National Basketball Association
Minnesota 111, Phoenix 109
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, February 20, 2015
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials:
#48 Scott Foster, #11 Derrick Collins, #34 Kevin Cutler
Attendance:
14077
By SportsDirect Inc.
Timberwolves 111, Suns 109: Kevin Martin scored 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 20 as host Minnesota held off new-look Phoenix.
Ricky Rubio collected 10 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds while Nikola Pekovic had 16 points and 11 boards for the Timberwolves. Gorgui Dieng recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench as Minnesota won for the fourth time in six games.
Markieff Morris had 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting to lead the Suns, who were playing their first game since dealing away point guards Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas at Thursday’s trade deadline. Marcus Morris contributed 14 points off the bench and Alex Len went for 11 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks as Phoenix dropped to ninth place in the Western Conference.
Markieff Morris’ free throws put the Suns up 101-98 with 4:43 left before Martin and Pekovic led the Timberwolves on an 8-2 burst over the next 3 1/2 minutes. Rubio drained a pair of free throws with 46 seconds left to restore the three-point cushion and found Wiggins for a layup 29 ticks later before Dieng split a pair at the line to make it a two-possession game with 11 seconds remaining.
The Timberwolves used a 13-0 run through the middle of the second quarter to open up a 14-point lead before settling for a 52-42 advantage at the break. Markieff Morris scored six points during a 15-5 surge that knotted it at 62 with 5:18 left in the third, but Minnesota recovered to take an 80-77 lead into the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Timberwolves started Anthony Bennett at PF while waiting for franchise icon Kevin Garnett to rejoin the team after being acquired on Thursday. … The Suns were without Brandon Knight and a plethora of other players brought in at the deadline. … Phoenix G Gerald Green started in Dragic’s vacated spot and delivered 12 points and six assists.
Top Game Performances
Phoenix |
|
Minnesota |
Markieff Morris 31 |
Scoring |
Kevin Martin 28 |
Eric Bledsoe 6 |
Assists |
Ricky Rubio 14 |
Alex Len 10 |
Rebounds |
Gorgui Dieng 12 |
Markieff Morris 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Kevin Martin 7 |
Brandan Wright 2 |
Steals |
Zach Lavine 2 |
Alex Len 6 |
Blocks |
Gorgui Dieng 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Phoenix
|
109 |
44.9 |
7-17 |
22-31 |
23 |
48 |
9 |
8 |
13 |
Minnesota
|
111 |
46.5 |
4-15 |
27-38 |
24 |
51 |
7 |
7 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Houston. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .167 after a win and .238 after a loss.
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Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Suns have a W/L % of .633 after a win and .400 after a loss.