Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 26 points on Sunday to help the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves coast to a 144-117 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Jaden McDaniels added 21 points, while Rudy Gobert finished with 19 points and 12 boards, as Minnesota won its fourth game in five outings.
Julius Randle scored 19 points, Naz Reid had 13 and Jayden Clark and Rob Dillingham each chipped in 11 off the bench as the Timberwolves shot 53.6 % from the field (52 of 97) and knocked down 18 3-pointers in 46 attempts (39.1%).
Zach LaVine’s 26 points led the Kings, followed by DeMar DeRozan’s 22 and Domantas Sabonis’ 20 points and 13 rebounds. Precious Achiuwa had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while reserve Nique Clifford scored 10 for Sacramento, which has dropped six of its last eight.
After leading by 17 at halftime, the Timberwolves extended their advantage to 85-63 on McDaniels’ triple at the 7:48 mark of the third.
The margin grew to 28 on Reid’s floater with 3:33 left. Reid’s 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining stamped a 40-point Minnesota quarter, sending the Timberwolves into the fourth with a 111-84 lead.
Minnesota took its largest lead of the night with less than a minute left as Leonard Miller’s layup put the visitors ahead 142-110.
Clark and LaVine traded 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds of the first quarter, as Minnesota took a 31-25 lead into the second.
The Timberwolves took the game’s first double-digit lead at the 9:13 mark of the second quarter, when McDaniels’ pullup triple gave Minnesota a 41-31 advantage.
After LaVine’s five straight points pulled the Kings within four, Edwards drilled a 3-pointer and then completed a four-point play to begin an 11-0 Minnesota run.
LaVine’s triple briefly stopped the bleeding, but Randle’s layup and Edwards’ five straight pushed the Timberwolves’ lead to 67-48 with 1:26 left in the first half.
Randle’s mid-range jumper with 12 seconds remaining gave Minnesota a 71-54 halftime edge.
