MINNEAPOLIS-The Minnesota Timberwolves withstood a fourth-quarter rally from the Orlando Magic to escape with a 111-105 overtime victory Monday at Target Center.
Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota with a game-high 27 points, including a game-tying jumper with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Wiggins was big in overtime for Minnesota (19-29), scoring six points in the extra session. He also had a key block on defense, one of several blocks by the Timberwolves in overtime.
Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points-his 30th 20-point game of the season-and 12 rebounds, while point guard Ricky Rubio added 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Magic (19-31) seemed to run out of gas in the extra session. Monday marked the second night of a back-to-back for the Magic, who beat the Toronto Raptors by one point on Sunday.
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After Wiggins' jumper tied the game at 98, Elfrid Payton had a chance for the game-winner for Orlando. However, his long jumper fell short as the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation.
Payton's 21 points led the way for the Magic, while C.J. Watson chipped in 18 points. Serge Ibaka (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (13 points, 11 rebounds) posted double-doubles for Orlando.
The Magic's leading scorer on the season, Evan Fournier, returned to action after missing eight games with a sore foot. He had nine points in 30 minutes off the bench in his first game since Jan. 13.
Orlando, which trailed for much of the fourth quarter, took a 98-96 lead with under a minute remaining after Aaron Gordon converted a three-point play. That capped a 13-2 run for the Magic, but Orlando couldn't make one final stop to preserve its lead.
The Timberwolves put together an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to gain a six-point lead. That surge was highlighted by a 3-pointer in the corner by Shabazz Muhammad after a kick-out pass from point guard Kris Dunn. Muhammad's make forced Orlando to call a timeout while trailing 89-83 with 6:34 to play.
The 3-point shooting of Rubio kept Minnesota in the game in the third quarter. Rubio connected on a career-high six 3-pointers in the game. Three of his treys came in the third quarter, including one that tied the game at 70.
Rubio wasn't the only Timberwolves player connecting from deep. All five of Minnesota's starters hit at least one 3-pointer, while Muhammad made a pair off the bench. The Wolves were 12 of 29 from deep as a team.
Minnesota took an 80-79 lead into the fourth quarter after Muhammad hit a half-court shot as the buzzer sounded. Muhammad finished with 10 points, leading the way for Minnesota's reserves.
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NOTES: Magic F Aaron Gordon started Monday, one day after tweaking his ankle in Orlando's road win against Toronto. He scored 12 points in 28 minutes. ... Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about the decline in playing time for C Cole Aldrich. "A big part of that is what your opponents are doing," Thibodeau said. Aldrich averaged 13.2 minutes per game through 25 games, but just 5.7 mpg in Minnesota's last 17 contests prior to Monday. He scored two points in four minutes Monday. ... Minnesota heads on the road for a two-game road trip beginning Wednesday at Cleveland. ... The Magic return to Orlando for two consecutive home games, starting Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers.
