Timberwolves hang on for win against Raptors
The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, earning a 116-112 victory in Tampa, Fla.
The Timberwolves got off to a nice start against the Raptors in part of the play of Ricky Rubio. The veteran guard scored eight points in the first nine minutes of the game to help Minnesota take an early lead.
As the Raptors eventually took the lead, Karl-Anthony Towns made history in the second quarter. Towns drained a shot from long range to become the franchise's all-time leader in 3-pointers passing Andrew Wiggins with his 521st career trey, but the Timberwolves went into the locker room down 58-54 at halftime.
Minnesota made its move in the third quarter thanks to the hot shooting of Malik Beasley. After knocking down seven 3-pointers in Friday's loss to Charlotte, Beasley drained six 3-pointers that helped the Wolves take the lead.
The Timberwolves used a 17-2 run at the end of the third quarter to build their lead to as many as 12 points, but Toronto came battling back in the fourth quarter. In a two-point game late in the fourth, Rubio hit another 3-pointer as part of a 16-point performance.
With the Wolves holding a two-point lead late, a crucial turnover by Beasley gave Toronto a chance to tie the game. Pascal Siakam had clean lay-in, but the shot rimmed out and into the hands of Rubio. Jordan McLaughlin hit a pair of free throws to help secure Minnesota's first road victory over the Raptors since 2004.
The Wolves improved to 7-20 with the win and will look to build a winning streak on Tuesday when they host the Los Angeles Lakers.
