MINNEAPOLIS -- With the game tightening in the fourth quarter, the Minnesota Timberwolves got the best from their franchise rookie center.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 12 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter in a 94-80 win over the Utah Jazz at Target Center on Wednesday.

Minnesota trailed by one point in the game's opening minute but led the rest of the way, snapping a four-game losing streak in the process.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 15 in the third quarter, but Jazz guard Trey Burke began hitting shots, drawing Utah as close as six different times in the final 12 minutes.

But Towns scored six straight points for Minnesota during a critical stretch in the middle of the fourth quarter.

"Karl got some big buckets whenever they made a run," Timberwolves forward Tayshaun Prince said. "That was huge."

Utah's Rodney Hood buried a 3-pointer with 2:21 to play to make it 82-76, but the Jazz wouldn't get any closer. Back-to-back buckets by Prince pushed the lead back to double digits forcing a Utah timeout.

"They had to start taking chances," Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell said. "When you have to try and make threes and make plays quickly, it's just a lot of pressure. They're a young team like we are."

Prince's offense sparked a 12-4 run to close out the game. It was his defense on Utah forward Gordon Hayward that drew the praise of Mitchell after the game.

Hayward, who entered averaging 19 points per game this season, was limited to 14 points on just 4-of-9 from the floor. With Utah struggling to shoot for much of the first three quarters, Prince's defense on Hayward was one of the main reasons.

"Everybody gets caught up in how many points Tayshaun doesn't score," Mitchell said. "What they don't realize is, the guys that he guards, very rarely do they get their average."

The Jazz, ravaged by injuries that cost them four guys in their rotation, shot poorly from the field all night, finishing at 35 percent. Utah shot 26.8 percent in the first half and was at 29.5 percent after three quarters.

"The irony of the whole game is we defended really, really hard and pretty well under the circumstances," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "We just couldn't make a basket and we had open shots on the back end. They weren't shots that you turn down."

But Burke kept Utah in the game, scoring seven points in the third and 16 more in the fourth after being held scoreless in the first half. Burke shot 8-for-18 from the floor and led the Jazz with 23 points off the bench.

Neither team was particularly good from the charity stripe; the Jazz shot just 70 percent from the foul line, a number that bested Minnesota's 63 percent.

"We were in the game the whole game. I think this was one of our worst shooting nights as a team, but we still figured a way to stay in the game," Burke said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win with about five minutes left but we just ran out of gas."

Minnesota guard Andrew Wiggins had 17 points, and forward Gorgui Dieng finished with 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio tied his franchise record with 17 assists and added 10 points. It was the 10th time this season Rubio reached double-digit assists.

NOTES: Jazz F Derrick Favors missed his third consecutive game because of back spasms. ... Jazz G Alec Burks elected to undergo surgery on his fractured left leg in hopes of returning quicker than his six-week timeline. Burks is out indefinitely after sustaining the injury in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. ... Timberwolves F Damjan Rudez was a healthy scratch. ... Utah will begin a three-game homestand on Thursday when it plays host to the Portland Trail Blazers at Vivant Smart Home Arena. ... Minnesota will also play the second of back-to-back games on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills.