It Takes Time, but Timberwolves Get Their First NBA Victory

The expansion Minnesota Timberwolves won their first game Friday night, beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 125-118, in overtime as Tony Campbell capped a career-high 38-point performance with four points in the final 1:57.

The Timberwolves, Minnesota’s first NBA team since the Lakers left for Los Angeles in 1960, lost their first three games. They trailed, 118-117, with 2:17 left in overtime before Campbell’s two free throws put them ahead to stay, 119-118.

After Johnny Dawkins and Mike Gminski missed shots for Philadelphia, Minnesota’s Tyrone Corbin rebounded Sam Mitchell’s miss, leading to Campbell’s layup with 26 seconds to go.

Charles Barkley, who led the 76ers with 31 points, then missed two three-point shots, and Mitchell and Tod Murphy each made two free throws for the Timberwolves.

Corbin, who had a career-high 36 points, made two free throws with four seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime tied, 111-111.

Rick Mahorn, who was picked by Minnesota in the expansion draft but missed all of training camp in a contract dispute before being traded to Philadelphia Oct. 27 for three draft choices, scored only five points in 20 minutes. Each time his name was announced, he was booed by the Metrodome crowd of 29,117.