Minnesota vs Washington: Wizards Work Some Magic Against Wolves

A Minnesota win looked like a strong possibility in Washington Saturday night—until the last five minutes of the game.

Although the Timberwolves held the lead until late into the fourth quarter, a re-energized Wizards squad pulled together a 13-5 run—topped off by four successful free throws—to seal the deal.

Minnesota watched its road game win slip away with a final score of 103-96. Kevin Love was the leading scorer with 20 points, followed by Michael Beasley with 18.

Minnesota fell into an old habit and committed 21 turnovers, seven of which occurred in the fourth quarter. The Wizards outscored their opponents 35-24 in said period. 

John Wall had 18 total points and was most influential in the second half of the ballgame. In addition, Trevor Booker added seven points of the bench in the final minutes, and six of these points came in the form of impressive dunks.

Commenting on Booker’s performance, Kevin Love stated, “You see the mascots jumping off the trampoline, that’s what it felt like [Booker] was doing in there. He’s an athletic freak. I got off at the 10th floor, he got off at the 12th. That was the deal.”

Love’s 20 points and 21 rebounds marked his 50th consecutive double-double game. The forward out of UCLA is now only one game away from tying Moses Malone’s record.

“Yeah, it’s kind of normal now,” commented Beasley on Love’s stats. ”I’m like, ‘whatever.’ Tell me 40-40 and I’ll get excited.”

Luke Ridnour put up decent numbers with 14 points and six assists, and Nikola Pekovich also played well with 13 points and eight rebounds in just under 26 minutes of play.

Pekovich has been filling in for Darko Milicic, who took a leave to spend time with his wife and newborn son. Although Milicic is the team's starting center, Pekovich has played with more consistency and is vying for his spot.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, rookie Wes Johnson missed his second consecutive game due to flu-like symptoms. Meanwhile, Washington guard Nick Young was also sidelined with a similar illness.

Following Saturday’s loss, the Timberwolves will return home for a Monday night game against the Dallas Mavericks, where fans hope to see Love come one step closer to double-double history.

The contest will also be the first meeting of Corey Brewer with his former team since his trade.