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Big games from Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards lead the Wolves past the Kings

Big games from Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards lead the Wolves past the Kings

Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards gave a real first look at what they can achieve together.

Randle scored a game-high 33 points and Edwards hit two free throws in the final seconds to give the Timberwolves a 117-115 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night in Sacramento, Calif.

After making a stop with 25.1 seconds left and the game tied 115-115, Edwards drove to the rim and missed the layup but was fouled on the play. He made both go-ahead free throws with just 2.4 seconds left, and Keegan Murray's shot at a potential game-winning 3-pointer didn't fail as the Wolves won their first game of the season.

Edwards finished the game with 32 points on 10-for-24 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and one steal. Randle scored his 33 points on 13-for-17 shooting, including 5 of 6 from 3, five rebounds and four assists.

Not everything went smoothly for the Timberwolves (1-1). The offense was once again disjointed for much of the evening and there were a total of 16 turnovers. There were defensive errors as well, and the Kings' trio of Demar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Murray combined for 73 points. Luckily, the Wolves had Edwards and Randle to compensate.

DeRozan led the Kings (0-1) with 26 points and eight rebounds.

After falling behind at halftime and seeing their deficit grow in a third quarter filled with defensive errors, the Wolves began to find their rhythm, ending the quarter with a 13-2 run and taking an 89-88 lead in the final frame Play leadership.

Edwards was the closer and scored 23 of his 32 points after halftime. His efforts helped the Wolves overcome a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and he ultimately finished the game with two free throws.

It was Randle who gave the Wolves the go-ahead and helped them overcome the disjointed offense early. The Wolves had eight turnovers in the first quarter, but Randle helped offset those with 11 first quarter points. He continued to keep them afloat in the second quarter, scoring 11 more points to keep Minnesota within 59-55 at halftime.

No other Wolves starter finished in double figures. In the battle between last season's contenders for Sixth Man of the Year, Naz Reid prevailed over Malik Monk. Reid finished the game with 19 points, 13 rebounds and three assists off the bench for Minnesota, while Monk had 17 points, four assists and one rebound for the Kings.

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