Timberwolves 90, Trail Blazers 82
Timberwolves 90, Trail Blazers 82: Andrew Wiggins scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 10 rebounds as host Minnesota surprised Portland to snap its six-game losing skid.
Corey Brewer added 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Timberwolves, who survived 1-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Thaddeus Young chipped in with 13 points while Jeff Adrien pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which went 25-of-33 from the free-throw line.
Damian Lillard contributed 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Trail Blazers, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end after shooting 38.8 percent from the field. Wesley Matthews tallied 18 points while LaMarcus Aldridge was limited to 10 on 3-of-14 shooting for Portland, which went 10-of-12 from the foul line.
Aldridge and Matthews drained back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Trail Blazers within 76-70 and Portland closed the gap to four with 4:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. Wiggins scored five straight points to give the Timberwolves some breathing room at 83-74 and they held on to end a six-game losing streak at the Target Center.
Wiggins keyed a 10-2 run to put the Minnesota on top 42-29 and it forced 12 turnovers in the first half to take a 44-36 lead into intermission. The Trail Blazers trailed 60-40 before Lillard converted a three-point play during an 11-1 run to cut the deficit to 10, but Brewer scored the last five points of the third quarter to put the Timberwolves in front 66-51.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Timberwolves committed 18 turnovers while the Trail Blazers finished with 20. … Wiggins has scored 20 or more points in consecutive outings for the first time in his career. … Portland finished 10-of-35 from 3-point range.