DETROIT — Andrew Wiggins scored 33 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Blake Griffin’s return Monday night, beating the Detroit Pistons 120-114.
Griffin played for the first time this season, coming back from hamstring and knee issues. Derrick Rose also returned to the Detroit lineup from a strained hamstring, but both he and Griffin played limited minutes.
Griffin scored 19 points but Rose added just six.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points for Minnesota, which snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Pistons.
Minnesota shot 8 of 10 from 3-point range in the first quarter and led 41-26, and the Pistons never cut too far into the deficit until the fourth. A 3-pointer by Detroit’s Tony Snell made it 109-104, but Towns drew a double team at the other end and passed to an open Wiggins, whose 3-pointer restored the lead to eight.
Minnesota led by 19 in the third before the Pistons ran off eight points in a row. Towns ended that quarter with a driving dunk that put the Timberwolves ahead 92-81.
Minnesota was without point guard Jeff Teague (illness).
Luke Kennard led Detroit with 25 points, and Snell scored 16. Andre Drummond had 11 points and 12 rebounds, but he went just 4 of 12 from the field.
GRIZZLIES 113, SPURS 109: Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points and Memphis put a damper on Tony Parker’s jersey retirement by winning in San Antonio.
Parker’s uniform was lifted to the rafters alongside fellow Big Three members Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili following the game. They led San Antonio to four of its five championships and have the most wins (541) of any trio in league history.
Jackson was involved in two pivotal plays with the Grizzlies up 111-109 in the final minute. His 3-pointer with 25.5 seconds was overturned when replays determined the Grizzlies forward was out of bounds. Jackson then blocked DeMar DeRozan’s ensuing drive to maintain Memphis’ two-point advantage.
Memphis won a coach’s challenge that overturned a foul that would have put DeRozan on the line with San Antonio trailing 113-109.
The Spurs had another sluggish performance on the heels of a 135-115 loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
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