By MIKE COOK
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jerami Grant hit a 3-pointer with 22.2 seconds left and the Portland Trail Blazers managed to come away with a 108-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Following a Trail Blazers timeout, Grant took a throw-in pass from Jrue Holiday and hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night from the right corner. Grant grabbed a defensive rebound on the next possession and made two free throws to finish with 26 points in Portland’s third straight victory.
Donovan Clingan scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double. Deni Avdija added 25 points and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who moved up to eighth place in the Western Conference. Holiday contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Rudy Gobert led short-handed Minnesota with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu added 17 points and tied his personal best with 10 rebounds.
Julius Randle added 19 points for the Timberwolves, but they lost for the first time in three games without All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, who remains out with right knee inflammation. Center Naz Reid, one of the main bench players, missed his second consecutive game with a sprained right knee.
Donte DiVincenzo missed a driving layup with 11.3 seconds left that would have tied the score. Gobert missed tap attempts twice before Grant grabbed his fifth rebound.
The Trail Blazers led by as many as 18 points with 2 minutes left in the first half, but three Timberwolves 3-pointers, including two by Bones Hyland, were part of an 11-2 run before halftime to cut the lead to single digits.
Portland played its third consecutive game without forward Vit Krejci (left calf bruise).
___
Sports in Spanish AP: