Wolves late comeback cause for celebration

NEW ORLEANS – Out of a moment of calm came the Timberwolves' joyfully noisy 112-110 comeback victory Saturday night.

Trailing by 14 points late in the third quarter and by 10 entering the fourth quarter, the Wolves won their 19th game this season against a New Orleans team missing young superstar Anthony Davis, who was scratched because of a foot injury sustained in warmups six days after he reached 59 points and 20 rebounds in a game.

The Wolves did so when one of their own stars, Andrew Wiggins, drove a startling open lane as the final seconds ticked away, drew a foul as he soared for a dunk and made the two winning free throws with 3.6 seconds left.

Vexed so often by free throws in the clutch this season, Wiggins made both when it mattered most after he followed teammate Kevin Garnett's instruction and steadied himself before each by taking two deep breaths.

"He always tells me that," Wiggins said afterward. "It takes all the nervous energy away and makes you calm."

Those might have been the only such moments in a frantic finish when the Wolves found all the energy they had lacked through three quarters. Responding to a benching to start the second half, Zach LaVine scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Wiggins provided those two crucial free throws and Gorgui Dieng ensured victory when he stole a pass with a second left before the Pelicans could get anywhere near a game-winning shot attempt.

A moment later, Wolves interim coach Sam Mitchell celebrated by slapping his hands together so hard he's lucky he didn't break both. The Wolves' postgame locker room sounded like a party, one of the loudest scenes of the season.

"One of our better victories," Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns said after a 30-point, 15-rebound performance he didn't consider one of his best. "We could have quit any time, but we didn't. That's what makes it so satisfying."

It was the 11th time in franchise history the Wolves won on the road after they trailed by 10 points entering the fourth quarter and the first time since Nov. 5, 2012, at Brooklyn. They made 20 of their final 30 shots and had just one turnover in the final 15 minutes. That erased a 74-60 deficit on a night when the Pelicans got 31 points each from improvised starter Ryan Anderson and just-returned Eric Gordon.

They did so with Wiggins making the game's final scoring play, on a play he said wasn't designed for him to do what he did.

"Oh, it was that," Towns said, contradicting his teammate. "I don't know if he knew that was the play, but he did it right. The plan was for him to get it and just go. We gave him a chance to be the star player he is, and he did exactly that."

When asked who was telling the truth, Wiggins grinned and playfully said, "You'll never know."

LaVine's scoring — 11 points in seven-plus minutes during the heart of his team's comeback — set up Wiggins' winning play after Mitchell started the second half with Shabazz Muhammad instead.

Asked why, LaVine said: "Because I was horrible on defense in the first half and Coach had to be Coach and I had to respond. I was mad at myself, had to come out and show something. You've just got to respond … so I did."