The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS–Karl-Anthony Towns got the Minnesota Timberwolves started and then enjoyed watching rookie Josh Okogie and the bench deliver the big blow.
Towns had 14 points and 14 assists in just 21 minutes, and Andrew Wiggins scored 17, as the Timberwolves beat the road-weary Sacramento Kings 132-105 last night.
“You know, he comes off playing the way he played tonight, it makes all of us energized,” Towns said about Okogie.
“Everyone has that guy that brings the best out of everyone, and Josh is that guy for us,” he noted.
“When he comes in the game and plays that way every single time, it reinvigorates all of us.”
Derrick Rose added 13 points and a season-high 11 assists while starting for injured point guard Jeff Teague.
Minnesota led by 36 in the first half against Sacramento, which was coming off a 120-113 victory at Dallas a night earlier.
The Timberwolves returned home following an 0-4 trip, including a 141-130 loss at Sacramento.
“You’re always worried when you have a lead like that is sustaining your effort, and you’re especially concerned with a team like that that shoots ‘threes’ the way they do,” Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“We were fortunate to work our way out of that and then I was very pleased with our bench.”
Kings’ coach Dave Joerger had a different reason to turn to his reserves. Sacramento was playing for the third time in four nights with travel, and then trailed big early.
Buddy Hield scored 21 points for the Kings but didn’t play in the second half. Joerger didn’t play any of his starters after halftime.
“I think that’s one thing we’re working on as a young team, learning how to play on back-to-backs and finding that energy from somewhere,” forward Skal Labissiere said.
“We’ve been struggling with that this whole year,” he noted.
“I think as we mature, we’ll figure it out.”
Minnesota had a double-digit lead less than three minutes into the game. Hield tried to rally the Kings, scoring 16 of their first 17 points and hitting his first four three-pointers, before the Wolves’ bench took over.
