Seeking to avoid a second consecutive loss on a three-day trip, the Warriors rallied within 104-103 on a Kevin Durant 3-pointer with 2:08 to go.
The Warriors then had a chance to go ahead for the first time since the third quarter following a Minnesota turnover, but Klay Thompson misfired on a 3-point attempt.
Towns countered with a short jumper for a three-point lead, and after Durant missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer, the Minnesota big man snatched the rebound from his own short miss and laid it in, giving the Timberwolves a 108-103 advantage with just 37.5 seconds remaining.
The Warriors missed their next two shots -- they misfired on their last four in the game -- and Jeff Teague helped ice the win with one free throw with 29.5 seconds left.
Towns finished with a team-high 31 points to complement a game-high 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who were playing a sixth consecutive game without injured Jimmy Butler.
Five of Towns' 16 rebounds came on the offensive end.
Andrew Wiggins added 23 points for Minnesota, while Taj Gibson (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Jeff Teague (10 points, game-high 10 assists) recorded double-doubles.
Durant led all scorers with 39 points, hitting five 3-pointers and all 12 of his free throws. He also collected a team-high 12 rebounds.
Golden State was playing without Stephen Curry, out with an ankle injury, for the second straight game.
Zaza Pachulia chipped in with 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Warriors, who won the season series 2-1 over the Timberwolves despite the loss.
Thompson finished with 21 points, while Draymond Green had 10 points, eight rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
The loss was the Warriors' eighth in 15 games against the Northwest Division this season. They are 44-8 against the rest of the league.
After the teams played to an 84-all tie through three quarters, Tyus Jones gave Minnesota the lead for good with a jumper in the second minute of the final period.
The Timberwolves went on to lead by as many as seven before the Warriors tightened the defensive screws, limiting Minnesota to 1-for-7 shooting over a 3 1/2-minute stretch that allowed them to rally within 104-103 on Durant's 3-pointer with 2:08 to go.
--Field Level Media
Golden State | Minnesota | |
Kevin Durant 39 | Scoring | Karl-Anthony Towns 31 |
Draymond Green 7 | Assists | Jeff Teague 10 |
Kevin Durant 12 | Rebounds | Karl-Anthony Towns 16 |
Kevin Durant 12 | Free Throws Made | Jeff Teague 4 |
Draymond Green 3 | Steals | Nemanja Bjelica 3 |
Kevin Durant 3 | Blocks | Nemanja Bjelica 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Golden State | 103 | 40.7 | 10-36 | 19-21 | 22 | 50 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
Minnesota | 109 | 46.3 | 6-20 | 15-21 | 27 | 50 | 3 | 7 | 10 |