Christophs Porzings of the Washington Wizards shot # 6 against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half on April 1, 2022 at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC. Patrick Smith / Getty Images / AFP
Christophe Porzingis scored 25 points and Daniel Gafford added a career-high 24 as the visiting Washington Wizards lost to Minnesota Timberwolves 132-114 in the fourth quarter on Tuesday.
Rui Hachimura had 21 points and Danny Avdija added 17 points for Washington (35-44), leading by 23 and winning for the fifth time in seven games. Corey Kispert and Kentavis Caldwell-Pope have 13 points.
That’s exactly the night 8#DCA Above all pic.twitter.com/RLRoeCDKot
– Washington Wizards (WashWizards) April 6, 2022
Carl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota (45-35) with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony Edwards added 18 points, D’Angelo Russell added 17 points and 11 assists, Malik Beasley added 14 points and Torian Prince and Jillian Novell added 11 points.
Ish Smith has 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 14 assists for Washington, returning from a 42-point loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The Wizards have won their last five meetings against Minnesota.
Ish tonight everyone is getting an easy bucket!#DCA Above all pic.twitter.com/wJHCpslT6E
– Washington Wizards (WashWizards) April 6, 2022
The Wolves scored 72-42 in the paint.
Washington took an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter and extended its lead to 122-99 with 5:22 remaining. The Wizards beat the Wolves 31-21 in the final.
Washington closed out Minnesota 11-3 for a 38-35 lead before leading 31-27 late in the first quarter. Among all scorers in the quarter, Town had 15 points.
Towns held a goalless draw in the second quarter, when Washington beat the Wolves 32-28 and took a 67-66 advantage at the break. Porzings led the Wizards to a second-quarter run with 13 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes.
At 2:33 left in the third quarter, Washington extended its lead to 96-84 in the Porridge’s tray. Smith hit a 3-pointer to Buzzer to give the Wizards a 101-93 lead at the end of the quarter.
Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels returned after a nine-game absence (sprained ankle) and was goalless in the 15th minute.
Washington forward Kyle Kuzma, who missed his 10th game in right knee tendinitis, has been ruled out.
For Washington, Gafford had a season-high 12 rebound, 55.4 percent off the field and 13 out of 30 (43.3 percent) in the 3-point range.
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