The Minnesota Timberwolves fended off a furious fourth quarter comeback effort by the Detroit Pistons to win 97-91 Thursday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
After trailing by 19 in the third quarter, Detroit rallied to pull within 10 points heading into the fourth quarter. Led by Caron Butler, who exploded for 24 points in the second half, the Pistons carried their momentum into the second half. They began the final quarter of the game on a 10-0 run, pulling within one point.
In the final minutes, however, Minnesota picked things up. They closed the game on a 6-2 run while Detroit failed to make a few crucial costless throws.
Thaddeus Young and Nikola Pekovic led the way for Minnesota, scoring 19 and 17 points respectively. Mo Williams added 13 off the bench while Kevin Martin added 12.
34-year old Caron Butler showed flashes of his younger days, scoring 24 points in the second half and shooting 8-9 from the field. D.J. Augustin added 20 points, and Andre Drummond scored 11 while pulling down 12 rebounds.
Minnesota shot 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from three, while Detroit shot 41 percent and 33 percent.
The Pistons, 0-2 to begin the Stan Van Gundy era, will look to bounce back versus Brooklyn on Saturday, November 1, in their home opener.
The Timberwolves improve to 1-1 on the season and will host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.