SALT LAKE CITY _ Karl-Anthony Towns has had his share of foul trouble and his share of frustration with the officials this season. Taj Gibson also hasn't been shy about expressing his opinion when he feels he's been wronged.
That angst boiled over Friday night as the short-handed Wolves fell to the Jazz, 106-102, at Vivint Smart Home Arena. In the third quarter, after officials did not call a foul on Utah against Andrew Wiggins, Towns and Gibson both picked up technical fouls arguing with officials. Gibson didn't stop there. He kept jawing at officials and teammates had to hold him back as he got ejected from the game. Perhaps more discipline will be forthcoming for Gibson, who also appeared to make an obscene gesture toward the officials as he was leaving the floor.
Gibson may have been sticking up for his teammates, but that made an already strenuous evening that much more difficult for the Wolves, who were already down point guards Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose, Tyus Jones and forward Robert Covington.
Then to add another injury to the insult, Gorgui Dieng left Friday's game in the third quarter because of a left hip contusion and did not return.
But the Wolves didn't quit. They fed off the emotion and anger they were feeling, specifically Towns, who channeled it in a positive way the rest of the night. He finished with 33 points as he led a comeback from 23 points down in the fourth. The Wolves got within one following a 3-pointer from Anthony Tolliver with 1:05 to go, but following a stop on the other end, Jerryd Bayless and Luol Deng missed 3-pointers that would've given the Wolves the lead. Joe Ingles hit a pair of free throws at the other end and the Wolves got the ball back with 14.5 seconds to play, but didn't get a good look as Tolliver airballed a 3. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 24 points.
The Wolves were in precarious position all night because of Towns' foul trouble. It didn't take long for Towns to hit the bench after tipoff. He committed his first foul, an over-the-back foul on a rebound he had a small chance of getting, just 2:59 into the game. Then 1:10 later, officials called him for a moving screen and Towns went to the bench with two fouls. That meant the Wolves had to bide time while Towns was on the bench. To their credit, they held it together.
The Jazz led by seven, 31-24, at the end of the first and the Wolves got Towns back on the floor for the second quarter � until he had to leave again.
For his third foul, Towns jumped and thrusted into Jazz guard Ricky Rubio after Towns threw an ill-advised pass Rubio intercepted in the backcourt. Towns made his case to officials to no avail, and he went to the bench after playing just six minutes in the half. That left the Wolves in a dangerous position, already down, having to reach deep into their bench again. With Minnesota down Rose, who was resting his sore right ankle, and Teague, rookie Jared Terrell got playing time in the first half after scoring 10 points against the Lakers Thursday. C.J. Williams and Luol Deng also got some playing time while Bayless ran the show at the point. The Jazz appeared to be in position to run away with the game. The Jazz extended their lead into double digits and led by as many as 13, but the Wolves dug in during the final minutes of the quarter. Bayless hit a 3, Deng hit a pair of free throws and Wiggins got a breakaway dunk as Utah scored just two field goals in the final 5:36 of the half. The Wolves got within 52-45 at the half.
But the Jazz started running away with the game in the third quarter, as Towns grew angrier and with the officials and Gibson reached his boiling point. The Wolves were trailing 65-54 when officials tossed Gibson, who then made the gesture on his way out of the arena. The Wolves fed off that emotion and righted the ship, scoring the first 13 points of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to eight as Towns stayed out of foul trouble. Then it was down to six on a Towns put-back with 5:19 to play. Then three following an Anthony Tolliver 3-pointer. Then two following a Bayless 3 with 2:55 to go. But the Wolves didn't have enough to finish the comeback.
