Blazers beat Wolves, inch closer to playoff berth
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Allen Crabbe came off the bench for 25 points to pace the Portland Trail Blazers to a 105-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night at Moda Center.
Crabbe sank 8 of 10 shots from 3-point range as the Trail Blazers (39-40) rallied from a 15-point third-quarter deficit to end a two-game losing streak.
Damian Lillard collected 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Portland, which moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Denver (37-41) in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Andrew Wiggins scored 36 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Karl-Anthony Town had 24 points and 16 boards for the Timberwolves (31-47), who were outscored 25-11 in the fourth quarter.
Wiggins scored 21 points and Towns and Ricky Rubio 15 apiece, combining for 22-for-35 shooting as Minnesota carried a 61-53 lead into intermission. Aminu had 10 points for Portland.
The Wolves used a 9-0 run to take their advantage to 70-55 early in the third quarter. The Blazers answered with a 17-2 spurt to get even at 72. Minnesota came back with a 13-4 tear to go in front 85-76. The margin was 87-80 heading into the final period.
Crabbe's four-point play closed the gap to 87-86 with 9:13 to play. Moments later, back-to-back treys by Crabbe gave Portland a 92-89 lead with 8:25 remaining.
The Blazers increased the gap to 99-92 on Lillard's layup with 3:50 to go. Lillard's free throws made it 101-94 with 58.5 seconds left.
The Wolves started the game on fire, making eight of their first nine shots en route to a 17-8 lead. Wiggins was 5 for 5 with 11 points in the first four minutes. The difference was 32-18 after Rubio buried a 3-pointer, then a long jumper late in the first quarter. Rubio's 13 points helped the Wolves take a 34-20 advantage into the second period.
Portland scored seven in a row to snip the margin to 34-27, but the Wolves extended it to 45-33. They settled for an eight-point edge at the half.
NOTES: Portland G Damian Lillard missed his first six shots and finished 7 for 21. ... Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns has averaged 27.6 points and shot 61.2 percent in the past 11 games. ... Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau likened the Blazers and Timberwolves squaring off three times in 12 days to a playoff series. "We've been eliminated, but I like the fact that we're playing this team three times in a short amount of time," he said. "If you're not in the playoffs, this is as close as you can get to simulating that. They know everything you're doing. You know everything they're doing. Then, it's, 'Can you execute?' We have to use this as part of our learning." ... Portland coach Terry Stotts is glad his team remains in contention for the postseason. "I'd prefer to have a playoff spot clinched, but it's exciting," he said. "It's fun to be a part of."