MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 16 rebounds for his 43rd double-double of the season, Michael Conley added 19 points and seven assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a four-game season sweep of Portland, beating the Trail Blazers 119-114 Monday night.
With the win, Minnesota (43-19) moved into a tie for first place in the Western Conference with Oklahoma City, which was playing the Lakers in Los Angeles later Monday. The Timberwolves are an NBA-best 30-9 against Western Conference opponents, 20-5 against teams with a less than .500 record and 23-8 at Target Center, for the league’s fifth-best home record.
“It was a point of emphasis for us coming into the season,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said of handling lower-ranked teams before the game.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 14 points, Anthony Edwards had 13, and Naz Reid added 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point distance for Minnesota, which was playing its fifth game in seven nights and completed a seven-game homestand with a 4-3 record.
Anfernee Simons had 34 points, 14 assists and five rebounds, and Duop Reath shot 5 for 6 from long distance and scored 26 points for Portland, which was playing its third game in four nights.
The Timberwolves used a 17-5 run and Gobert’s 10 points and seven rebounds to build a 55-48 lead at halftime. Gobert, who ranks fifth in the league in double-doubles, had a three-point play on a dunk over Portland’s 7-foot-2 center Moses Brown in the third quarter as Minnesota extended its lead to 13 points.
Portland cut its deficit to three points before Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer made it 86-80 with 1:02 left in the third. Alexander-Walker (13 points) added a transition layup before the third-quarter buzzer.
Edwards scored all but four of his points in the fourth quarter. Gobert recorded a block and Conley followed with a 3-pointer that extended Minnesota’s lead to 115-101 with 1:22 remaining.
The Trail Blazers were without Scoot Henderson, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, Shaedon Sharpe, Robert Williams III and Mattise Thybulle on Monday night.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Open a six-game homestand against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
Timberwolves: Start a six-game trip — their longest of the season — at Indiana on Thursday.