MINNEAPOLIS — The Nets couldn’t buy a stop in the first half and couldn’t make a stand at the end of regulation, but they came through in overtime Friday night. 

Spencer Dinwiddie made a game-saving block in overtime — fitting, because he did everything else for the Nets in a nervy extra-period performance, willing them to a 124-123 escape over the Timberwolves before a sellout crowd of 17,136 at Target Center. 

Mikal Bridges poured in a game-high 34 points with six rebounds, but it was Dinwiddie, who had 29 points, 11 assists and only one turnover, who made the huge plays down the stretch. 

“Yeah, Spence was going crazy and just his confidence to let him have the ball in his hands and create,” Bridges said. “He scored a couple of times OT, and then dimed us. So just let him create and he’ll figure it out. You know, we’ve just got to give him a give him a pass, give him a look. But just him being aggressive and just so damn skilled. So I’m just grateful for him.” 

So were the Nets, who improved to 38-29. 

Dinwiddie passed to Dorian Finney-Smith, who hit a 3-pointer with 36.8 seconds left in overtime to give the Nets the 124-121 edge.

Then, after Anthony Edwards had cut the lead to one, Dinwiddie blocked a potential winning 3-point try by Mike Conley with a tenth-of-a-second left on the clock.

He had a hand in every Nets point in overtime, scoring a pair of baskets and assisting on the other two. 

“We’re a young group,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “For us to be able to manage the game a lot of that goes on the back of Spencer and ability to get guys in the right spots for us to take advantages of matchups, which we did down the stretch and then he created shots for himself and others.” 

The Nets got off to yet another slow start.

The Timberwolves scored the first six points of the evening, capped when Edwards, who finished with 32 points, got free for a running dunk. 

That deficit reached 12 on Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s mid-range pullup that made it 60-48 with 4:52 left before halftime.

The Nets played little defense in the first half, allowing 58.7 percent shooting by Minnesota and trailing by eight before they rallied. 

“Honestly I just think the focus and attention to detail. We went to switching one-through-five and relied on our guards to hold up Rudy a bit,” Dinwiddie said. “But regardless of the defensive switches it really had more to do with focus and attention to detail. 68 points in the first half is too much. I don’t care who you’re going at.” 

The Nets were still down 80-73 with 6:41 left in the third after a free throw by Rudy Gobert (26 points, 13 boards).

But that’s when they finally tightened the screws and strung together some stops. The Nets closed the third on a 24-8 run, holding Minnesota to 2-for-12 shooting with a turnover on a Gobert travel. 

The Nets seemed set to win before Naz Reid knotted the score at 114-114 on a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

That forced overtime, and Dinwiddie’s savvy then took over. He scored the first basket of overtime, and after Minnesota knotted it, Dinwiddie gave the Nets the lead again. 

Conley made just one of two from the free throw line with 3:14 left in OT, leaving the Nets with a 118-117 lead and the ball.

But after Royce O’Neale (12 points, 15 boards) missed a 3-point try, the Timberwolves took advantage of the fact Nic Claxton had fouled out, with Jaden McDaniels driving for a layup. 

The Nets then had back-to-back shots blocked, with first Dinwiddie and then Dorian Finney-Smith rejected by Edwards.

Then, Edwards hit a midrange turnaround jumper to make it 121-118 with 1:41 left. But Dinwiddie brought the Nets back again. 

He found Bridges for a 3 to pull the Nets even with 1:18 left.

And after they forced Edwards to miss a 3-point try, Dinwiddie drove and drew Gobert to him.

The point guard then passed to a wide-open Finney-Smith for what proved the winning 3 with 36.8 seconds remaining. 

“I told Rudy he shouldn’t have helped,” Bridges said. 

Edwards did get loose for a layup to cut the Nets’ lead to one.

Then, Dinwiddie drove and kicked out to a wide-open Cam Johnson in the left corner, but the forward missed a potential dagger 3 with 10 seconds left. 

But Dinwiddie made the play of the night blocking Conley. 

“In the halfcourt you start to go elephant hunting and you’re just trying to manipulate the game,” Dinwiddie said. “[Gobert] is a phenomenal rim protector, but if you can bring him away from the rim and he’s got to come chase the block, then that means you can kick out to shooters.” 

And Finney-Smith buried the shot. And buried the Timberwolves.