National Basketball Association
Minnesota 122, Portland 110
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 3, 2012
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Officials:
#34 Kevin Cutler, #26 Pat Fraher, #32 Eddie F. Rush
Attendance:
20644
By SportsDirect Inc.
TIMBERWOLVES 122, TRAIL BLAZERS 110: Kevin Love scored a season-high 42 points and had 10 rebounds as Minnesota sent struggling Portland to another home loss.
Portland (18-19) had sought its 17th consecutive victory in the series, but instead fell below .500 and has lost six of its last eight at home.
Love, falling one shy of his career-high 43 points, was brilliant in every aspect, taking over the game and outplaying LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 14.
Love was 15 of 27, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, along with four assists and zero turnovers as Minnesota earned its first win in Portland since Dec. 7, 2005.
The Timberwolves' bench had another outstanding night with 48 points, getting 21 points and eight rebounds from Martell Webster and 15 points from rookie Derrick Williams.
Ricky Rubio had a team-record 10 first-quarter assists and finished with 12.
Minnesota (19-19) was 12 of 23 from 3-point range one game after going 1 for 13 at Phoenix.
Portland's Gerald Wallace had 25 points, 14 rebounds and five steals. Nicolas Batum scored 29 and Jamal Crawford had 23.
Tied at 84, Minnesota went on an 11-0 run – highlighted by Love's slam – for a 95-84 lead with 8:25 remaining. They maintained it the rest of the way, even getting a four-point play from Williams.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Blazers C Marcus Camby (chin laceration and neck strain) left four minutes into the game after being knocked to the floor. He had eight stitches to close the cut on his chin. He returned with the chin bandaged with four minutes left in the third quarter. ... Love came in averaging 12.3 points in four career Rose Garden appearances. He doubled that early in the third quarter. ... The Timberwolves' 40 first-quarter points were four more than Portland had allowed any opponent this season. ... Portland coach Nate McMillan said center Kurt Thomas continues to have medical testing, three days after suffering a concussion against Denver. ... Portland has not had a sub-.500 record this late in the season since a 38-39 record on April 6, 2008.
Top Game Performances
Minnesota |
|
Portland |
Kevin Love 42 |
Scoring |
Nicolas Batum 29 |
Ricky Rubio 12 |
Assists |
LaMarcus Aldridge 4 |
Kevin Love 10 |
Rebounds |
Gerald Wallace 14 |
Kevin Love 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Nicolas Batum 8 |
Ricky Rubio 2 |
Steals |
Gerald Wallace 5 |
Martell Webster 2 |
Blocks |
Joel Przybilla 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Minnesota
|
122 |
53.8 |
12-23 |
24-28 |
20 |
37 |
3 |
4 |
14 |
Portland
|
110 |
48.2 |
10-26 |
20-28 |
15 |
39 |
5 |
9 |
11 |
Upcoming Games
-
Portland will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .278 after a win and .684 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against L.A. Clippers. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .526 after a loss.