Wizards 82 - 87 Timberwolves
Final
  for this game

Williams leads Timberwolves past Wizards

Mar 7, 2013 - 7:16 AM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Derrick Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to an 87-82 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Ricky Rubio recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak. Luke Ridnour also scored 15 points, while J.J. Barea and Dante Cunningham had 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench.

"Our guys just battled, battled thrugout the fourth quarter," said Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman. "We didn't down our heads. we missed a lot of free throws, but made some big plays down the stretch to win the game."

John Wall had a game-high 19 points and dished out seven assists for the Wizards, who had won four of their last six games entering the contest. Trevor Ariza registered 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Emeka Okafor had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

"We're not going to beat anybody with the carelessness we had with the ball," said Wizards coach Randy Wittman. "We just don't value the basketball at all. It doesn't hurt us to have a turnover. We just throw it all over."

Down 79-77 with five minutes remaining in regulation, Cunningham sank a four- footer to tie the game and Barea made a reverse layup to give the Timberwolves an 81-79 edge.

The Wizards kept it close and were down by one, 83-82, but they missed their final four shots. Barea scored on a driving layup and Ridnour made a pair of free throws to end the game.

After the first quarter, Washington had a 29-24 lead.

However, the Wizards had trouble scoring in the second, scoring just 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Minnesota, on the other hand, scored 24 points in the frame and had a 48-43 advantage at halftime.

Both teams had difficulty shooting in the third quarter. The Wizards shot 37.5 percent from the field while the Timberwolves shot 22.7 percent, including 1- of-7 from three-point range.

Nonetheless, the two teams battled throughout the frame, as they had four lead changes and tied four times.

Entering the fourth, Minnesota had a 65-63 lead.

Game Notes

All five of Washington's starters scored in double digits ... Ariza scored all of his points in the first half ... Barea scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.






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