Anthony Edwards capped a 32-point performance with two tiebreaking free throws with 2.1 seconds left, Julius Randle scored a game-high 33 points and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves pulled out a 117-115 victory in the Sacramento Kings’ season opener Thursday night.
Edwards’ free throws came after he drew a foul from Domantas Sabonis as the Timberwolves were attempting to break a 115-115 tie.
Keegan Murray misfired on a potential winning 26-footer at the buzzer. The miss allowed the Timberwolves to escape a California visit with a win after a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The tight finish came after a three-point play by Malik Monk had given Sacramento a 115-114 lead with 53.1 seconds left.
Minnesota had a chance to retake the lead, but Rudy Gobert missed the second of two free throws with 38 seconds left, leaving the game in a 115-115 tie.
The Kings then rushed the ball up the court, only to see De’Aaron Fox miss from 17 feet, setting up Edwards’ heroics.
Randle’s 33 points came on the heels of a 16-point effort in his Timberwolves debut in Los Angeles. He hit 13 of his 17 shots Thursday, including five of his six 3-point attempts.
Naz Reid collected a game-high 13 rebounds as part of a double-double with 19 points off the bench for the Timberwolves, while Gobert finished with 11 rebounds and just three points.
DeMar DeRozan had a team-high 26 points in his debut for Sacramento, which led by 12 points midway through the third quarter. Sabonis added 24 points, while Murray tallied 23 points and a team-high 11 rebounds and Fox had 15 points and a team-high 11 assists.
With Edwards and Randle hitting five 3-pointers apiece, the Timberwolves outscored the hosts 60-33 from beyond the 3-point arc, going 20-for-50. The Kings finished 11-for-29.
–Field Level Media