Hornets 104, Timberwolves 95
MINNEAPOLIS -- Charlotte guards Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb helped key the Hornets' 104-95 victory Tuesday over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.
Lin scored a game-high 19 points, while Lamb added 18 points and four rebounds to give the Hornets their second road victory of the year.
Lamb came off the bench to score 14 of his points in the first half. Lin was 6-of-8 from the free throw line en route to his season high.
Minnesota rookie Karl-Anthony Towns tallied his fifth double-double in his first seven NBA games. The first overall pick in this year's draft had 19 points and 13 rebounds, along with three blocks, to pace the Timberwolves.
Guard Zach LaVine recorded 18 points and eight assists and guard Kevin Martin had 18 points and five assists in his first start of the season for Minnesota.
After the Timberwolves jumped out to an early 11-point advantage, Charlotte led by as much as 13 in the first half at 53-40 before Minnesota cut into the lead in the second half. The Timberwolves briefly took the lead in the third quarter on a layup by LaVine, but the Hornets regained the lead for good.
Minnesota was playing short-handed Tuesday. The team announced right before the game that guards Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio were out with sore knees. LaVine started at point guard for Rubio, while second-year forward Adreian Payne got a rare start with Wiggins and forward Kevin Garnett sidelined.
With the Timberwolves thin at point guard, rookie Tyus Jones - a Minnesota native - made his NBA debut. He scored his only point of the game on a free throw in the second quarter.
The Timberwolves committed a season-high 22 turnovers Tuesday and the Hornets turned those into 22 points. Minnesota is now 0-3 at home but a perfect 4-0 on the road.
Hornets guard P.J. Hairston left Tuesday's game with a migraine and did not return. He scored four points in eight minutes in the first half.
NOTES: Minnesota coach Sam Mitchell said F Kevin Garnett missed the game simply to rest as the team played its second game in as many days. Garnett is averaging 2.3 points and 5.2 rebounds this season. ... Minnesota G Tyus Jones was active Tuesday for just the second time this year. The rookie from Duke was also active for the Timberwolves' game in Chicago but he did not see the floor. ... Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said rookie F Frank Kaminsky's role will continue to grow as he adjusts to the league. "He was struggling with the physicality, not with his game," Clifford said. "He's ready to play skill-wise." Kaminsky scored a season-high eight points last time out against San Antonio.