Mark Williams scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns held on for a 108-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Collin Gillespie scored 19 points for the Suns, who beat the Timberwolves by single digits for the second time this season. Dillion Brooks scored 18 points and Grayson Allen chipped in 12.
Anthony Edwards scored 40 points on 15-for-21 shooting to lead Minnesota. Julius Randle finished with 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting and Bones Hyland added 14 points off the bench.
Phoenix withstood a late charge by the Timberwolves to seal the victory.
The Suns pulled ahead 106-99 after Allen made 1 of 2 free-throw attempts with 2:51 to go. Allen’s free throw followed a dunk by Williams that put Phoenix up by six points with 3:52 left.
The Timberwolves answered with a 6-0 run to slice the deficit to 106-105 with 8.9 seconds remaining. Edwards punctuated the run when he split a double team and drove hard to the rim for a layup to pull his team within one.
On the next possession, the Timberwolves quickly fouled Gillespie, who made both free throws to give the Suns a 108-105 advantage with 6.3 seconds remaining.
Jaden McDaniels had an opportunity to even the score in the waning seconds, but his 3-point attempt from the right corner clanked off the back rim. Donte DiVincenzo grabbed the offensive rebound but time expired before Minnesota could get another chance to force overtime.
Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert was ejected from the game after being whistled for a flagrant-2 violation with 7:59 to go in the third quarter. Williams leaped to try a two-handed dunk for the Suns, and Gobert elbowed him hard in his right side while Williams was defenseless in the air.
Gobert finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Naz Reid came off the bench to replace him.
Williams winced in pain after hitting the hardwood, but he stayed in the game and made an alley-oop dunk on the Suns’ next possession.
The 7-foot-1 Williams also notched a personal milestone when he made a shot from beyond the arc earlier in the third quarter. It marked his first 3-pointer in 126 career games.
The Suns led 61-57 at the half.
–Field Level Media
