Towns Scores 37, Timberwolves Top Nets 129-109

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — While the rest of his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates were on the court for pregame warmups, Karl-Anthony Towns was in the back sleeping, trying to squeeze every second of rest he could while battling a cold that nearly kept him out of the game.

The Brooklyn Nets sure could've used Towns to take a sick day.

Towns had 37 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Timberwolves to a 129-109 victory over the Nets on Saturday night.

"Today was a long day for me. I'm glad it ended well," said Towns, who made 15 of 26 shots. "Was real close to getting a DNP tonight."

Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and four assists, and Zach LaVine scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who have won seven of their last 10 games. Minnesota shot 51 percent and outscored Brooklyn 17-8 in second-chance point to respond after a tough home loss to Indiana on Thursday night.

Brook Lopez had 25 points and seven rebounds and hit 3 of 6 3-pointers for the Nets, who have lost five straight and 21 of their last 23 games. Sean Kilpatrick added 14 points.

"I felt like they dominated us," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "We couldn't stop them. Physically, I thought they overwhelmed us. We got to do better."

Towns had everything working against the Nets. Lopez didn't have the quickness to keep up with him, Justin Hamilton wasn't strong enough and Trevor Booker didn't have the size.

After Brooklyn trimmed a 16-point deficit to five in the third quarter, Towns scored six straight points to jumpstart a 10-0 run that gave the Wolves some breathing room for good. He hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and scored on a nifty left-handed baby hook to help the Wolves take an 89-74 lead.

"There's so much he can do and he's such a threat pretty much anywhere on the court," Lopez said. "It makes it tough. You have to be aggressive with him and try to make his catches and looks as difficult as possible."

Shabazz Muhammad scored 18 points off the bench for Minnesota, and Gorgui Dieng added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

TIP-INS

Nets: Lopez scored the first 10 points for Brooklyn. ... The Nets scored 58 points in the paint after coming in seventh in the league in that category. ... The Nets outscored Minnesota 50-23 off the bench.

Timberwolves: PG Ricky Rubio was limited to 23 minutes because of foul trouble. He still finished with 14 points. ... Towns topped 30 for the ninth time this season. ... Kris Dunn played well while Rubio was out, putting up seven assists and five boards in 26 minutes.

HOLLIS-JEFFERSON REACTS

Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is Muslim, got emotional pregame while talking about an executive order from President Donald Trump that cracked down on refugees and visitors from seven majority-Muslim countries.

"You can't judge a whole group by one's actions at the end of the day," Hollis-Jefferson said, according to the New York Post. "And I feel like that's not right. That's definitely not right. You can't speak for all Muslims, because all Muslims' hearts aren't like that. Most of them are pure, really believe in a different way and a different livelihood."

Trump said it is "not a Muslim ban," but the order was protested at airports around the country and a federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to Trump's ban.

Hollis-Jefferson did not play in the second half because of a sore right ankle.

TOWNS FAMILY UPDATE

In addition to Towns' illness, his father Karl used crutches to get around Target Center after Wolves mascot Crunch accidentally injured Big Karl's knee during a stunt on Thursday night.

"Both Townses are down, but not out," Karl-Anthony cracked.

CHANGE COMING?

After another lackluster defensive effort, Atkinson said he will consider making changes to the starting lineup to try to find players more willing and able to produce on that end of the court.

"I think we've had a streak where we're not defending. That's not acceptable," Atkinson said. "That's not the type of program we're trying to run."

UP NEXT

Nets: Brooklyn finishes a three-game road trip at Miami on Monday.

Timberwolves: Minnesota wraps up a three-game home stand with a game against Orlando on Monday.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)