MINNEAPOLIS _ Maybe it was too easy. For much of the Timberwolves' game with the Brooklyn nets Saturday night at Target Center, the offense came pretty easily for the Wolves, so maybe they didn't buckle down enough on the other end.
It was the Nets, after all. The league's worst outfit, one that come into the game on a four-game losing streak and having lost 15 of their last 16 games. And they were playing on the back end of a back-to-back to boot.
In any case, the Wolves did what they had to in a 129-109 victory over Brooklyn.
Eventually.
Minnesota led by 14 in the first quarter, by 11 late in the second, by eight at the half. And every time the Nets did enough stick around.
But a strong run to end the third quarter propelled the Wolves _ who never trailed _ to the victory, the team's seventh in its last 10 games. A 15-6 run to end the third had the Wolves up 92-78 entering the fourth.
Leading the way was Karl-Anthony Towns, who had his ninth 30-point game of the season, with 37 points and 13 rebounds. Zach LaVine, finally putting to bed his short-lived shooting slump, scored 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He went 3-for-6 on 3-pointers.
All five Wolves starters and six players over all were in double figures: Andrew Wiggins (23), Gorgui Dieng (12 with 10 rebounds), Ricky Rubio (14) and Shabazz Muhammad off the bench (18).
That was enough for the Wolves (18-29) to beat a Brooklyn team stumbling through a horrid January. Nets big man Brook Lopez had 25 points. Sean Kilpatrick had 14 off the bench for Brooklyn (9-38).
After a sloppy first half riddled with costly turnovers, the Wolves settled down and took care of business in the second half.
The Wolves came out firing, with all five starters scoring while building a 19-5 lead on LaVine's 3-pointer 5:40 into the quarter.
The Nets _ who got points only from Lopez for much of the quarter, got going after that, pulling to within three points on Justin Hamilton's basket with 3:32 left. But Muhammad made two 3s and two free throws as the Wolves stretched the lead back to nine before Wiggins' turnover led to a fast break at the buzzer, drawing Brooklyn within 33-26 thanks to a 21-14 end to the quarter.
The action was again fast, loose and sometimes sloppy in the second quarter.
Brooklyn pulled within two points on two free throws by Isiah Whitehead 2 minutes into the quarter. Minutes later, up three after Randy Foye hit a 3-pointer for Brooklyn, Dieng's slam started an 8-1 run that put Minnesota up 49-39 on LaVine's 3-pointer with 4:55 left. The Wolves led by 11 with 1:50 left before Caris LeVert's trey started a quick spurt that brought the Nets within six. But LaVine's buzzer-beating jumper put the lead at eight at the half.
The Wolves finally started taking control after a Lopez free throw with 4:50 left in the third quarter pulled the Nets within 77-72.
The Wolves responded with a 12-2 run.
The teams traded baskets, then Towns hit a 3-pointer. After a Nets turnover Towns hit one of two free throws. After a Nets miss Towns his a left-handed hook in the land. After another Brooklyn miss, Dieng fed Muhammad on the baseline putting the Wolves up 13 with 2:37 left.
By the time the quarter ended the Wolves _ who finished it on a 15-6 run _ led by 14 entering the fourth quarter.
