SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Matt Barnes' rib ached so badly that the Sacramento Kings forward said breathing and sleeping present problems, never mind the rigors of bringing energy and spirit to an NBA franchise 10 years removed from the playoffs.

But he didn't hurt too much to make the leap and the stretch Saturday that tilted a back-and-forth game in Sacramento's favor.

Barnes' block of a follow attempt by Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns and the subsequent 3-pointer it set up for Kings teammate Ty Lawson proved the key sequence in Sacramento's 106-103 victory at Golden 1 Center, the team's first regular-season victory inside its new home.

"Matt is Matt," Kings forward Rudy Gay said. "He does everything. He's a warrior for this team."

Gay finished with 28 points and center DeMarcus Cousins scored 29 as the Kings beat Minnesota for the first time since 2015 despite trailing by 18 points early in the second quarter and squandering a nine-point lead in the fourth.

"It's about being resilient," Barnes said. "This is a game of runs, and in the past, this team would take a hit and kind of hang its head. But you have to keep fighting."

It was 100-100 when Gay hit a wing jumper for the Kings with 2:57 to go after a near turnover. Towns then rebounded guard Zach LaVine's miss and drove the lane and pulled up. But Barnes went up with him, reached high and rejected the shot.

Lawson buried a left-wing 3-pointer on the next trip down the court for a 105-100 lead, and the Timberwolves couldn't recover.

Barnes' heroics came after his defense sparked Sacramento in the third quarter. The Kings, seemingly aroused by Barnes' energy, scored 17 straight points en route to a 24-1 third-quarter run that turned a 71-57 deficit at halftime into an 85-77 lead when the fourth quarter started.

"Third quarter, abomination," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Fourth quarter, we tried to scramble back."

The Kings build their lead to 96-87 late in the fourth quarter, but Minnesota rallied to tie it with nine straight points. They then exchanged two buckets apiece, setting the stage for Barnes' block.

"That third quarter, it's like we were put our foot down and became the team we've been practicing to be," Gay said.

Guard Ben McLemore added 13 points, including two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for Sacramento. Barnes added 12 points and nine assists in 27 minutes.

Forward Andrew Wiggins finished with 29 points to lead the Timberwolves, including six straight during the 9-0 run that tied the game. LaVine added 21 for Minnesota.

"We've got to get a lot tougher," Thibodeau said.

The Timberwolves seemed to take control in the first half, running out to a 45-27 lead barely 3 minutes into the second quarter, and entering halftime up 65-54.

But Sacramento, the league's worst defensive team a year ago, held Minnesota without a field goal for more than six minutes and to only three over a 12-minute stretch that bridged the third and fourth quarters.

Overall, Minnesota shot 3 for 12 from the field in the third quarter, and turned the ball over six times. Sacramento outscored them 31-12 in the frame.

"We've got to a get a lot tougher," Thibodeau said. "We'll have to look over the film to see what the issues were."

For the Timberwolves, the collapse proved all too familiar. Minnesota began its campaign by sprinting to a 20-3 lead against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, only to let that game slip away in a 16-point third quarter.

It also kept coach Tom Thibodeau from getting his first victory with Minnesota. The Timberwolves have lost their first two of a season for the first time since 2011.

NOTES: Kings C DeMarcus Cousins, who became only the 10th player since 1983 to record 10 games of at least 35 points and 15 rebounds when he went for 37 and 16 against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, fouled out and received his first technical foul of the season. ... Longtime Timberwolves C Kevin Garnett has joined TNT show "Inside the NBA" as a special contributor. Garnett will debut Thursday. ... Kings F Omri Casspi, who averaged 27.3 minutes in 69 games a season ago, has played only 27:14 in Sacramento's first three contests. ... Guard Kris Dunn,Minnesota's top pick and No. 5 overall in the NBA draft, is Minnesota's only rookie. The Timberwolves used three of them last season. ... Kings G Ty Lawson played 33:40 against Minnesota and has played 105 minutes in Sacramento's first three games. He's the team's lone true point guard until G Darren Collison returns from an eight-game suspension for domestic abuse.