam Mitchell said he was happy that veteran G Andre Miller cleared waivers and is headed to San Antonio. "Andre's been great," Mitchell said. "At this point in the season, Andre has a chance to sign with a great team like San Antonio that's going to go deep into the playoffs and have a chance to win a championship. I'm excited for Andre and happy for him."