Towns, Edwards help Timberwolves rally in second half for 121-100 victory over Clippers

By JOE REEDY

LOS ANGELES (AP) Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points, Anthony Edwards added 23 and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the second half for a 121-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night in a matchup of two of the top teams in the Western Conference.

Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Timberwolves (37-16) remained atop the Western Conference with their third win in the last four games.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers (35-17) with 18 points apiece and James Harden added 17.

George became the Clippers' career 3-point leader with 7:23 remaining in the third quarter, hitting his 739th to surpass Eric Piatkowski.

Los Angeles, which is 27-7 since the start of December, is 35-17 overall.

The Timberwolves trailed 53-49 at halftime, but seized control in the third quarter, outscoring the Clippers 40-19.

Minnesota trailed 64-62 midway through the quarter before it went on a 27-8 run to close the third.

The Timberwolves had a 12-2 spurt to close the quarter as Towns scored eight straight points and Edwards had a reverse layup to give them an 89-72 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

Minnesota was 12 of 19 from the field in the quarter. Edwards and Towns were both 6 of 6 at the line as the Timberwolves made all 13 of their foul shots in the period.

Meanwhile, the Clippers were 7 of 20 from the field and committed five turnovers that resulted in six Minnesota points.

The Timberwolves' largest lead was 24 points during the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: At Portland for two straight games beginning Tuesday.

Clippers: At Golden State on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba