Julius Randle pumped in 30 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves rode a big second half to a 122-105 road victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
Reserve Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo each posted 18 points for Minnesota, while Rudy Gobert’s 14 points and 15 rebounds were critical. Jaden McDaniels with 14 points and Mike Conley with 10 points also boosted the Timberwolves, who piled up 72 second-half points to snap a two-game skid.
Miles Bridges scored 18 of his season-high 30 points in the first quarter for the Hornets, who’ve dropped three games in a row after shooting 39.1% from the field.
LaMelo Ball’s 18 points and game-high eight assists, Tre Mann’s 16 points and reserve Moussa Diabate’s 11 points and nine rebounds weren’t enough for Charlotte, which attempted to produce a large chunk of offense from beyond the 3-point arc. The Hornets shot 13-for-45 on 3s, with Bridges accounting for six of the successful 3-point launches.
Even the Hornets’ 24-for-27 shooting on free throws couldn’t save them. Minnesota was 11-for-14 from the foul line.
The Timberwolves, who trailed by eight points in the first half, surged ahead in the third quarter, when they outscored Charlotte 36-18. Minnesota closed the quarter on a 17-4 run, with DiVincenzo connecting on a pair of 3-pointers and Reid notching the team’s final four points during that stretch.
DiVincenzo made another 3 after the Hornets pulled within 104-94.
Charlotte led 56-50 at halftime before Minnesota burst into the lead. The Hornets scored only four points across the last six minutes of the third quarter.
For the game, Bridges made 10 of 16 shots from the field, but rookie Kon Knueppel struggled by going 1-for-9.
Ball played with a sore ankle after being listed as questionable for the game. Charlotte committed 14 turnovers.
