Timberwolves jump out to a 30-point lead over Blazers and finish with a 128-91 victory
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves built a 30-point lead after the most lopsided first quarter in the NBA this season, handing the Portland Trail Blazers a sixth straight loss with a 128-91 rout on Thursday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points for the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves, who led 44-14 after one quarter in their fourth straight win. It was Minnesota's West-leading 20th win on the road.
“The goal is to win a championship and you know, a lot of people doubt us, and don't believe in us, and that's the beauty of it, too. We believe in ourselves, believe in one another and we truly believe we can write our own story,” said Rudy Gobert, who added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Jerami Grant had 20 points for the Trail Blazers, who closed the gap to single digits in the third quarter. But the Timberwolves pushed the lead to 112-81 midway through the final period on Monte Morris' jumper.
The teams also met Tuesday night, with Minnesota pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 121-109 victory.
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups moved rookie guard Scoot Henderson back into the starting lineup because of his recent play off the bench. The 19-year-old Henderson, the No. 3 pick in last year's NBA draft, finished with 15 points.
“He's so mature for his age, and he allows me to coach him hard. I'm coaching him hard and I'm honest with him at all times. I like to be that way: The best coaches I've played for we honest with me,” Billups said. “He's very coachable and I'm happy with his development, he's been playing really good.”
The game wrapped up a five-game road trip for the Timberwolves heading into the All-Star break. Next week Minnesota starts a seven-game homestand.
“It feels like we've been on the road a lot, it really has," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "But when you play defense, and you're committed to defense and the guys like to play every night, being on the road is not a daunting thing.”
Despite road weariness, the Timberwolves were dominant in the first quarter. Edwards had 13 points in the period, which ended with the second-biggest point differential in any quarter in team history.
Portland closed the gap a bit in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing by 66-51.
Toumani Camara's layup in the third quarter further chipped away at Minnesota's lead, pulling the Blazers within 73-63. Grant added a pair of free throws to get cut the deficit to within 10.
“We fought, fought, fought and we were hanging in there in the third quarter," Billups said. “We're still OK, and then man, it just got away from us.”
The Timberwolves responded with a 14-4 run to snuff the rally. Edwards had 15 points in the third quarter. It was his 21st game this season with 30 or more points.
Edwards said Minnesota isn't looking at the standings just yet.
“We just want to win every game that we play,” he said. “If that comes with a No. 1 seed, we'll take it.”
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 23.
Trail Blazers: Visit the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 23.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Rudy Gobert vs. Deandre Ayton (Jerami Grant gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 | | +2 | Toumani Camara makes two point driving layup (Anfernee Simons assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:25 |  | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point cutting dunk (Mike Conley assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:09 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:07 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 11:06 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (lost ball) (Deandre Ayton steals) | ||
| 11:02 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point hook shot | ||
| 11:00 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 10:53 | | Jerami Grant blocks Anthony Edwards's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:49 | | Jaden McDaniels offensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving layup (Jaden McDaniels assists) | 4-2 |
| 10:48 | | Toumani Camara shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 10:48 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 5-2 |
| 10:41 | | +3 | Toumani Camara makes three point jump shot (Scoot Henderson assists) | 5-5 |
| 10:17 | | +3 | Mike Conley makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 8-5 |
| 10:02 | | Scoot Henderson misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 10:00 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 9:52 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 10-5 |
| 9:52 | | Jerami Grant shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 9:52 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 11-5 |
| 9:36 | | Scoot Henderson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:33 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 9:17 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (bad pass) (Scoot Henderson steals) | ||
| 9:11 | | Jerami Grant misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 9:08 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 8:56 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving layup | 13-5 |
| 8:43 | | Anfernee Simons misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:41 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 8:37 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point running layup | 15-5 |
| 8:37 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:12 | | +2 | Jerami Grant makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Deandre Ayton assists) | 15-7 |
| 7:52 | | Deandre Ayton personal foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 7:45 | | +3 | Jaden McDaniels makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 18-7 |
| 7:32 | | Anfernee Simons misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:29 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 7:21 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:19 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | Anthony Edwards blocks Anfernee Simons's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 7:11 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | Anfernee Simons technical foul | ||
| 7:11 | | +1 | Mike Conley makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 19-7 |
| 7:09 | | Scoot Henderson turnover (bad pass) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 7:02 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 22-7 |
| 6:50 | | Mike Conley personal foul (Scoot Henderson draws the foul) | ||
| 6:44 | | +2 | Jerami Grant makes two point driving layup (Toumani Camara assists) | 22-9 |
| 6:32 | | +3 | Mike Conley makes three point pullup jump shot (Rudy Gobert assists) | 25-9 |
| 6:18 | | +2 | Scoot Henderson makes two point pullup jump shot | 25-11 |
| 5:58 | | Jaden McDaniels misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:57 | | Mike Conley offensive rebound | ||
| 5:56 | | +2 | Mike Conley makes two point tip layup | 27-11 |
| 5:41 | | Rudy Gobert blocks Anfernee Simons's two point driving layup | ||
| 5:39 | | Mike Conley defensive rebound | ||
| 5:34 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 5:22 | | Matisse Thybulle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:21 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 5:05 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point driving finger roll layup (Anthony Edwards assists) | 29-11 |
| 4:50 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:47 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 4:32 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:31 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 4:30 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point tip layup | 31-11 |
| 4:21 | | Anfernee Simons turnover (lost ball) (Jaden McDaniels steals) | ||
| 4:21 | | Anfernee Simons shooting foul (Jaden McDaniels draws the foul) | ||
| 4:21 | | +1 | Jaden McDaniels makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-11 |
| 4:21 | | +1 | Jaden McDaniels makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-11 |
| 3:56 | | Matisse Thybulle misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:52 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 3:45 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:43 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 3:41 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point tip layup | 35-11 |
| 3:25 | | Anfernee Simons misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:23 | | Duop Reath offensive rebound | ||
| 3:22 | | Duop Reath turnover (lost ball) (Anthony Edwards steals) | ||
| 3:04 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving floating jump shot | 37-11 |
| 2:48 | | Jerami Grant misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 2:46 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 2:46 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:32 | | Kyle Anderson turnover (bad pass) (Matisse Thybulle steals) | ||
| 2:22 | | Scoot Henderson misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:19 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 2:07 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving floating jump shot | 39-11 |
| 1:48 | | Karl-Anthony Towns blocks Jabari Walker's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:47 | | Duop Reath offensive rebound | ||
| 1:43 | | Naz Reid shooting foul (Scoot Henderson draws the foul) | ||
| 1:43 | | +1 | Scoot Henderson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-12 |
| 1:43 | | +1 | Scoot Henderson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-13 |
| 1:26 | | Naz Reid misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:24 | | Naz Reid offensive rebound | ||
| 1:24 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point putback layup | 41-13 |
| 1:12 | | Matisse Thybulle misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:10 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 0:54 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 0:52 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 0:49 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker shooting foul (Dalano Banton draws the foul) | ||
| 0:49 | | Dalano Banton misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 0:49 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:49 | | +1 | Dalano Banton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 41-14 |
| 0:34 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:30 | | Dalano Banton defensive rebound | ||
| 0:14 | | Matisse Thybulle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:11 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 0:02 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving floating jump shot | 43-14 |
| 0:02 | | Matisse Thybulle shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 0:02 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 44-14 |
| 0:00 | | Scoot Henderson misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:38 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 11:36 | | Kyle Anderson offensive rebound | ||
| 11:33 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 11:33 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 11:26 | | +3 | Anfernee Simons makes three point pullup jump shot (Toumani Camara assists) | 44-17 |
| 11:09 | | Kyle Anderson misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 11:09 | | Toumani Camara defensive rebound | ||
| 10:56 | | +2 | Toumani Camara makes two point reverse layup (Deandre Ayton assists) | 44-19 |
| 10:34 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:31 | | Anfernee Simons defensive rebound | ||
| 10:23 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Jerami Grant draws the foul) | ||
| 10:23 | | +1 | Jerami Grant makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 44-20 |
| 10:23 | | +1 | Jerami Grant makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 44-21 |
| 10:09 | | +2 | Monte Morris makes two point driving floating jump shot | 46-21 |
| 9:49 | | Scoot Henderson misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:45 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 9:40 | | Naz Reid misses two point running layup | ||
| 9:38 | | Anfernee Simons defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | +3 | Jerami Grant makes three point running jump shot (Anfernee Simons assists) | 46-24 |
| 9:19 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Nickeil Alexander-Walker assists) | 48-24 |
| 9:07 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Jerami Grant draws the foul) | ||
| 9:07 | | +1 | Jerami Grant makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 48-25 |
| 9:07 | | +1 | Jerami Grant makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-26 |
| 8:51 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 8:39 | | Jerami Grant misses two point jump shot | ||
| 8:37 | | Monte Morris defensive rebound | ||
| 8:25 | | +3 | Naz Reid makes three point jump shot (Monte Morris assists) | 51-26 |
| 8:14 | | Anfernee Simons misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:11 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 8:02 | | Deandre Ayton shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 8:02 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 52-26 |
| 8:02 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 53-26 |
| 7:51 | | +2 | Jerami Grant makes two point driving layup | 53-28 |
| 7:51 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 7:36 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving layup | 55-28 |
| 7:28 | | Naz Reid shooting foul (Toumani Camara draws the foul) | ||
| 7:28 | | Toumani Camara misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:28 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 7:28 | | +1 | Toumani Camara makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 55-29 |
| 7:09 | | Monte Morris misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | Toumani Camara defensive rebound | ||
| 6:55 | | +2 | Scoot Henderson makes two point driving layup (Anfernee Simons assists) | 55-31 |
| 6:41 | | Naz Reid misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:40 | | Trail Blazers defensive rebound | ||
| 6:40 | | Naz Reid personal foul (Loose ball) (Jerami Grant draws the foul) | ||
| 6:40 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:18 | | +3 | Anfernee Simons makes three point jump shot (Deandre Ayton assists) | 55-34 |
| 6:00 | | Jaden McDaniels turnover (bad pass) (Jabari Walker steals) | ||
| 5:57 | | +2 | Jabari Walker makes two point running dunk | 55-36 |
| 5:30 | | Jabari Walker shooting foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 5:30 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 56-36 |
| 5:30 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 57-36 |
| 5:15 | | +2 | Scoot Henderson makes two point pullup jump shot | 57-38 |
| 4:58 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:55 | | Jerami Grant defensive rebound | ||
| 4:51 | | Anfernee Simons offensive foul (Mike Conley draws the foul) | ||
| 4:51 | | Anfernee Simons turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:31 | | Deandre Ayton blocks Mike Conley's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:30 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 4:21 | | Jabari Walker misses two point running layup | ||
| 4:19 | | Jabari Walker offensive rebound | ||
| 4:17 | | +2 | Jabari Walker makes two point putback layup | 57-40 |
| 4:17 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:09 |