MINNEAPOLIS — Andrew Wiggins scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half and hit the go-ahead free throws with 12.8 seconds left to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 103-102 NBA victory over the scuffling Golden State Warriors Friday night.
Ricky Rubio had 17 points and 13 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points to give the Timberwolves their sixth win in eight games as they try to chase down the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoff race. They entered the night 2½ games behind Denver, with Portland and Dallas also ahead of them in the standings.
Klay Thompson scored 30 points for Golden State, but Stephen Curry’s remarkable shooting slump continued in the Warriors’ second straight loss and fourth in six games without injured star Kevin Durant. Curry scored 26 points, but was just 10 for 27 from the field and 1 for 8 from 3-point range. And he missed an 18-footer in the closing seconds that would have won the game.
Rockets 115, Bulls 94: Despite a slow start, the Houston Rockets made sure coach Mike D’Antoni got his 500th career NBA coaching win Friday night at the United Center.
The Rockets overcame a 13-point first-quarter deficit and cruised to a 115-94 victory against the Chicago Bulls, avoiding their first three-game losing streak of the season.
Hornets 121, Magic 81: Kemba Walker scored 23 points before sitting out the entire fourth quarter and Charlotte continued its mastery of Orlando with a victory at the Spectrum Center.
The Hornets were in command throughout and led by as many as 42 points. They scored the first eight points of the game, led 44-24 two minutes into the second quarter and never trailed. It was their first wire-to-wire victory of the season.
Bucks 99, Pacers 85: Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points each as Milwaukee extended its winning streak to a season-high five games with a victory over Indiana at the Bradley Center.
The victory moved Milwaukee a half-game ahead of Chicago for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot, and 1 1/2 games behind the Pacers for the sixth seed.
Hawks 105, Raptors 99: If Atlanta and Toronto tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks will have the tiebreaker for home court over the Raptors thanks to an edge in the season series.
The Hawks put the defensive clamps on Toronto in the fourth quarter and took two of the three regular-season games between the teams.
Nuggts 119, Celtics 99: Wilson Chandler scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 10 rebounds in his return to the lineup, and Denver beat Boston.
Jokic missed two games with the flu but looked fresh against Boston, finishing three assists shy of his fifth triple-double. Danilo Gallinari scored 20 after missing Wednesday’s game with vertigo.
Mavericks 105, Nets 96: Dallas probably didn’t expect much of a fight from the NBA’s worst team, but it got one.
If it wasn’t for a fourth-quarter surge, the Mavs likely wouldn’t have escaped American Airlines Center with a win over Brooklyn. Dallas went on an 22-8 run to open the final period and pulled away for its fourth straight victory, tying a season high.
Wizards 130, Kings 122: Bradley Beal scored a game-high 38 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime as Washington defeated Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center on Friday.
Washington erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to claim the win, showing the mettle that has made it the winningest team (24-8) in the NBA since Jan. 1. — Agencies
