Knicks 103, Timberwolves 95
MINNEAPOLIS -- Forward Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds, center Robin Lopez tied season highs with 26 points and 16 rebounds and the New York Knicks picked up a rare win, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-95 Saturday night.
Guard Arron Afflalo and forward Lance Thomas each scored 11 points for New York, which ended a seven-game slide and won for just the second time in 13 games.
Center Karl-Anthony Towns and guard Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 24 points each. Forward Shabazz Muhammad scored 20 off the bench. Guard Ricky Rubio dished out 16 assists.
After Friday's 109-98 loss in Brooklyn, a game in which New York allowed 20-2 and 16-2 second-half runs, Anthony said the Knicks can't be giving away games.
They didn't this time.
New York jumped out to a 13-point lead less than five minutes into the game and seemed destined for an easy win. However, on three occasions when Minnesota cut the deficit to single digits, the Knicks would go on a short surge to push the lead back into the 13- or 15-point range.
Trailing 63-48 early in the second half, Wiggins scored six points during an 8-0 Minnesota run, but New York scored 16 of the next 18, six by Anthony. The Knicks outscored the Timberwolves 18-4 in the final eight minutes of the third quarter for an 81-61 cushion heading to the fourth.
Anthony became the 30th player in NBA history with at least 22,000 points. His total now stands at 22,008.
Lopez, averaging 9.3 points per game, had 16 points -- the most he's scored in a frame in his career -- and seven rebounds in the first quarter.
The 7-footer had six points down low as New York jumped out to a 14-1 lead. Minnesota, which made just two of its last 17 shots Friday, started zero-for-7 from the field. Four more points by Lopez made it 18-6.
He was able to do it against a team that was lacking inside depth with forwards Kevin Garnett and Nemanja Bjelica and center Nikola Pekovic out with injuries.
Trailing by 21 at one point early in the second quarter, Towns had four points in an 8-0 run that got Minnesota within 12 at 39-27. A 3-pointer by Muhammad closed the gap to 51-43 about five minutes later.
NOTES: Minnesota G Tyus Jones played 13:41 in Friday's loss at Memphis after not seeing action in four of the team's five previous February games. Interim coach Sam Mitchell expects the rookie to get more minutes the rest of the season to see how he reacts. ... Although players have said the past couple of days the goal is making the playoffs, the Knicks entered the night six games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. ... Minnesota G Zach LaVine, C Karl-Anthony Towns and F Andrew Wiggins were honored before the game for accomplishments at the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto. LaVine repeated as slam dunk champion, Towns won the skills challenge and Wiggins scored 29 points as captain of Team World in the Rising Stars Challenge. ... New York interim coach Kurt Rambis was 32-132 in two seasons (2009-11) as Timberwolves coach.