Wolves 97, Magic 106

J.J. Redick scored 14 points and Vince Carter had 13 as the Magic swept the season series.

Al Jefferson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Darko Milicic, Corey Brewer, Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love all scored 14 points, but Minnesota couldn’t withstand a second-half spurt from the Magic bench players.

Anderson and Redick combined for 16 points as the Magic opened the fourth quarter with an 18-6 run that pushed their lead to 21 points. The Magic reserves had two 3-pointers and eight points apiece during the spurt that ended with Redick making two free throws to put Orlando up 100-79.

From Dick Scanlon for NBA.com

“We are playing against playoff teams so we are treating these games like they are the playoffs. This is the closest we’re going to get to the playoffs.”

They have won only one game since the Super Bowl and they have given up 100 or more in 14 straight.

It is Minnesota’s second 15-game losing streak of the season and leaves it one short of the franchise record of 16, which was last “accomplished” 16 years ago. The Wolves play Phoenix at home Sunday night.

The Wolves were shooting 57 percent when the Magic (51-22) took the lead on a layup by Matt Barnes with 2:58 left in the first half. Then the shots stopped falling.

From Jerry Zgoda for StarTribune.com

“I don’t know what to say about that,” Wolves center Darko Milicic said when asked if he considered the night a teaching and learning moment. “We’re trying. It’s hard. They’ve got a big guy in the paint, a killer, and they’ve got guys out on the three-point line who can shoot. That’s a good team right there.”

Rambis started Milicic defensively on matchup nightmare Rashard Lewis, the shooting guard who plays a power forward on TV, and Milicic’s length on the perimeter helped limit Lewis to 10 points.

So little-used reserve forward Ryan Anderson burned the Wolves (with three threes and 19 points) just as he did the last time the two teams played. “He dusted himself off and hurt us again,” Rambis said.