Timberwolves finally finish an opponent off in win over Dallas

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, left, keeps the ball at arm’s length from Dallas Mavericks’ Harrison Barnes during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves won 101-92. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Harrison Barnes’ bucket with 7 minutes, 53 seconds to play Monday night had an effect on the Target Center crowd.

Nearly everyone in attendance went silent.

The score by the Dallas forward shrunk Minnesota’s lead, once at 21 points, down to just 81-77.

Wolves fans had seen this before – collapses have been Minnesota’s specialty through the first half of the season. Twelve times the Wolves had blown double-digit leads to drop games.

Close your eyes and cover your ears; this will all be over soon.

Except Monday was different. Rather than fold to a frustrating finish, Minnesota made winning plays down the stretch on its way to a 101-92 victory.

“When you’ve got wins like today, you feel proud of yourself, because the way everything’s been going for us this season, to see improvement is a big key, especially now,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We still have a lot of games where we can turn the tide.”

Ricky Rubio led the charge. The veteran point guard has grown tired of losing, but too many times this season he had watched his team crumble late, blowing leads in impressive fashion. So this time he took charge, controlling the pace and making the key decisions. He had nine points and four assists in the fourth quarter, and finished the evening with 13 points, 15 assists and five steals. Rubio is the first player in the NBA this season to finish with those numbers in the assists and steals columns.

“I thought Ricky had great command of the game,” Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He settled us down, I thought, in the fourth.”

There was Nemanja Bjelica, who is often praised for his offensive skill set but has struggled defensively early in his NBA career. He locked down Barnes late in Monday’s game, holding the Mavericks’ top scorer to just six points in the fourth quarter while contesting every shot.

And there was Tyus Jones. The seldom-used second-year guard’s number was called early in the fourth quarter when Zach LaVine exited because of a bruised left hip. It was Jones’ first action in a week, his first time playing more than 10 minutes since November. But he stepped up, scoring seven points on 3-for-3 shooting, playing flawlessly down the stretch.

“Every time he plays, good things do happen,” Thibodeau said. “I like his readiness.”

Towns was brilliant, particularly early, when he ate up Dallas’ defense. The Mavericks were one of the few teams this season to not double-team Towns at the game’s outset, and Towns called it his “lucky day” after a 20-point first quarter. He finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds, but Thibodeau’s favorite play came when Towns passed out of a double-team to an open Jones, who nailed a three-pointer to put the Wolves up 94-81 with less than three minutes to play.

“I trust my teammates so much with any shot, any time,” Towns said. “At the moment in time, he was wide open and I would have gave it to him 10 out of 10 times. He’s wide open, it’s a good shot, it’s a shot I would trust everyone can hit, and he hit the shot.”

The win relegates Dallas to sole possession of the Western Conference cellar – a position the Wolves and Mavericks (11-27) shared heading into Monday’s contest. But Rubio wasn’t concerned with that designation at the end of the game.

“We’re trying to look high, not low,” Rubio said. “We know our record is not what we want it to be, but we’re working to get out of this last spot.”

The Wolves aren’t out of anything yet. While Minnesota is 12-26 and just snapped a four-game losing streak, the Wolves somehow trail Portland by just 3 1/2 games for the West’s eighth and final playoff spot.

“We have so much time. No counting us out at any time,” Towns said. “We’re never out until we say we’re out.”