Porter helps Wizards edge Timberwolves 92-89

MINNEAPOLIS -- Otto Porter Jr. hit a 22-foot jumper with 25 seconds remaining to lift the Washington Wizards to a 92-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

Washington trailed for nearly the entire fourth quarter. After Porter's jumper, Minnesota had two shots at the other end but couldn't convert.

The Wizards got the ball back with 4.2 seconds remaining when the ball went out of bounds off Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson. Officials originally ruled that Minnesota maintained possession, but a review overturned the call and gave the ball to Washington.

Porter led Washington with 22 points, and Kelly Oubre had 16. Jodie Meeks and Mike Scott each scored 12 points.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota for his league-leading 18th double-double. Jimmy Butler had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Gibson finished with 16 points and 11 boards.

Minnesota led by as many as 12 in the first half before Washington responded with a 16-2 run for a brief 34-31 lead. The Timberwolves closed out the first half on an 11-4 surge for an eight-point lead at the break.

While Minnesota's backups struggled on both ends of the floor, Washington's reserves kept the Wizards in the game. Washington's reserves outscored Minnesota's by a 25-4 margin in the first half and 49-11 for the game.

Towns had a brief scare in the first quarter when his knee collided with the knee of Porter. Towns remained on the ground briefly, holding his right knee, before returning to action. He was eventually replaced by Gorgui Dieng but returned later in the quarter.

Porter scored 13 points in the third quarter to keep the game within reach. That included a trio of 3-pointers for the fifth-year forward that helped trim Minnesota's lead to 71-68 after three.

Wizards leading scorer Bradley Beal was held in check. Beal, who came into the game averaging 24.2 points, had eight points. It was just the second time this season he has been held to single digits.

TIP-INS

Wizards: PG John Wall missed his second straight game with a sore left knee. ... Washington snapped a two-game losing streak.

Timberwolves: PG Jeff Teague and SF Nemanja Bjelica were sidelined by injuries. ... Minnesota is 1/3 in the first game of back-to-backs this season.

UP NEXT

Wizards: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Timberwolves: Visit New Orleans on Wednesday.

Associated Press
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