Auburn Hills, MI – J.J. Barea scored 21 points off the bench and led the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 105-82 rout against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
Nikola Pekovic registered a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who came into the game off a 104-97 loss against Chicago on Sunday. Luke Ridnour tallied 15 points and Ricky Rubio had 14 points and nine assists.
"We were due for a night like this," said Barea. "Our starters started getting hot, and we kept the flow going."
Jose Calderon scored 14 points while Greg Monroe had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons, who snapped a 10-game losing streak with a win at Charlotte on Saturday.
"We deserved everything we got tonight," said Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank. "We've got 24 wins and not many games left. The fans that were out here tonight are the hardcore loyalists, and we need to give them a better product. They have every right to boo us right now."
Entering the second quarter, the Timberwolves had a 19-16 edge.
Minnesota extended its lead by as much as eight points in the second and outshot Detroit 57.1 to 39.1 percent from the field in the frame, but the Pistons kept the game close, as they were 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
Pekovic made a layup at the buzzer and Minnesota was up by six, 44-38, at halftime.
However, in the third, Minnesota was nearly unstoppable, scoring 38 points. The Timberwolves shot 13-of-20 from the field, including 7-of-9 from beyond the arc, and made all five of their free throw attempts.
The Timberwolves went on a 12-0 run in the final 2:11 of the frame, capped with a dunk by Andrei Kirilenko with 1.5 seconds remaining to take an 82-54 lead into the fourth quarter.
With such a large lead, both teams emptied their benches. Though the Pistons were 10-of-17 on the floor, Barea scored 14 points for the Timberwolves, including four from behind the arc, to seal the win.
Game Notes
Detroit's Khris Middleton scored 10 points off the bench ... The Pistons have lost seven straight at home ... The Timberwolves have won two straight road games for the first time this season ... Minnesota has a five-game winning streak against the Pistons.
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