WASHINGTON (AP) - Bobby Portis had 26 points and 12 rebounds and the Washington Wizards beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 135-121 Sunday night.
Bradley Beal and reserve Jabari Parker each scored 22 points for Washington, which had lost five of six.
"We missed a lot of coverages, especially in the second half," Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said. "It's harder to win on the road in the NBA when your defensive intensity is not there, and it hasn't been there for these three games here."
Portis was 10 for 18 from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He had scored over 30 points in each of his last three games.
Derrick Rose scored 18 points off the bench for the Timberwolves, who have lost four of five. Taj Gibson had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins had 14 points.
Minnesota scored 84 points in the paint, and converted just 4 of 27 attempts from beyond the arc.
Parker scored on a dunk and followed with a 3-pointer to give the Wizards a 93-82 lead late in the third quarter. Washington led 97-87 at the start of the fourth.
Minnesota got within 110-105 on a dunk by Towns before Sam Dekker scored six straight points that started a 10-0 run, and the Wizards led by as many as 16 in the final minutes.
"(Portis and Parker) played with energy," Towns said. "They hit some timely shots, tough shots. They're good players. The X-factor was Dekker coming in and playing the way he did.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: F Luol Deng (sore left Achilles) missed his second straight game. . Interim coach Ryan Saunders was an assistant with the Wizards from the 2009-10 season through 2013-14. . Minnesota is 4-24 when trailing after three quarters.
UP NEXT
The Timberwolves host the Thunder on Tuesday night.