Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 12 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves exploded in the fourth quarter for a 121-104 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

Towns led a 22-2 Minnesota surge after the Hornets took a 96-93 lead into the final eight minutes. He scored seven in a 10-0 run when the Timberwolves initially gained control, and then teamed with Robert Covington to turn the game into a blowout.

The Timberwolves (13-12) are now over the .500 mark for the first time all season. They are 9-3 since the trade that brought Covington and Dario Saric from Philadelphia for Jimmy Butler.

Jeff Teague added a career-high 18 assists for the Wolves. Andrew Wiggins scored 26, Covington finished with 17, Derrick Rose added 16 and Taj Gibson had 11 points and 10 boards.

The Hornets took their third consecutive loss, their longest losing streak of the season.

Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb led Charlotte with 18 points apiece. Kemba Walker scored 15, but only four in the last three quarters. The Hornets also got 10 points each from Frank Kaminsky, Miles Bridges and Malik Monk.

The Hornets played without Marvin Williams, who is sidelined indefinitely due to a shoulder injury.

The Hornets led by 15 on multiple occasions in the second quarter, but the Timberwolves cut the deficit to 64-62 at halftime. The score was tied 86-86 going into the fourth quarter. The Hornets then pulled out to a 96-93 lead before Towns took over.

Minnesota shot 50 percent (12 of 24) from 3-point range and out-rebounded Charlotte 50-40.

The Hornets will return home to face Denver on Friday night. The Timberwolves will now head out for an extended stretch with 10 of their next 13 games on the road, starting at Portland on Saturday.

--Field Level Media