National Basketball Association
Minnesota 111, Detroit 101
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: #39 Tyler Ford, #64 Justin Van Duyne, #56 Mark Ayotte
Attendance: N/A

Malik Beasley had 23 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves scored the last 10 points to rally past the Detroit Pistons 111-101 on Wednesday at Minneapolis in the opener for both teams.

Karl-Anthony Towns supplied 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and D'Angelo Russell tossed in 18 points for Minnesota.

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, the top pick in the 2020 draft, contributed 15 points, four rebounds and four assists in his debut. Josh Okogie added 12 points and Jarrett Culver chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Josh Jackson led Detroit with 19 points and pulled down six rebounds. Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose had 15 points apiece and Mason Plumlee added 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Pistons were outscored 31-16 in the fourth quarter after leading most of the way.

With the score tied 61-all early in the second half, rookie Killian Hayes and Plumlee fueled a 12-0 Pistons run. Hayes, who went scoreless in the first half, scored seven of those points while Plumlee contributed a basket and two assists.

Minnesota soon reeled off a 10-2 run to pull within 78-75. Beasley scored seven points during that stretch.

Detroit carried an 85-80 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Jackson had a layup and a dunk in a 25-second span to push the lead to 91-83 with nine minutes remaining.

The Timberwolves defense erased the deficit. Ricky Rubio made two consecutive steals, leading to fast-break baskets by Culver and Beasley to tie it at 95-apiece.

Towns gave Minnesota a 98-97 edge on a 3-pointer with 3:38 left. Russell hit a 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining to give the Timberwolves a 103-101 lead.

Towns assisted on that basket and did the same on a Beasley 3-pointer with 1:28 left for a five-point advantage. Detroit went scoreless in the last two minutes.

The Pistons led 57-56 at halftime. Detroit had three players in double figures, led by Griffin with 12 points. Towns led the Timberwolves with 15 points.

Minnesota closed the half on a 21-8 run with Beasley scoring all seven of his first-half points during that span.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Minnesota
Josh Jackson 19 Scoring Malik Beasley 23
Mason Plumlee 6 Assists Karl-Anthony Towns 7
Sekou Doumbouya 9 Rebounds Karl-Anthony Towns 11
Blake Griffin 3 Free Throws Made Karl-Anthony Towns 8
Derrick Rose 2 Steals Ricky Rubio 2
Jerami Grant 1 Blocks Naz Reid 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 101 48.4 8-35 3-8 29 44 2 5 15
Minnesota 111 43.2 11-41 24-28 25 48 5 6 12
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Utah. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Pistons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.