Down by 21 points after a lopsided opening half, the Minnesota Timberwolves looked like they were ready to roll over and die in their bid to stay alive in the playoff race. But with star forward Kevin Love not able to contribute, the T-Wolves still managed to show their resiliency and outscored Denver 60-45 in the second half despite falling short 113-107 in the end.
The loss ends Minnesota's futile bid to reach the postseason, but the injury to Love remains the biggest issue for this team going forward. Love saw the court for just eight minutes on Wednesday before the injury, and was 0-for-5 from the field.
The Timberwolves picked up an unexpected 28 points, six rebounds and five blocks from forward Anthony Randolph off the bench, while No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams also added 27 as Love's absence opened up obvious playing time for the pair. Williams chipped in eight rebounds and was also 3-for-9 from three-point range.
Oddly enough, both teams shot exactly 50% from the floor in the game, and also combined for 55 assists and just 27 turnovers, equating to a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. The T-Wolves, now 25-34 on the season, will continue their road trip with Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers at the Target Center on Thursday night.
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