Edwards' 30 points power Timberwolves to 3rd straight win, 124-110 over Kings in NBA Cup

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and Julius Randle added 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth quarter and beat the Sacramento Kings 124-110 in an NBA Cup game Friday night.

Donte DiVincenzo made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who have won four in a row and are 2-0 in the NBA Cup. Naz Reid had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota.

Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 34 points and 11 rebounds. Zach Lavine scored 25 points, while Russell Westbrook extended his NBA record with his 205th career triple-double, posting 13 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.

Sacramento, which gave up a season-high 144 points in a loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday, has lost five straight overall and is 0-2 in the NBA Cup.

Leading 92-91 after three quarters, the Wolves started the fourth on an 11-2 run, keyed by two DiVincenzo 3-pointers, the second coming after Jaden McDaniels rebounded a Randle missed free throw and found DiVincenzo, who buried a 32-foot shot to make it 103-94.

After two quick buckets by the Kings, the Wolves went on a 16-2 run to break the game open. Rudy Gobert had a dunk and a tip-in on consecutive possessions as Minnesota pulled away.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 11 in the first quarter, but the Kings came back and took a 49-47 lead on an alley-oop layup from Westbrook to Lavine.

Timberwolves: Host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

Kings: At the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) handles the ball as Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) defend during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) reacts after missing a shot during the second half of an NBA cup basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts after making a 3-point basket during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder (17), middle, looks to pass the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark (22), left, defends during the second half of an NBA cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

COTONOU, Benin (AP) — Benin President Patrice Talon on Sunday condemned an attempted coup that was foiled by the country's army in his first public comments since sporadic gunfire was heard in parts of the administrative capital, Cotonou.

A group of soldiers appeared on Benin ’s state TV earlier Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, which would have been the latest of many in West Africa. The group called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation.

Later, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou announced in a video on Facebook that the attempted coup had been “foiled,” but Talon had not commented.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the victims of this senseless adventure, as well as to those still being held by the fleeing mutineers,” the president said in a televised address to the nation that ended his silence. "I assure them that we will do everything in our power to find them safe and sound.”

The president did not provide figures on casualties or hostages.

“In the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny to destabilize the state and its institutions,” Seidou said. “Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic.”

The regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said it has ordered the deployment of a regional troop comprising personnel from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana to support Benin's army to “preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin”.

Local media reported the arrest of 13 soldiers who took part in the coup earlier on Sunday, citing sources close to the presidency. It remains unclear if Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri, the coup leader, has been apprehended. Gunfire was heard and soldiers were seen patrolling around some locations in Cotonou, but the city has been relatively calm since the coup attempt was announced.

The Military Committee for Refoundation had earlier said that Tigri was appointed president of the military committee.

Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation witnessed multiple coups, especially in the decades following its independence. Since 1991, the country has been politically stable following the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.

The signal to the state television and public radio, which was cut off, has now been restored.

ECOWAS had earlier called the attempted coup “a subversion of the will of the people of Benin.”

Talon has been in power since 2016 and is due to step down next April after a presidential election.

Talon’s party pick, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.

In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged 2024 coup plot.

Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.

The coup attempt is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.

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Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria.

People gather near a roadway amid an attempted coup in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

People on motorcycles pass by soldiers guarding a street amid an attempted coup in Cotonou Benin, Sunday Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

Soldiers ride in a military vehicle along a street amid an attempted coup in Cotonou Benin, Sunday Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

FILE - Benin's President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)