A FEW THAT GOT AWAY

The Wolves, still hovering around .500, have had a number of games this season when listless play cost them a victory. Here are a few of the more glaring:

Nov. 4 at Cleveland: The night after a win against the Knicks in New York pushed their record to 3-0, the Wolves went to Cleveland and fell behind the Cavaliers by 23 points midway through the third quarter. A spirited rally came up just short when Kevin Love missed a potential game-winning three-pointer with 2 seconds left in a 93-92 loss.

Nov. 19 at Washington: Minnesota led by 16 points in the first half and by 13 at halftime but was outscored 30-18 in the third quarter. Martell Webster hit a three-pointer with 42.9 seconds left in the game to give the Wizards the lead for good.

Dec. 16 at Boston: The Wolves, playing a team they had trounced the month before, missed 11 free throws and 21 three-point shots in a 101-97 loss. Ahead by two with 3:48 left, the Wolves allowed the Celtics to go on a 10-2 run.

Dec. 22 at L.A. Clippers: Leading by five points with 89 seconds left in regulation, and by four with 18 seconds left, the Wolves turned the ball over with 8 seconds left and allowed the Clippers the game-tying dunk that forced overtime, where the Wolves lost 120-116.

Monday vs. Dallas: With another chance to move above. 500, the Wolves allowed Dallas to shoot 60 percent and score 34 points in the paint while building a 19-point halftime lead. The Lynx stormed back to take a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Mavericks forward Shawn Marion hit two wide-open three-pointers to give Dallas the lead for good.