The Minnesota Timberwolves had a four-point lead on the undefeated Miami Heat with two and a half minutes to play in the game, but fell victim to the LeBron James and Dwyane Wade show.
Down four, James and Wade led the Heat on a 9-3 run to close out the game, including an alley-oop layup by Wade on an inbounds pass from James with six seconds left that gave the Heat a two-point, 103-101, lead for good.
Minnesota did not take good shots down the stretch, deferring to Wayne Ellington on their final two possessions. Ellington finished 5-of-13 shooting off the bench.
Rookie point guard Ricky Rubio was definitely a bright spot for the T-Wolves, though, as he finished with a double-double, 12 points and 12 assists (opposite five turnovers) off the bench. He also had six rebounds. Kevin Love had 25 points and 12 rebounds.
The Timberwolves are now 0-3 on the young season and their quest for their first win doesn't get any easier -- they open the New Year with a game against Dallas.