Wiggins' buzzer-beater sends Timberwolves past Suns
PHOENIX -- Andrew Wiggins had 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and hit the winning 18-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the Minnesota Timberwolves a 112-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves (17-28), who have won three straight and six of their last eight games. Minnesota completed a three-game sweep of the season series with Phoenix, its first since the 2003-04 season.
Devin Booker had 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for Phoenix (15-30), which trailed by as many as 14 in the third quarter but scored 32 points in the fourth.
Tyson Chandler had 22 points and 17 rebounds for Phoenix and Eric Bledsoe scored 18 while extending his consecutive free throw streak to 32.
Phoenix took its final lead at 111-110 on two P.J. Tucker free throws with 6.3 seconds left, after Wiggins hit one of two free throws with 12.1 seconds to give the Suns an opening.
But Wiggins hit his winning shot over Tucker just before the final horn to beat the Suns for the fourth straight time.
Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad had 16 points each and Ricky Rubio had 14 for the Timberwolves, who led 76-62 midway through the third quarter.
But Booker, who missed 13 of his first 17 shots from the field, scored eight straight points, including a 3-pointer and a jumper 16 seconds apart, to give the Suns a 93-92 lead with 7:01 left
Towns and Muhammad hit 12 of 17 shots from the field between them and each scored 15 points in a seesaw first half.
Wiggins had all of his seven first-quarter points in the first four minutes and Deng's 3-pointer gave Minnesota a quick 14-5 lead.
But the Suns quickly answered with 12 straight points and took the lead back at 15-14 on a Bledsoe 3-pointer with 5:30 left. Bledsoe had seven points and Phoenix led 27-23 after one quarter.
Phoenix opened the second quarter and took their biggest lead at 38-27 on a Brandon Knight layup with nine minutes left. But Muhammad had 12 points in the quarter and capped a 15-3 run with a three-point play with 5:18 left to give Minnesota the lead back at 42-41.
Booker and Marquese Chriss hit 3-points to put the Suns back up by six, but the Timberwolves closed with a 14-5 run and a 3-pointer by Muhammad with 26.8 left gave the Timberwolves a 59-56 halftime edge.
Minnesota regained control with a 17-6 run to open the second half and took their biggest lead at 76-62 on a Rubio layup with 6:08 left. Rubio and Wiggins had eight points each in the quarter and Minnesota led 87-79 after three.
NOTES: Phoenix F Jared Dudley missed the game with flu-like symptoms. ... Minnesota G Ricky Rubio returned after a trans-Atlantic flight to attend his grandmother's funeral. ... Suns G Eric Bledsoe had 40 points and 13 assists in the 115-103 win over the Toronto Raptors Sunday. It was the sixth time a member of the Suns has reached at least 40 point and 13 assists. The last was Steve Nash, who had 42 points and 13 assists in a double-overtime win at the then-New Jersey Nets on Dec. 7, 2006. "He's a combination of power, strength and quickness," Minnesota coach Tim Thibodeau said. "Guys like that; you know he can take contact and finish."... The game featured the two leading scorers from the 2015 NBA draft class in Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns (19.8 points) and Phoenix's Devin Booker (16.2 points). ... Towns averaged 25 points and 12.5 rebounds in two wins over the Suns earlier this season.