. McCollum went 1 for 5, and the Blazers trailed 24-19.Lillard had been hot going into the game, averaging 31.4 points in February, the highest scoring average for a Blazer in a single month in team history.Towns hit a 3-pointer that put Minnesota in front 47-36, but Lillard answered with his first basket from the field, a jumper, then added a driving layup and a free throw. The Blazers cut the lead to 49-44 at the break.Towns had 21 points in the half, including 19 in the second quarter alone.Portland opened the second half on a 7-0 run to go up 51-49 for a short-lived lead. Andrew Wiggins' jumper extended Minnesota's lead to 74-64 late in the quarter.Lillard's 3-pointer and rebound basket from Davis got Portland within 78-75 going into the fourth quarter.Blazers starter Maurice Harkless left the game in the first half with a left knee injury. He did not return.Wiggins added 21 points for the Timberwolves. Towns has had a double-double in a league-high 55 games this season.TIP-INSTimberwolves: The Timberwolves waived forward Shabazz Muhammad before the game. ''He wasn't playing as much as he would have liked and we told him we'd try to do the right thing for him,'' coach Tom Thibodeau said. Muhammad averaged 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 32 games this season. ... The Timberwolves arrived in Portland early and Thibodeau was able to attend Portland's 116-99 victory over Sacramento on Tuesday.Trail Blazers: Portland went 0 for 13 from 3-point range in the first half. .. Lillard has made a 3-pointer in 44 straight games, tying the franchise record set by Nic Batum. ... Napier hit a halfcourt shot late in the game but it didn't count because he'd been fouled.UP NEXTTimberwolves: Visit the Utah Jazz on Friday night in the second of a back-to-back.Trail Blazers: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday.)
Feb 28, 2018 PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Minnesota Timberwolves have gone big as they try to make up for the loss of shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who is out for at least the rest of the regular season following surgery on his right knee.When the Timberwolves visit Moda Center for a Thursday night matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, they will go with 6-9 Taj Gibson, 6-10 Nemanja Bjelica and 7-foot Karl-Anthony Towns on the front line along with 6-8 Andrew Wiggins and 6-2 Jeff Teague in the backcourt.The addition to the starting lineup is Bjelica, a power forward who slides to small forward alongside Gibson, with Wiggins -- a natural small forward -- moving into Butler's normal spot.Coach Tom Thibodeau's move is a matter of adding the next-best player to his lineup, even if it means a couple players are out of position. When Butler missed action because of a sore knee in January, Bjelica started all four games and delivered an 18-point, nine-rebound performance that helped beat the Clippers 126-118 at Staples Center on Jan. 22."When Jimmy went down, Belly did great for us," Taj Gibson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He won that Clipper game for us. He was European Player of the Year (in 2015) and he can do it all. He can dribble. He can shoot. He can put it on the floor. Belly is a talented player. I'm looking forward to him doing the job." In their last game, a 118-100 victory over Sacramento on Monday, Bjelica -- the Wolves' best 3-point shooter at 42.9 percent -- had 12 points, including two 3-pointers, along with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists."We need everybody to contribute in that way," Thibodeau said. "Getting seven rebounds out of that position, and have that length, is a big plus for us. Just the threat of his shot opens up the floor, and he moves well without the ball. If you turn your head, Belly is going to cut. He gets us moving." Bjelica, who has helped Minnesota (38-26) to a 2-0 record since Butler left the lineup, isn't going to try to do too much."Nobody can replace Jimmy, because he's our best player," Bjelica said. "But as a team, we can do a lot of good things. I just try to do my job." The problem won't be at the offensive end. Minnesota scores 111.4 points per 100 possessions, third-best in the NBA behind Houston and Golden State. But the Timberwolves are 24th in defensive rating, and Butler was their best defender.Thursday's game is a big one in the Western Conference playoff race. Portland (35-26) stands in fifth place, 1 1/2 games behind No. 3 Minnesota (38-26) and one game back of No. 4 San Antonio (36-25).Portland coach Terry Stotts said this is the tightest playoff race, from No. 3 to 10 in the West, that he has seen in 25 years coaching in the NBA."There are going to be a lot of games played amongst those eight teams," he said. "That will create some separation. It may not wind up as an eight-team race, but there are going to be some interesting races no matter what happens."We have nine games against teams in that group (the rest of the regular season). The team that comes out with the most wins in those games is going to be in a better position. It's going to be exciting. You're going to have a lot of significant games through the remainder of the season." Minnesota vs. Portland, Stotts said, "is one of those games."It's an important game for both teams It's a swing game. (The Wolves) lead the season series 2-1. It could have a lot of (playoff) implications."
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