Karl-Anthony Towns (center) of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives over Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs on March 14, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. Photo: VCG

Karl-Anthony Towns erupted for a career-high 60 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves ran riot against the San Antonio Spurs in a night of high scoring across the NBA on Monday.

Towns' franchise-record masterclass was the highest individual score in a single NBA game this season and laid the foundation for a 149-139 victory on the road in Texas.

Thirty-two of Towns' points haul came in the third quarter. The 26-year-old drained seven-of-11 attempts from three-point range and was 19-of-31 from the field overall.

"I wish I could give you all more energy but I'm tired as hell," a weary Towns told reporters after a win that sees Minnesota improve to 40-30 to remain firmly in the hunt for an automatic playoff berth in the West.

"Great game, great team win. I told everyone in the locker room - this happens because of y'all," Towns said. "None of this happens without my teammates saying, 'We want you to have a chance at history.'" 

"They have to pass me the ball. For them to all be on the same page speaks volumes about the chemistry of this team."

Minnesota coach Chris Finch echoed Towns' comments, praising the Timberwolves "team dynamic."

"Our guys all root for their teammates' success," Finch said. "People see how incredibly talented KAT is and what he's able to do. 

"They know he's the guy and he can take us to these types of performances when we need him the most."

Green boosts Warriors

Steph Curry bagged his seventh 40-point game of the season as the Golden State Warriors marked the return of Draymond Green with a 126-112 win over the Washington Wizards in San Francisco.

Curry finished with 47 points as the Warriors bagged their fourth straight win. Significantly, Monday's game marked the first time since 2019 that Curry, Green and Klay Thompson - three pillars of the club's success over the past decade - appeared on court together.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was delighted by the successful return of Green. "The chessboard changes when Draymond is out there," Kerr said.

"We have a pretty unique group of stars. They really make each other better. That's the beauty of our team."

Curry's scoring was backed by 20-point hauls from Thompson and Jordan Poole.

In Utah, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points as the Milwaukee Bucks scored a 117-111 win over the Jazz.

Jrue Holiday added 29 points and Khris Middleton 23 as the Bucks scored their first win in Utah for 21 years.

"The competitiveness, the resilience in the fourth quarter on the road in a tough environment... this is a tough place to play. It's a good win for us on the road," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. 

Lakers trounced

In Los Angeles, the Lakers' problems continued with a 114-103 defeat to the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto led from start to finish, with their lead reaching 28 points at one stage in the third quarter before a late flurry of scoring that flattered the Lakers.

A humiliation had been on the cards early on, with the Raptors leading 33-12 at the end of the first quarter.

"Just can't put the ball in the basket," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of the first-quarter performance. 

"I think our effort was good, but our offense was putting us in a tough spot."

Pascal Siakam had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the visiting Toronto Raptors.

Siakam has scored at least 20 points in a career-best seven consecutive games.

Gary Trent Jr scored 28 points for the Raptors, who have won four straight with and are 4-1 with one game to go on their six-game road trip.

Scottie Barnes had 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter for Toronto. Chris Boucher finished with 13 points, Precious Achiuwa had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet chipped in with 11 points.

LeBron James had 30 points for the Lakers, who have lost two in a row and four of their past five. They lost 140-111 to the host Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

Talen Horton-Tucker added 20 points for the Lakers, and Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony each had 14 points.

Toronto extended its lead to 28 in the third quarter and took a 20-point lead into the fourth.

James' dunk had the Lakers within 15 points with 4:24 to play. Anthony made three free throws with 3:20 remaining, cutting the lead to 11. When James hit a 3-pointer with 2:19 to go the lead was down to nine.

Trent made two free throws with 53.1 seconds to play and the lead was back to 12.

Toronto led 33-12 after one quarter as the ­Lakers shot three-for-25 from the field and trailed by as many as 24 points.

Malik Monk made a three-pointer with 5:13 to play in the second quarter to cut the lead to 19. Westbrook's layup moments later trimmed the lead to 17.

Anthony's three-pointer reduced the margin to 13 with 2:05 left in the first half. Toronto responded with a 9-4 surge and led 58-40 at halftime.

Siakam's three-pointer with 8:46 to play in the third quarter restored Toronto's 22-point lead. Trent made two free throws with 3:04 remaining in the quarter to stretch the advantage to 28.

Tucker-Horton finished the third quarter with a three-pointer to cut Toronto's lead to 91-71.