The Wolves ended a three-game road trip on a high note by taking down the Clippers 104-101 on Thursday night on national TV.
Minnesota outscored LA 60-50 in the second half.
Karl-Anthony Towns was sensational for the Wolves and finished with 37 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Fellow former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins added 27 points and shot 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. Gorgui Dieng rounded things out with 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Clippers were without both Blake Griffin (knee) and Chris Paul (hand). DeAndre Jordan led the way with 29 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. Austin Rivers added 20 points. Raymond Felton, Luc Mbah a Moute and Brandon Bass scored 10 points each.
The win moves the Wolves to 15-28, good for 12th in the West. The Clippers fall to 29-15, fourth in the West.
With 6:41 left in the game, Towns cleaned up a Shabazz Muhammad missed shot for a huge putback slam to put the Wolves down just 89-85.
The Numbers Game
Towns was the man on Thursday night, finishing with 37 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and a steal in 40 minutes and 35 seconds. The All-Star hopeful shot 17-for-24 from the field, 1-for-2 from the 3-point line and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
“He was unbelievable. He nailed a ton of shots, most of them being jump shots, but he really made them all over the floor,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “We probably should have done something else to stop him, especially on the pick and roll plays. However, we didn't, and he made us pay for it.”
On the season, Towns is averaging 22.3 points, 12 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.
The Wolves head back home to take on the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 6 p.m. The game will air on Fox Sports North and 830-WCCO.
