The Minnesota Timberwolves broke open a game that was tied at halftime in the second half for a 109-93 win over the New Orleans Hornets Friday.

Kevin Love struggled, shooting just 4-for-18 from the field, but Nikola Pekovic picked up the slack. Pekovic scored 31 points on 14-for-18 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Despite Love's tough shooting night, the Timberwolves still shot 54 percent for the game.

Andrei Kirilenko scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds. Love finished with 14 points, Luke Ridnour and Alexey Shved scored 13 each and J.J. Barea scored 10 points off the bench. It was the third straight win for the Timberwolves.

The Hornets were led by rookie Austin Rivers, who scored 22 points. He had 19 of those in the first half. Point guard Greivis Vasquez had 13 points, 15 assists and four rebounds. New Orleans has now lost six straight games.