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Karl-Anthony Towns hits first career game-winner at Portland & gets mobbed by teammates

With an assist from Tayshaun.

By Jason Marcum
Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Just when you think Karl-Anthony Towns has done it all, he continues to accomplish something new as his rookie season winds down.

With his historic first year in the NBA now in its final days, Towns notched his first game-winning shot Saturday night as he powered the Timberwolves to an upset win at Portland over the playoff-bound Trail Blazers.

It was an amazing game with a great finish as Towns dueled with Portland All-Star Damian Lillard right down to the final horn. After the Timberwolves took a 104-101 in the final minute, Lillard made a three-pointer and was fouled with 3.5 seconds left to pull the Blazers in front for a 105-104 lead.

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The ensuing play saw fellow UK alumni Tayshaun Prince inbound the ball to Towns in the paint with 3.5 seconds left. The rookie hit a turnaround hook shot to give the Timberwolves a 106-105 victory over the Blazers.

"I didn’t know who was on me at all," Towns said. "All I knew is that I had to make the basket for my teammates. I’ve hit a lot of those right-hooks in my career. I knew it was good when I went up."

Here's the game-winning shot:

"The coaches drew up a great play," Towns said. "I just thank my teammates for trusting me with that shot."

Towns’ winning shot gave him 27 points, and the Timberwolves snapped an eight-game losing streak in Portland. Here's a look at Towns getting mobbed by his teammates after making arguably the biggest shot of his rookie season:

And here's the full highlights of Towns' big game:

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