MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle had 32 points and 10 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off a late rally by the Washington Wizards for a 120-109 victory on Wednesday night.
The Timberwolves, who have won six of their last seven games, are without a forward. Jayden McDanielswho suffered a sprained left wrist and missed his first game in nearly two years. Naz Reed scored 28 points off the bench.
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Keyshawn George scored 23 points for the Wizards, who have lost 12 straight.
The Timberwolves led by 27 points, but the Wizards closed the gap in the fourth quarter when George's 3-pointer made it 98-93 with 7:06 left.
Randle's dunk pulled Minnesota within 105-96 with 5:51 left, but Khris Middleton's jumper pulled the Wizards within 106-101. The Timberwolves never relinquished the lead and put the game away on Donte DiVincenzo's 3-pointer that made it 116-106 with 1:29 left.
The reeling Wizards have won just one game this season, and there are rumors that coach Brian Keefe could be in the mix. The only NBA coach fired this season was Willie Green. fired Saturday by the New Orleans Pelicans after the start 2-10.
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Randle's layup put Minnesota up 32-24 late in the first quarter. The Timberwolves pulled away in the second quarter, taking a 50-29 lead on Reed's corner 3-pointer off a no-look pass from Rudy Gobert. Randle's buzzer-beating dunk made it 61-37, and Minnesota led 71-46 at halftime.
The Wizards opened the half on a 10-2 run and then cut the lead to 78-67 on Marvin Bagley III's long jumper midway through the third quarter to start their rally.
McDaniels was averaging 17.5 points per game when he left the tournament on Monday. 120-96 win over Dallas on Monday at the end of the third quarter.
Next
The Wizards visit the Raptors on Friday.
The Timberwolves visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
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NBA AP: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
