Minnesota Timberwolves 115, Utah Jazz 100: the free-throw line and a 33-point third
Minnesota pulled away from Utah in the third quarter and won the free-throw battle by 10 to cover the 12.5-point spread at Target Center.
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Utah Jazz 115-100 on Sunday at Target Center. They did it at the free-throw line and in the third quarter.
Minnesota went 25 of 30 from the line. Utah went 15 of 19. That is a 10-point gap in a 15-point game, and it was the margin the Jazz could not make up from the floor.
The win is Minnesota's fourth straight and moves the Wolves to 8-3. Utah falls to 1-9.
How it was won
This was not a blowout from the start. Minnesota led 28-25 after one quarter and 57-51 at halftime. Utah held a lead as large as 6 points at one stage, and through two quarters the Jazz were within a possession or two.
The third quarter changed that. Minnesota outscored Utah 33-27 and took a 90-78 lead into the fourth. From there the Wolves stretched their lead to as many as 18 before settling on 15.
The box score backs up the picture. Minnesota shot 31 of 66 from the field, 47 percent, against Utah's 28 of 71, 39 percent. The Wolves won the glass 37-33 and the paint 42-38. They were not sharp from deep, going 9 of 27, and they turned it over 15 times to Utah's 12. Assists were close as well, 17 for Utah and 15 for Minnesota.
What separated the teams was trips to the line and better looks inside. Utah took five more shots from the field and made three fewer.
Ayo Dosunmu led Minnesota with 19 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three, with 4 rebounds. LaMelo Ball also scored 19, going 3 of 9 from deep with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Bones Hyland added 14 points off the bench conversation, with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
For Utah, Darryn Peterson scored 20 points with 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and he was the Jazz's best shooter from range at 4 of 7. Keyonte George had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Jaxson Hayes added 9 points and 5 rebounds. The rest of the Utah three-point shooting went 3 of 16.
Against the number
Minnesota closed as a 12.5-point favorite and won by 15, so the Wolves covered by 2.5 points. The cover came late. Holding a 12-point lead after three quarters, they needed to build on it rather than coast, and they did.
The total closed at 222.5 and the teams combined for 215, so the under came in by 7.5. Neither offense found much rhythm from three, with a combined 16 of 50, and that kept the scoring down despite 55 total free-throw attempts.
On the moneyline, Minnesota closed at -700 and Utah at +504. The price on the Wolves was steep, and the game followed it. Full closing odds and line movement are on the game page.
What's next
Minnesota hosts the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, November 12, on NBA TV, KFAA-TV and MavsTV. The Wolves have now won games at New Orleans, at Houston, and at home against Milwaukee and Utah in this stretch, with their three losses this season coming against San Antonio, Golden State and Cleveland. Dallas offers another chance to extend the run.
Utah, at 1-9, leaves Minneapolis with one win in ten games. Peterson and George combined for 39 points here, but the Jazz will need more help around them and more trips to the free-throw line to keep games like this close into the fourth quarter.