Timberwolves Wrap: Another close road loss for Wolves

The Timberwolves once again played well enough to win a game on the road but saw a rough stretch early in the fourth quarter lead to their demise.

The Wolves played extremely well early in the first quarter before the bench unit came in and had a rough stretch between late in the first frame and early into the second, picking up where they left off towards the end of the loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

But unlike Friday’s game, the Timberwolves dominated the third quarter to the tune of 26-15. Ricky Rubio sliced and diced the Trail Blazers’ defense in the pick-and-roll, leading to a thunderous dunk and some nice finishes from Karl-Anthony Towns as well as some easy buckets for Gorgui Dieng.

But the key to the third quarter was the fantastic defense played by the visitors. Rubio and Andrew Wiggins walled-up on the perimeter and Dieng and Towns were on point with their rotations in and around the paint.

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Once again, however, the bench gave it all back and then some. Nemanja Bjelica continued to struggle, Shabazz Muhammad was shaky once again (0-3 FG, two turnovers), and the Andre Miller–Zach LaVine back court that Sam Mitchell deployed could not slow Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Gerald Henderson in the slightest.

The Wolves actually led by a score of 69-65 very early in the final frame before they eventually fell behind by as many as 12 points, including with just 2:51 showing on the clock. Rubio and LaVine made plays down the stretch, however, and brought the Wolves to within one possession a couple of times in the final minute.

Once again, it ultimately was not enough and the Timberwolves’ losing streak is now four games. With the Lakers coming up on Tuesday night, however, it very well could come to an end.

Tweets of the Night

Star of the Night

Karl-Anthony Towns – 21 points (9-18 FG, 1-2 3P, 5-5 FT, 2-4 FT), 13 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers

Towns was fantastic once again, taking advantage of Rubio’s on-time, on-target deliveries throughout the game, knocking down open jumpers, and converting put-backs on the offensive glass. At this rate, Towns could be a shoe-in All-Star just 12 months from now.

Other Notable Timberwolves Lines

Zach LaVine – 14 points (6-14 FG, 1-4 3P, 1-1 FT), 2 assists, 2 rebounds, one steal, one turnover

Andrew Wiggins – 15 points (3-18 FG, 0-4 3P, 9-12 FT), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers

Ricky Rubio – 15 points (6-7 FG, 1-1 3P, 2-5 FT), 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals

Gorgui Dieng – 13 points (4-8 FG, 0-2 3P, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, one block, one turnover

Who’s Got Next?

The Timberwolves head to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Tuesday night, followed by the Clippers in the same building on Wednesday night.

Next: Is Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins in a Sophomore Slump?

The Wolves defeated the Lakers each of the first two times they faced off this season, and with the Clippers and eventually the Bulls on tap later in the week, beating the lesser L.A. squad looms as fairly important if Minnesota is looking to avoid a losing streak of seven or more games.