MINNEAPOLIS _ Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told you there'd be nights like this.
Friday's home-opening, tense 100-97 victory over Utah in both Ricky Rubio's return to Target Center and the arena's return itself after an extensive remodel proved Thibs right.
Thibodeau said 18-year NBA veteran Jamal Crawford still could win games all by himself in fourth quarters when he signed Crawford to a free-agent contract in July.
Crawford scored all of his 17 points in Friday's fourth quarter, including a clutch catch-and-shoot off an inbounds play with 27 seconds left.
That final basket gave the Wolves a 98-96 lead they'd never lose again, even though they tried valiantly in the final seconds.
Andrew Wiggins committed a dead-ball foul with 5.2 seconds that gave a Jazz, trailing 100-96, a fighting chance, but Joe Johnson's desperation 3 at the final buzzer that would have tied the game missed everything.
Rubio delivered a 19-point, 10-assist, 5-rebound night in his return after he was traded to the Jazz last summer. Wiggins led the Wolves with 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 20.
The Wolves led by 10 points with fewer than five minutes left and 95-90 with fewer than three minutes left, but Rubio scored the next six points _ all on free throws � to give the Jazz a 96-95 advantage with less than a minute left.
The first two came after Crawford committed a clear-path foul on him and the next three came after his point guard replacement, Jeff Teague, was called for fouling him on a 3-point shot. The last one came when he made the first and missed the second after he was fouled pushing the ball up the court.
The announced crowd of 18,978 fans was the Wolves' first home-opening sellout since a 2012 game against Sacramento.
The Wolves led 92-82 when Wiggins dribbled the ball off his foot as he contemplated how to attack a matchup against Jazz power forward Derrick Favors with 4:20 remaining.
From there, the Jazz scored the next eight points before, the final three on Rubio's first and only 3-pointer of the night with fewer than three minutes left.
That brought Utah within 92-90, but Crawford answered right back with a 3-pointer to push the Wolves' lead back to five points.
