Wolves Fall Apart In Second Half Again In 108-99 Loss To Orlando

(Sports Network) - Jason Richardson and J.J. Redick each scored 21 points to pace the Orlando Magic over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-99, at the Target Center.

Dwight Howard added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who snapped a brief two-game skid. Ryan Anderson chipped in with 15 points and 11 boards off the bench.

Corey Brewer finished with 23 points and five steals for the Timberwolves, who have dropped six of seven. Luke Ridnour tallied 19 points and six assists and Darko Milicic added 13 points and six boards.

Kevin Love recorded his 27th consecutive double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Minnesota held a 29-20 lead after 12 minutes of action, but the Magic kept it close and trailed by a 55-48 margin at the break.

Richardson made two three-pointers early in the third quarter to cut the gap to one. His alley-oop dunk with 8:34 left gave Orlando a 60-58 edge.

Ahead by one, 70-69, with 5:22 remaining, the Magic used an 11-2 surge to create some breathing room. Hedo Turkoglu sparked the burst with a jumper and three-pointer. Redick's 22-foot jumper gave Orlando an 81-71 lead, but Minnesota got a tip-in from Nikola Pekovic prior to the end of the frame.

The Timberwolves never got closer than five in the fourth.

"I was very pleased with how our guys played tonight for the vast majority of the ball game," Minnesota head coach Kurt Rambis said. "I thought they played a very solid game mentally and physically, doing the right things, they stuck to the game plan. They did a good job controlling the pace and the tempo of the ball game. They played the way we wanted to play."

Game Notes

Orlando handed the Timberwolves a 128-86 defeat back on November 3 this season at Amway Center. The Magic have won six straight in the series and are unbeaten in the past five matchups in the Twin Cities...Minnesota forward Michael Beasley did not play due to a sprained left ankle...The Magic went 11- of-29 from beyond the arc.

Beasley Questionable For Tonight As Wolves Host Magic

(Sports Network) - The Orlando Magic have fallen on hard times lately and look to get back into the win column when they resume a five-game road trip tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.

Orlando fell to 1-2 on the road swing with back-to-back losses at New Orleans and Oklahoma City. After opening the trek with a win in Dallas to tie a franchise-best nine-game win streak, the Magic suffered a 92-89 overtime loss to the Hornets before dropping a 125-124 decision to the Thunder on Thursday.

"We just couldn't stop them at all, especially (Kevin) Durant and (Russell) Westbrook," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "They average 50 a night but we gave them 68."

Dwight Howard was a force with 39 points and 18 rebounds for Orlando, which got 19 points from Jason Richardson and 18 out of J.J. Redick. Ryan Anderson scored 15 points, as the Magic fell to 10-9 away from home this season. They will close out the trip in Boston on Monday.

Howard led all Eastern Conference players in early All-Star voting returns with more than 1.5 million votes, which were released this week.

Minnesota will wrap up a three-game homestand Saturday and ended a five-game losing streak with Thursday's 109-97 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Kevin Love posted 35 points and 11 rebounds, Luke Ridnour chipped in 16 points and nine assists and Darko Milicic finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won for just the second time in eight tries.

"We were down four and we stuck together. In a timeout we said 'We could not lose this game.' We had the lead almost all game long...It was a big win for us being down in the fourth quarter and coming back," Milicic said.

The T'Wolves are 8-11 at home as opposed to their 2-19 road record, and sent the Wizards to an 0-19 mark as the guest this season. Love, who made five of six three-pointers in the win, has recorded 26 consecutive double-doubles and leads the team with 21.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg.

Minnesota forward Michael Beasley did not play against the Wizards because of a sprained left ankle and is listed as questionable for tonight. Beasley is second on the team with 20.9 points per game.

Orlando handed the Timberwolves a 128-86 defeat back on Nov. 3 this season at Amway Center, as Howard scored 18 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked eight shots in that one. The Magic have won five straight in the series and are unbeaten in the past four matchups in the Twin Cities.

Love's 35 Lead Wolves Past Wizards, 109-97

(Sports Network) - Kevin Love shot 13-of-18 from the field and logged 35 points and 11 rebounds, and Minnesota ended the game on a big run to keep Washington winless on the road in a 109-97 decision at Target Center.

Luke Ridnour chipped in 16 points and nine assists for the Timberwolves, who scored 19 of the final 22 points to snap a five-game slide. Darko Milicic stepped up in the absence of the injured Michael Beasley and posted 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

Rashard Lewis led the Wizards with 19 points and Kirk Hinrich added 18, but it wasn't enough as the club fell to 0-19 on the road.

The Wizards beat the Kings in overtime on Tuesday and were looking for back- to-back wins for the first time this season.

They fended off an early double-digit deficit and stayed competitive midway through the final stanza. Yi Jianlian's tip-in beat the third-quarter buzzer to pull them within 82-78, and his slam yielded 91-90 lead with 6:25 to play.

Nick Young tacked on a three-point on the next possession for a four-point lead, but Washington missed its next eight attempts from the field.

At the opposite end, Minnesota connected on five straight shots, including a pair of three-pointers from Love, for a 103-95 lead with 2:19 remaining.

Ridnour put in a layup for a double-digit lead the next time down, and the Wizards had no answer in the final minute.

Love started strong with 12 first-quarter points, pacing the 'Wolves to a 28-18 advantage. The forward ended the first-half scoring with one of his five three-pointers for a 55-48 cushion.

Game Notes

The NBA mark for most road defeats to start a season belongs to the Dallas Mavericks, who lost 29 straight to open the 1992-93 season...Beasley was scratched because of a sprained left ankle...Washington's Andray Blatche did not play due to a sprained right shoulder...Love has 26 straight double- doubles...Young ended with 15 points for Washington, which received 14 points apiece from Al Thornton and John Wall. Wall also doled out 10 assists...Martell Webster and Wayne Ellington each scored 11 points off Minnesota's bench.

Wolves Hope To Not Give Wizards First Road Win Of Season

(Sports Network) - The Washington Wizards will take another stab at securing their first road win of the season tonight, when they hit the hardwood in the Twin Cities against the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Wizards remain the NBA's only winless team on the road with a dismal 0-18 record but the club did improve to a respectable 10-8 on its home floor when Nick Young poured in a career-best 43-points and John Wall added 22 with nine assists and six rebounds on Tuesday, as Washington lost a late lead in regulation but survived to edge Sacramento in overtime, 136-133.

Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche each added 16 points and Kirk Hinrich chipped in 14 off the bench. Blatche pulled down 13 rebounds, JaVale McGee grabbed 11 to go along with 10 points and Lewis recorded 10 boards, as Washington won for the second time in three contests. Blatche is doubtful for tonight with a sprained right shoulder.

"I just had a lot of confidence," Young said. "After I hit three shots in a row, I just felt like I couldn't miss. It just feels good."

Washington has dropped 19 in a row on the road dating back to last season and its 0-18 mark in enemy arenas this season is the worst since Chicago began the 2001-02 campaign with 18 straight losses away from the Windy City. The NBA mark for most road defeats to start a season belongs to the Dallas Mavericks, who lost 29 straight such games during the 1992-93 season.

The Wolves, meanwhile, were swept in a home-and-home set against the San Antonio Spurs and have lost five in a row overall. Most recently, Manu Ginobili scored 19 points and Richard Jefferson had 17, as the Spurs beat Minnesota, 107-96, for their 16th straight win in the series on Tuesday.

The Timberwolves got 20 points and 20 rebounds from Kevin Love -- his 25th straight double-double -- but dropped both ends of the home-and-home to fall to 5-26 in the last 31 meetings between the teams.

Luke Ridnour and Martell Webster each added 18 points apiece for Minnesota, while Corey Brewer had 11.

"We got it to six points. We started to get back into it, but it's tough to do" in that situation, said Love.

Wolves forward and leading scorer Michael Beasley has been battling an ankle injury and has scored a total of nine points in the past two games. He is listed as doubtful for tonight.

The Wizards have won five of their past six contests with the Timberwolves.

Spurs Defeat Timberwolves For Sixteenth Straight Time, 107-96

(Sports Network) - Manu Ginobili scored 19 points, Richard Jefferson had 17 and the San Antonio Spurs beat Minnesota, 107-96, for their 16th straight win over the Timberwolves.

Tim Duncan added 16 points as the Spurs continued to rebound from consecutive losses in New York and Boston, winning for the third straight time since then.

San Antonio improved to an NBA-best 32-6.

The Timberwolves got 20 points and 20 rebounds from Kevin Love -- his 25th straight double-double -- but dropped both ends of a home-and-home to fall to 5-26 in the last 31 meetings between the teams.

Wolves Host San Antonio Spurs At Target Center

(Sports Network) - Something has to give for the Minnesota Timberwolves in their unsuccessful history against the San Antonio Spurs. Having been knocked to the canvas 15 straight times by the Spurs, the Timberwolves look to deal a knockout blow tonight in the finale of a home-and-home set in the Twin Cities.

Minnesota has dropped 15 in a row, 20 of 21 and 25 of the previous 30 meetings between the teams, including Sunday's 94-91 defeat in the Alamo City. Kevin Love posted 18 points and 17 boards for Minnesota, which has lost four in a row overall. Darko Milicic added 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Luke Ridnour ended with 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.

"I've said this all along about the Spurs. They just find a way to win," Love said. "They're extremely well-coached."

The Wolves' three losses this season to the Spurs have been decided by a combined 13 points. San Antonio will try to sweep the season series for a fourth consecutive year.

Timberwolves forward and leading scorer Michael Beasley (21.9 ppg) left Sunday's game in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle and is doubtful for tonight. He scored just two points and did not practice Monday.

San Antonio will also visit Milwaukee after tonight's game and is 11-4 away from the AT&T Center this season. It improved to an NBA-best 31-6 on the season with the latest triumph over Minnesota, as Manu Ginobili finished with 21 points and seven rebounds to lead the Southwest Division leaders.

Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson both scored 13 points for the Spurs, who have won two in a row since dropping consecutive games to New York and Boston and are 6-2 in the past eight contests. Tony Parker, Matt Bonner and George Hill registered 11 points apiece in the scrappy win.

"We've had our hands full trying to get our three wins against them this year and it's going to be even harder to get that fourth," Bonner said post-game.

The Spurs are off to the best 37-game start in franchise history and their scoring average of 105.0 points is the highest since a 106.6 ppg-clip in the 1994-95 campaign. Ginobili continues to be a reliable player and has scored in double figures in 34 of 37 games in 2010-11.

San Antonio has won seven in a row and nine of 10 visits to Minnesota, where the Timberwolves own a 7-10 mark this season.

Wolves Week: A Look At The Minnesota Timberwolves' Upcoming Schedule

When you're the youngest team in the NBA, as the Minnesota Timberwolves are, you're going to struggle to gain consistency. Such has been the case with the team in recent days, as they've dropped four consecutive games enroute to dropping further into the basement of the Northwest Division and the Western Conference. They'll get an opportunity to take the floor three times this week, and they'll be looking for their tenth win of the season. . .they've been stuck on nine for quite a while now. The fact that all three of their games this week are home games will probably help their chances a bit, considering that the team is a disastrous 2-19 away from Minneapolis this year (as opposed to a slightly less disastrous 7-10 at home).

The week starts out on Tuesday night at the Target Center with a game against one of the NBA's best teams, the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio resides on top of the Northwest Division with an amazing 31-6 record, and they've beaten the Wolves in all three of their meetings this year, but the Wolves have hung tough in all three games. The three losses by the Wolves to the Spurs have come by four points (a 113-109 loss back on November 24), six points (a 107-101 decision on December 3), and three points (a 94-91 loss that happened just this past Sunday). This will be the last time that the Wolves see the Spurs this year. . .maybe they'll break through and give the Spurs an upset loss. Tip-off time for this one will be at 7:00 PM at the Target Center, and you'll be able to watch all of the action on Fox Sports North or listen to it on KFAN-AM 1130.

Minnesota will follow that up on Thursday night by hosting one of the NBA's worst teams. . .although I probably shouldn't toss that term around when talking about the Wolves. . .in the Washington Wizards. Washington sits in the basement of the NBA's Southeast division with a 9-26 record, and have yet to win a road game this year, currently sitting with an 0-18 record outside of the nation's capital. The Wolves and Wizards have not gotten together yet this season. The game is scheduled to get underway at 7:00 PM. . .I'm going to go out on a limb and proclaim that there are many good seats still available. . .or, if you don't want to head out to the Target Center, you can see the game on Fox Sports North or listen to it on KFAN.

The last game of the week will see the Wolves concluding their season series with the Orlando Magic. Orlando is in second place in the Southeast Division at the moment, owners of a 25-12 record. Minnesota and Orlando have played once this season, and it was nothing short of a complete thrashing by Dwight Howard and company, as they blasted the Wolves 128-86 back on November 3. Start time for this one is again at 7:00 PM Eastern, but the television coverage will shift to My29, and radio coverage will again be provided by KFAN.

It's an all-home game week for the Timberwolves this week. If you can get out to the Target Center, we encourage you to do so, but if you can't, now you have the when and the where for following all of this week's action.