(SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves aim to get back on track when they visit the Toronto Raptors Friday night.
The Timberwolves are coming off Wednesday's 111-108 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Target Center. Rudy Gay scored 33 points and DeMarcus Cousins posted his 12th straight double-double by amassing 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings.
Minnesota was led by Love's 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Martin and J.J. Barea all scored 14 points for the T'Wolves, who shot 44.3 percent for the game and have lost three of four and four of their last six games. Minnesota cut an 11-point deficit down to one with a late 17-7 surge capped by Barea's three-point play with 4.6 seconds remaining.
However, Isaiah Thomas sealed it at the line for Sacramento and Barea's desperation shot at the end was off the mark.
"I don't know who we think we are but that's just not going to do it," Minnesota head coach Rick Adelman said of his team's effort.
The Wolves, who are 7-12 on the road and just 6-18 when allowing 100-plus points, will start a home-and-home series with the Utah Jazz on Saturday. They are 12-2 when keeping the opposition under the century mark in scoring.
Meanwhile, Toronto will play two in a row at home versus Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers and is unbeaten in the last five games at Air Canada Centre.
The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors are 9-8 north of the border and look to get back into the win column following Wednesday's 88-83 loss at Boston. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, Kyle Lowry had 18, 12 assists and seven rebounds and John Salmons added 13 points off the bench for the Raptors, who had won three straight and eight of 10 games.
"They had 19 offensive rebounds. Can't win games when you give up 19 offensive rebounds," Lowry said. "They outworked us tonight, which is rare for us. It stinks, guys are mad but they should be."
The Raptors made only 34.5 percent of their shots and 4-of-17 3-pointers. They hope to make it six straight home wins for the first time since Jan. 17 - Feb. 10, 2010, when Toronto posted eight straight wins at Air Canada Centre.
DeRozan has scored 20 or more points in six of eight games this month for the Raptors, who took both meetings with Minnesota a season ago and have won four straight and 16 of the past 17 matchups between the teams.
Toronto is riding a nine-game home winning streak versus the Wolves. The Timberwolves haven't tasted victory in Canada since Jan. 21, 2004 in a 108-97 triumph.
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