National Basketball Association
Charlotte 128, Minnesota 125
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, January 22, 2024
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: #34 Kevin Cutler, #31 Scott Wall, #37 Eric Dalen
Attendance: 18024

Miles Bridges scored 28 points, Brandon Miller finished with 27 and the Charlotte Hornets overcame a record-setting performance by Karl-Anthony Towns to rally for a 128-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night in Minneapolis.

Towns scored 62 points to break his own franchise record for the Timberwolves. But he missed his final 3-point attempt in the final second of regulation, failing to force overtime.

Charlotte trailed by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter. The Hornets outscored the Timberwolves 36-18 in the final period to earn their 10th win of the season.

Both teams shined on offense and struggled to keep pace on defense throughout the contest.

Charlotte shot 56.8 percent (50 of 88) overall and 37.8 percent (14 of 37) from 3-point range. Minnesota shot 52.4 percent (44 of 84) from the floor and 45 percent (18 of 40) from long distance.

Miller kept the Hornets' comeback hopes alive with hot shooting throughout the night. The rookie shot 11-for-13 overall and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Minnesota led 121-120 when P.J. Washington made a floating jump shot to give Charlotte a 122-121 edge with 3:21 to go. Terry Rozier and Miller followed with back-to-back baskets to increase the Hornets' lead to 126-121 with 2:06 remaining.

Towns and the Timberwolves appeared to run out of energy as they never regained the lead.

Towns had 44 points in the first half, which also was a franchise record, and 18 points in the second half. He shot 21-for-35 from the field, 10-for-15 from 3-point range and 10-for-14 from the free-throw line.

Timberwolves players fed pass after pass to Towns as it became apparent that he was headed toward a history-making night. Minnesota's top scorer on the season, Anthony Edwards, scored nine points and racked up 11 assists, and Kyle Anderson notched eight assists off the bench.

Towns set the franchise record on a driving layup with 5:37 to go. The basket gave him 62 points as he eclipsed his previous team record of 60 points against the San Antonio Spurs on March 14, 2022.

Minnesota rested veteran guard Mike Conley, who sat out for only the second game this season.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Charlotte   Minnesota
Miles Bridges 28 Scoring Karl-Anthony Towns 62
LaMelo Ball 13 Assists Anthony Edwards 11
P.J. Washington 7 Rebounds Rudy Gobert 11
Miles Bridges 5 Free Throws Made Karl-Anthony Towns 10
LaMelo Ball 3 Steals Nickeil Alexander-Walker 1
JT Thor 2 Blocks Jordan McLaughlin 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Charlotte 128 56.8 14-37 14-18 30 35 4 8 10
Minnesota 125 52.4 18-41 19-25 34 36 1 4 13
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .645 after a win and .833 after a loss.
  • Charlotte will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Hornets have a W/L % of .111 after a win and .281 after a loss.