Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 20 rebounds, Jamal Crawford scored 24 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the Dallas Mavericks 93-92 on Friday night to gain ground in the tight Western Conference playoff race.
After shooting just 34 percent in the first half and trailing until midway through the third quarter, the Wolves turned to Crawford, who scored 15 points after halftime.
He hit three consecutive shots, including a 3 over a 1:14 stretch of the fourth quarter to give Minnesota a 74-68 lead. Nemanja Bjelica, scoreless for the first three quarters, hit two 3s to extend it to 85-73.