NBA Basketball

Final - 10/18/17
56
Timberwolves
99
Spurs
107
Aldridge rings up double-double for Spurs: 25 pts, 10 reb.
Watch from: Start of 2nd qtr

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SAN ANTONIO -- LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 107-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at the AT&T Center in the season opener for both teams.

The Spurs trailed 92-91 after a pull-up jumper by Minnesota's Jimmy Butler with 5:02 to play but reassumed the lead on jumpers by Dejounte Murray and Rudy Gay. Danny Green then expanded the lead to 98-92 with a 3-pointer from the corner to help salt way the game.

Green added 17 points for San Antonio, which won the first game of its season for the 19th time in the 21 years Gregg Popovich has been coach of the team. Murray hit for 16 while Gay scored 14, and Kyle Anderson tallied 12 points and took nine rebounds for the Spurs.

Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 26 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns racked up his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Butler, one of Minnesota's flashy offseason, free agent signings, added 12 points while two other new faces for the Timberwolves, Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford, scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Minnesota got within two points early in the third quarter, and trailed 66-63 at the 6:47 mark. But San Antonio got a driving scoop shot from Murray and a 3-pointer off the fast break by Green to push its advantage back 73-63 and led 87-77 heading to the final quarter.

NOTES: San Antonio played without F Kawhi Leonard and venerable PG Tony Parker because of quadriceps injuries. Parker suffered his injury in last season's playoffs and is targeting a November return to the court; Leonard did not practice or play during the preseason and his availability is yet to be determined. ... Minnesota began the season on the road for the fourth straight year. Before this four-year stretch, the Timberwolves opened their season at home (at the Target Center) for 13 consecutive years, the second-longest home streak in NBA history, and the longest for any team in the same city and arena. ... After being considered one of the oldest teams in the league for years, this edition of the Spurs' roster has six players who were born after 1993. ... The Spurs have now taken the past 12 games from Minnesota, including eight in a row at the AT&T Center since a 108-95 Wolves victory April 17, 2013.