Timberwolves fans returned to Target Center on Monday night for the first time in nearly 13 months.
Point guard D'Angelo Russell returned as well, but not nearly as long away in a 116-106 victory over Sacramento.
Russell hadn't played since he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after a Feb. 8 game at Dallas. Monday's return was only the sixth game played alongside star center Karl-Anthony Towns since the Wolves acquired Russell in February 2020.
On a playing-time limit, Russell provided the pulse in the Wolves' fourth-quarter surge in which he and Towns combined to score 18 consecutive points for their team that won the game.
Trialing 93-92 with 8:12 left, the Wolves went on a 12-0 run in which Russell made two threes, forced a jump ball, won the jump ball and added a couple free throws.
He scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter alone. Towns scored 23 himself.
The Kings turned the Wolves 106-95 lead with fewer than five minutes left into a 107-103 deficit thanks to an 8-1 Sacramento run with 2:26 left.
Towns answered by scoring the next five points — including a three-point shot — that pushed their lead back to 112-105 with 1:40 left.
Fans hadn't attended a game since a March 8, 2020 home loss to New Orleans 120-107. That was three days before the NBA suspended its season because of the growing COVID-19 pandemic.
Russell came off the bench six minutes into the game on a playing time limit in which he still played 24 minutes.
He returned the same day the Wolves announced recently returned guard Malik Beasley will miss the next four to six weeks. A MRI taken Monday at the team's Mayo Clinic Square facility revealed a grade 3 left hamstring injury.
He missed Saturday's game at Philadelphia due to left hamstring soreness. He had returned March 27 against Houston after serving a 12-game league suspension and played four games before injuring that hamstring.
With Beasley out and Russell's minutes limited, Ricky Rubio returned to the starting lineup after he missed the previous two games at Memphis and Philadelphia of back spasms. Guard Josh Okogie was back in the starting lineup in his third game back after missing five games because of the league's health and safety protocols.
On Monday, attendance approaching 1,500 fans were welcomed back, masked and socially distanced in "pods" of two and four fans. They returned to a "touchless" experience that included the same digital tickets the teams implemented in 2015, but now allows them to buy concessions by placing an order on their smartphones.
One of those fans was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose office and state health department officials have approved the Wolves, Wild and Twins all allow fans back for home games this week.
Lynx players Crystal Dangerfield and Rachel Banham were shown on the arena's big scoreboard watching the game as well.
Wolves coach Chris Finch coached before the hometown fans for the first time since he was hired midseason and before the game called the prospect "really exciting."
"We're excited to get back in front of our fans," he said. "It has been so long."
The Wolves have played for a limited number of fans in other markets, including about 3,000 Saturday night in Philadelphia and 6,000 for games in Phoenix.
But Monday was the first time fans arrived at Target Center in dribs and drabs at separate entrances not long before opening tip, depending upon where there seats were.
"We had fans in Philly and I thought it made a big difference just for our guys to play off any energy that was in the building," Finch said.
Monday was the franchise's next step in bringing back life on game nights beyond light shows, pumped-in crowd noise and a "best of" halftime shows with video from years gone by of intermission act "Red Panda."
The fans' return allowed them to see not only the same by Russell, but also their first in-person look at star No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards and fellow rookie Jared McDaniels.
"They'll get their first look up close and personal with Ant [Edwards] and Jaden and all these guys." Finch said. "We feel like Ant in particular is really going to respond off that type of fan energy."
