Rookie guard Zach LaVine made four free throws in the final 10 seconds of overtime, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 95-92 win over the New York Knicks on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
LaVine finished with 20 points for Minnesota, which snapped a six-game losing streak. Still, the Timberwolves (15-53) have lost eight of 10.
Wolves guard Kevin Martin led all scorers with 22 points. Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins and center Gorgui Dieng finished with 20 and 19 points, respectively.
The Timberwolves swept the season series. Minnesota routed the Knicks 115-99 on Nov. 19 at Target Center.
New York fell to a league worst 15-53 with the loss. The Knicks will visit the 76ers on Friday night. Philadelphia’s 16-52 mark is third worst in the NBA. Minnesota is off until Sunday, when it plays host to the Charlotte Hornets.
Guard Langston Galloway led New York with 21 points, and guard Alexey Shved finished with 20. Center Andrea Bargnani had 14, but he missed all six shots he took in the fourth quarter and overtime, including a last-gasp attempt at the end of overtime. Guard Shane Larkin added 10 points.
With Minnesota trailing 92-91 and 10.7 seconds left in overtime, LaVine was fouled by Galloway. The rookie made the two free throws to put the Wolves ahead 93-92. After Shved missed a layup, LaVine was fouled by Galloway, and he again made two free throws to seal the win.
Galloway drilled an elbow 3-pointer with 1:42 left in overtime to put New York ahead 92-90. The basket was the culmination of a sequence that began with Wiggins’ rejection of Shved’s lane floater.
Wiggins made one of two free throws to cut the deficit to 92-91, setting the stage for LaVine.
While neither team will be awarded a Tony for its performance, the fourth quarter provided plenty of drama in a city known for theatrics.
Larkin’s off-balance fadeaway jumper as the shot clock expired with 2:33 left put the Knicks ahead 83-81. Sixteen seconds after Larkin’s jumper, Martin hit one of his own to tie the game at 83-83, and Wiggins’ layup with 61 seconds left put the Timberwolves up 85-83.
Shved made two free throws with 7.3 seconds remaining to tie the score at 85. The game went to overtime after Martin missed a foul-line-extended jumper at the end of regulation.
NOTES: New York G Jose Calderon missed his 12th straight game with a sore left Achilles. Calderon has not participated in any basketball activities, but coach Derek Fisher hopes he can return before the season ends. … The Knicks signed F Ricky Ledo to a 10-day contract after he averaged 15.1 points in 26 games for Texas in the NBA Development League. … Minnesota was granted a hardship roster exception from the NBA and used it to sign G Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract. He played 10 scoreless minutes Thursday. In 42 games with Delaware and Santa Cruz of the D-League, Kilpatrick averaged 13.3 points. … Rookie F Andrew Wiggins and G Zach LaVine made their first appearances in New York since winning MVP of the Rising Stars Game and the slam dunk contest, respectively, during last month’s All-Star weekend.