----- Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and dished out seven assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves swept two-games in Portland with a 128-91 victory Thursday night at Moda Center in Portland.
The Minnesota Timberwolves enter the NBA All-Star break as the best team in the Western Conference.
Anthony Edwards finished with a game-high 34 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and eight rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 128-91 Thursday night at Moda Center.
At 39-16, the Timberwolves enter the NBA All-Star break with the best record in the Western Conference.
Jerami Grant led Portland (15-39) with 20 points and Scoot Henderson added 15 points and four assists. Blazers Coach Chauncey Billups announced before the game that Henderson would start at guard next to Anfernee Simons and would remain there for the remainder of the season.
Minnesota dominated the first quarter outscoring Portland 44-14. The Blazers shot just 20% in the first and connected on just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
The Blazers used their energy and defense to outscore the Timberwolves 37-22 in the second quarter cutting the deficit to 15-points at 66-51 at halftime. Portland would cut the deficit to single-digits in the third opening the quarter on a 14-7 run.
The Timberwolves responded by closing the third on a 26-11 run pushing their lead to 23-points at 99-76. Edwards scored 15 points in the quarter.
Portland never threatened the rest of the way.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers now enter the All-Star break. They will host the Denver Nuggets Friday, February 23rd at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Slow start doomed Portland.