The Washington Wizards had a great opportunity presented to them Thursday night. Washington was in Minnesota to face the Timberwolves, a team worse than them, with a chance to break their winless road streak. The Wizards fought back from a double-digit deficit and took a lead late in the fourth quarter, but in the end, came up short once again. Minnesota rallied to defeat the Wizards 109-97, sending Washington its 19th road loss of the season.
Kevin Love had his 26th straight double-double and NBA-leading 35th overall with 35 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wolves to their 10th win of the season. Luke Ridnour had 16 points, while Darko Milicic had 14 points to pace six Wolves who scored in double figures. Meanwhile, Rashard Lewis led the WIzards with 19 points. Kirk Hinrich had 18 points off of the bench. The Wizards had five scorers in double figures.
Washington found themselves down by 10 after one quarter, seven af halftime and five at the end of the third quarter. The Wizards grabbed the lead a few times, but held a 94-90 advantage midway through the fourth quarter. But as usual, they could not hold on; the Wolves went on a 19-3 run to end the game.
Washington is now 0-19 on the road and just 10 wins away from tying the NBA record for most consecutive road losses to start a season. Their next chance to win away from home is January 19 against the Milwaukee Bucks.