Wolves record: 1-5
This time, he and his teammates left the Rose Garden owners of a five-game losing streak only after Blazers guard Brandon Roy once again down the stretch tormented Wolves fans still watching back home late and only after Travis Outlaw’s two free throws with 4.6 seconds sealed a 97-93 victory.
The night before in Sacramento, the Wolves surrendered 98 points in three quarters.
That’s a threshold the Blazers never reached on an evening when the Wolves led by a dozen points in the second quarter, trailed by six points with less than eight minutes remaining and tied the score twice in the final minute before Roy proved one more time that he and the Blazers will not be denied.
Al Jefferson scored 27 points to lead the Wolves, who played much better than they did the night before in a 121-109 loss at Sacramento, but he missed two short shots in the final 16 seconds.
Rookie forward Kevin Love also missed a shot in the final seconds for Minnesota on a night when he went 0 for 7 from the floor and scored just two points in his Portland homecoming.
“That was just the story of my night,” he said.
From the Associated Press:
They have lost five in a row against the Blazers, and last won in Portland on Dec. 7, 2005.
Minnesota coach Randy Wittman was mostly positive after the game.
“If we play with thus kind of intensity and effort every night then we are going to be all right,” he said. “They’ve got to be able to see that. It’s just as simple as that.”
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