Kevin Love collected 27 points and 17 rebounds for his 37th consecutive double-double Monday as the Minnesota Timberwolves won for just the third time on the road this season with a 104-92 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.
Michael Beasley added 14 points, Jonny Flynn had 13 and reserves Anthony Tolliver and Nikola Pekovic 12 apiece for the Timberwolves, who made 11-of-26 3-pointers and snapped a three-game overall skid.
Minnesota won on the road for the first time since Dec. 26 at Cleveland and improved to just 3-23 away from home.
Minnesota used a 37-point second quarter to take control, cruising into the break with a 60-46 lead. Tolliver drained four of the Timberwolves’ seven 3-pointers in the frame while Love added nine points and Sebastian Telfair hit a pair from beyond the arc.
The Wolves stretched it to 65-46 when Corey Brewer hit a 3-pointer early in the third period but cooled off quickly, going nearly five minutes without a basket while the Hornets cut it to 69-62 with just under five minutes left.
Instead of folding, Minnesota regrouped behind Love, who scored nine points over the final 4:07 to rebuild the advantage to 82-70 entering the final period. New Orleans never threatened thereafter.
Chris Paul recorded 17 points and 13 assists for the Hornets, who have dropped three straight.
Minnesota | New Orleans | |
Kevin Love 27 | Scoring | David West 18 |
Jonny Flynn 6 | Assists | Chris Paul 13 |
Kevin Love 17 | Rebounds | Aaron Gray 8 |
Kevin Love 14 | Free Throws Made | Chris Paul 7 |
Jonny Flynn 2 | Steals | Chris Paul 4 |
Michael Beasley 1 | Blocks | Aleksandar Pavlovic 4 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Minnesota | 104 | 43.0 | 11-26 | 25-25 | 21 | 44 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
New Orleans | 92 | 41.7 | 6-24 | 16-22 | 22 | 43 | 9 | 7 | 13 |