By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 24 points despite a poor night shooting and the Minnesota Timberwolves rode timely 3-pointers from Donte DiVincenzo and Terrence Shannon Jr. to a 103-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, Dec. 21.
Two days after closing out defending champion Oklahoma City in its third loss of the season, Edwards went 7 for 24 from the field and 2 for 11 from 3-point range, leading six Wolves in double figures. DiVincenzo made 4 of 8 3-point attempts for 18 points, and Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 18 rebounds, becoming the 45th NBA player with 10,000 rebounds.
Edwards’ driving layup with 21 seconds left gave Minnesota a 103-97 lead and sealed the Wolves’ ninth win in their past 11 games.
Kevin Porter Jr. finished an assist short of a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in the Bucks’ third straight loss. Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins added 16 points apiece.
Shannon made three straight 3s in a 2 1/2-minute span to give Minnesota an 89-85 lead with 7:55 remaining.
Milwaukee led by 16 before the Wolves mounted a 25-8, third-quarter run. Naz Reid dunked off a rebound of his own missed 3-pointer to cut the Bucks’ lead to 68-65 with 5:47 left. DiVincenzo made back-to-back 3s, and Gobert followed with a dunk of his own.
Edwards missed back-to-back free throws to end one of Minnesota’s worst offensive halves of the season. The Bucks took a 60-48 lead into halftime after the Wolves missed their first 13 3-point attempts and went 15 for 43 overall in the first half.
The Wolves began the game at full health with Mike Conley returning from a four-game absence due to Achilles tendinopathy. Jaden McDaniels left in the first half with left hip pain and didn’t return.
Porter led the Bucks with 13 first-half points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Meanwhile in Sacramento, Dennis Schroder made a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining in overtime, lifting the Kings to a 125-124 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Schroder finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists off the bench to help the Kings rally after trailing by five in the final two minutes of regulation.
DeMar DeRozan had 27 points and nine assists, and Russell Westbrook added 21 points and 13 rebounds to help the Kings end a five-game skid. Keegan Murray scored 26 points while Maxime Raynaud had 12 points and 14 rebounds
Schroder’s game-winner came 8 seconds after Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. made two of three free throws for a two-point lead.
Smith scored 18 points for the Rockets but had his string of four consecutive double-doubles ended. Alperen Sengun had 28 points and six rebounds, and Kevin Durant added 24 points and 10 rebounds but missed a jumper at the overtime buzzer.
Sacramento forced overtime after a late surge in the fourth quarter
After Durant’s two free throws gave the Rockets a 112-107 lead with 2:16 remaining, DeRozan scored on a dunk and Westbrook made a corner 3-pointer to tie it.
There were multiple lead changes in overtime, and Westbrook missed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to play.
The Rockets grabbed the rebound and went ahead 124-122 on Smith’s free throws before DeRozan drove the lane then dished to Schroder wide open in the left corner.
The Rockets got off to a sluggish start and trailed by 10 less than four minutes into the first quarter before finding their stride in the second quarter. Durant and Sengun combined for more than half of their team’s points in the second quarter, rallying Houston to a 68-57 lead.
