(Field Level Medica) Karl-Anthony Towns totaled 25 points and 21 rebounds Monday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves halted a five-game losing streak and overcame a season-worst 23 turnovers in a 120-113 victory in Minneapolis over the Brooklyn Nets, who ended a four-game road trip and lost Caris LeVert to an apparent serious right leg injury. Towns posted his seventh double-double by shooting 9 of 11 from the floor. He had the double-double by halftime, then posted his sixth career game with 20 points and 20 rebounds and the 55th in team history.
Towns committed 10 of Minnesota’s turnovers but also hit a key 3-pointer with 4:32 left that pushed the lead to 110-99.
The Wolves played their first game since trading Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia. Minnesota obtained Dario Saric and Robert Covington, though neither player was active. Jeff Teague returned after missing six games with a left knee contusion and added 24 and 11 assists as the Wolves shot 52.5 percent. Derrick Rose added 23 points, while Taj Gibson contributed 17. D’Angelo Russell hit a career-high nine 3-pointers and led all scorers with his season-high 31 points. Russell joined Vince Carter, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams as the fourth Net to make at least nine 3-pointers in the game.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Spencer Dinwiddie added 14 points apiece as the Nets shot 39.6 percent and went 18-of-50 from 3-point range.
The Nets concluded their trip at 2-2, but the game was marred by LeVert’s right leg injury with 3.7 seconds remaining in the first half. LeVert was injured attempting to defend a fast-break layup attempt by Josh Okogie, was placed in a wheelchair and taken by ambulance to a hospital for further evaluation.
Russell hit five 3-pointers and scored 19 points but the Wolves scored the last eight points of the first half to take a 57-53 lead into the break. Minnesota closed out the third on a 13-5 run in the last 2 1/2 minutes and held a 93-85 lead into the fourth. The Nets came back with a 9-2 spurt and were within 95-94 on a 3-pointer by Jared Dudley with 9:31 left but could never regain the lead, and Minnesota gradually pulled away.
