T’wolves snap long road skid

CLEVELAND—All the losses and injuries had been piling up for weeks on the Timberwolves. They were shaken, unsure, almost helpless to stop them.
They were desperate for a break. And finally, they got one.

Luke Ridnour scored 21 points, and Ricky Rubio added 13 and 10 assists, as Minnesota snapped an eight-game road losing streak, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-92 last night.
“We needed that bad, man,” Ridnour said.
He made a critical three-pointer with 1:43 left and scored 13 points in the fourth quarter for the banged-up Timberwolves, who hadn’t won on the road since Jan. 3—star centre Kevin Love’s last game before he was lost indefinitely with a broken hand.
Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 10 rebounds as Minnesota ended a four-game losing streak and improved to just 4-16 since losing Love.
“It’s been a long month for us,” Ridnour conceded.
“We’re competitors. You want to win games,” he stressed. “Losing, as much as you don’t want to say it, takes a toll on you.
“This is a good one for us.”
Kyrie Irving netted 20 points while Tristan Thompson had 16 for the Cavs, who were within 82-81 in the fourth before Ridnour sparked a 10-2 run by the Timberwolves.
Minnesota shot 75 per cent (12-of-16) in the fourth quarter, leaving Cleveland swingman C.J. Miles to call out his teammates.
“We basically did it to ourselves,” he said. “They made some tough shots—don’t take anything away from them—but for the most part, we gave the game to them.”
Elsewhere in the NBA, the L.A. Clippers beat Philadelphia 107-90, Brooklyn downed Indiana 89-84 (OT), Charlotte trimmed Boston 94-91, and New Orleans dumped Detroit 105-86.
San Antonio bounced Chicago 103-89, Washington upended Milwaukee 102-90, and Atlanta shaded Dallas 105-101.