(Sports Network) - Two of the NBA's worst teams tangle in the Twin Cities Saturday as Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the slumping Toronto Raptors.
Something has to give tonight. The Raptors have lost 10 straight overall but they have beaten Minnesota 12 consecutive times. In fact, the last time the Timberwolves solved Toronto was back on Jan. 21, 2004 at Target Center.
The Dinos dropped their 10th straight on Friday when Milwaukee's Corey Maggette notched a season-high 29 points to go with 11 rebounds as the Bucks outlasted Toronto, 116-110 in overtime, at Air Canada Centre.
Amir Johnson tallied 24 points and a game-best 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who are in the midst of their longest hiccup since a 12-game slide from Dec. 18, 2002-Jan. 10, 2003. Andrea Bargnani scored 23, while Jose Calderon fought off flu-like symptoms to contribute 13 points and 10 assists in a losing effort.
Toronto notched the final seven points of regulation but Bargnani's three from the right corner fell short at the buzzer.
"I think Andrea as a seven-footer, if you can get him the basketball, he can shoot over top of people," said Raptors head coach Jay Triano when asked about his club's choice for a final basket. "I wasn't disappointed with that shot at all."
The Wolves, meanwhile, lost their sixth straight and for the 11th time in 12 games on Friday in Salt Lake City when Paul Millsap notched 30 points, Andrei Kirilenko scored a season-high 27 and the Utah Jazz snapped a six-game losing streak with a 108-100 victory over Minnesota.
Love recorded his 32nd straight double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who fell to 2-22 on the road and 0-10 against the Northwest Division this season. Wesley Johnson scored 19 points and Michael Beasley added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota.
"Our defense wasn't connected," said Wolves coach Kurt Rambis. "We weren't focused at that end. We knew against this team that we were going to have to do a great job maintaining our focus defensively because they do a great job of executing, moving without the basketball and they continue to pass the ball and move and cut."
Toronto has swept the home-and-home series with the Wolves for six consecutive seasons.