Hornets 108, Timberwolves 103
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kemba Walker continued his torrid shooting, and the Charlotte Hornets won their fifth consecutive game with a 108-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Walker scored 34 points, his third straight game of 30-plus points and his 11th 30-point outburst of the season. He shot 12-for-20 from the field, hitting six of nine 3-point attempts.
Twenty-one of those points came in the third quarter as the Hornets took control for good after trailing at halftime. Walker was 7-for-9 from the field in the quarter with five 3-pointers, including three 3-pointers in a span of 1:15 late in the period.
The Hornets (34-28) won for the 10th time in 12 games.
Al Jefferson came off the bench to add 20 points, Marvin Williams scored 15, and Nicolas Batum scored 11. Walker added seven rebounds and six assists.
The Timberwolves (20-44) lost for the fourth time in five games.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota. The Timberwolves also got 25 points from Andrew Wiggins, 19 from Zach LaVine and 12 from Gorgui Dieng. Ricky Rubio contributed 10 points and 10 assists.
However, the Timberwolves' bench combined for just nine points, all in the second half. The Hornets' reserves scored 38 points.
Charlotte led 23-18 after one quarter and led by as many as 16 in the second quarter. The Timberwolves answered with a 14-0 run and eventually led 49-47 at halftime.
The Hornets then erupted for 35 third-quarter points to lead 82-75 after three quarters, and then pushed the lead as high as 15 in the fourth.
NOTES: The Hornets earned their fifth consecutive game in the series. They beat the Timberwolves 104-95 in Minneapolis on Nov. 10. ... Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns leads all NBA rookies in scoring at 17.6 points per game and in rebounding at 10.2 per game. He ranks in the top 10 among rookies in eight statistical categories, which is everything except 3-point percentage. ... The Hornets have had 10 players foul out already this season, including C Cody Zeller on Monday. They had only one disqualification all of last season. ... The Timberwolves continue to be without F Nemanja Bjelica (foot), F Kevin Garnett (knee) and C Nikola Pekovic (Achilles), while C Spencer Hawes remains out for the Hornets (back). ... The Timberwolves will return home to host San Antonio on Tuesday, completing a stretch of four games in five nights. ... The Hornets will host New Orleans on Wednesday.