(SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Timberwolves continue their road trip and hope to continue their recent good form Saturday night when they visit Sleep Train Arena to face the Sacramento Kings.
The Wolves are 2-1 on this western sojourn and wrap up the trip Monday in Denver.
On Tuesday, Kevin Love nearly had his second career triple-double in as many weeks with 33 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 110-101 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Rookie Shabazz Muhammad tallied a career-high 20 points off the bench and Corey Brewer added 18 for the Timberwolves, who have won four of five.
Phoenix's Markieff Morris hit a jumper with just under 3 1/2 minutes left to give the Suns a 97-96 lead. Brewer then scored the next four points to start a 9-0 run that Love capped with a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point game with 30.9 seconds left.
The Suns missed all eight of their field goal attempts since the Morris bucket gave them the lead, with four free throws being the only points scored in the closing minutes.
"With five minutes to go in the game it's a timeout, we said the team that makes the most stops will win the game," said Minnesota coach Rick Adelman. "We were physical, rebound the ball well, and won the game."
The Wolves might get some pieces back soon as both Kevin Martin (thumb) and Nikola Pekovic (right ankle) have scrimmaged with the team. There is no exact timetable for their return.
The Kings were awful defensively on Friday night in a 126-122 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Kings surrendered the Lakers' season-high in points and allowed LA to convert a franchise-record 19 3-pointers while shooting 70.4 percent from long range.
"This was two bad defensive teams," Sacramento head coach Mike Malone admitted. "I was embarrassed about our defense tonight. That defensive effort tonight was unacceptable."
Sacramento's Rudy Gay registered a game-high 32 points, while Derrick Williams and Isaiah Thomas each scored 26 for the Kings, who have dropped back-to-back games.
Jason Thompson finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds starting at the center spot for DeMarcus Cousins, who was suspended one game by the NBA after a recent outburst at an official. Cousins should be back in uniform on Saturday night.
The Kings bested the Wolves in Minnesota on Jan. 15 and have taken two in a row in this series. Sacramento is 3-1 in its last four against the Wolves as the host.
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