MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Taj Gibson scored a season-high 28 points and Jimmy Butler added 24, providing the Timberwolves with the production and energy for a 119-111 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Butler and Gibson, the former Chicago teammates, muscled their way to the basket with a fierce determination down the stretch. Butler drove along the baseline and flicked a short pass to Gibson in the lane, where he dropped in a layup and converted a three-point play for a 110-104 lead with 3:59 left.

"What he and Jimmy have brought to the team has really changed things for us," said Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau, who had them both with the Bulls. "Those guys, they weren't going to let us lose."

Jeff Teague pitched in 20 points and Jamal Crawford added 15 for the Timberwolves, who rallied from a deficit as large as 15 points in the second quarter and 12 points late in the third to raise their home record to 24-7 on an emotional evening that started with a tribute to former coach and executive Flip Saunders.

Except the Lakers had the mojo for much of the first three quarters. Julius Randle had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brandon Ingram each scored 17 points.

"I know how good we can be when we decide to play hard," Butler said. "But we think that we're so good on paper that we can just go through the motions."

Ivica Zubac, who went 8 for 8 from the floor for a season-high 19 points, threw down a dunk for a 99-98 lead for the Lakers, but that was essentially their last momentum-creating play of the game.

"They've got some big-time closers on that team, starting with Jimmy Butler," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "He kind of set the tone in the fourth with the way he played."

Butler blocked shots by Randle and Isaiah Thomas on consecutive possessions in the closing minutes, putting his stamp on yet another winning performance.

"I think that's what separates him as a superstar," Crawford said. "Most guys, they do it on one end, but those types of plays, they're immeasurable."

This was a win the Wolves badly needed before the All-Star break, after their 13-game home winning streak ended in humbling fashion on Tuesday against Houston. They moved within percentage points of San Antonio for third place in the Western Conference at 36-25. The Spurs are 35-24.

 

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