Towns, Timberwolves take down Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY -- Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points and collected 15 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 107-80 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points and Shabazz Muhammad added 18 for Minnesota. The Timberwolves (25-36) won for the fourth time in five games. Utah was the fourth opponent in the past seven games that Minnesota held under 90 points.
Dante Exum scored 15 points and Gordon Hayward added 13 to lead the Jazz. Derrick Favors chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak in the series for Utah, which lost its second game in a row.
Utah (37-24) looked lifeless on offense throughout the first quarter. The Jazz missed 11 of their first 15 shot attempts and shot just 16 of 49 (32.7 percent) from the floor before halftime.
It opened the door for Minnesota to seize control. The Timberwolves staked out a 27-16 lead early in the second quarter after Tyus Jones turned steals into baskets on consecutive possessions. The first one Jones took in for a layup, and with the second, he set up a Muhammad dunk.
Utah finally generated some rhythm on offense as the quarter progressed. Three-pointers from Exum and Joe Ingles bookended a 10-0 run that cut Minnesota's lead to 27-26. The Jazz struggled to get over the hump.
The Timberwolves used an 8-0 run -- highlighted by a 3-pointer from Towns and another Muhammad dunk on back-to-back possessions -- to rebuild a 39-30 lead. Minnesota extended it to double digits again when Ricky Rubio hit a pair of free throws, Wiggins followed with an open 3-pointer and Muhammad made a layup to give the Timberwolves a 51-35 halftime lead.
It didn't get better for the Jazz after halftime. Minnesota were never threatened with a rally throughout the second half. The Timberwolves led by as many as 30 points, taking a 95-65 lead on a dunk from Muhammad with 4:24 remaining.
Utah shot 35 of 90 (38.9 percent) overall, while Minnesota was 38 of 79 (50 percent).
NOTES: Jazz G Rodney Hood did not play because of right knee soreness. Hood missed the last seven games before the All-Star break after sustaining a bone bruise and Grade 1 LCL sprain in the same knee. ... With his three steals against Utah, Timberwolves F Andrew Wiggins has accumulated 24 steals in his past 11 starts. ... Jazz F Gordon Hayward set a career high for scoring average in a single month during February. Hayward averaged 25.5 points per game while recording 30-plus points five times. ... Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns notched his 46th double-double of the season. He also scored at least 20 points and collected at least 10 rebounds for the 33rd time this season. Both marks rank in the top three in the NBA.