The beat goes on: Burke, Jazz hand Wolves 11th straight defeat

Just four days earlier, the Timberwolves lost a game in Salt Lake City that they should have won.

You'd be tempted to say the same about Saturday's 101-89 loss to Utah again, except there apparently is no such thing, as this very painful season is showing by each passing night.

At least not until the Wolves get back injured starters Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin.

If there were such a thing, the Wolves would have defeated a Jazz team that didn't land in Minnesota until just before 2 a.m. Saturday after Friday's home loss to Atlanta. If there were, they would have defeated a Jazz team that played without three more injured players than it had when it overcame an eight-point deficit with 4:23 left and beat the Wolves 100-94 on Tuesday.

"Disappointing," Wolves coach Flip Saunders said. "That's probably about as bad a loss as we've had in a long time, at least that I've been associated with."

Saunders vowed lineup changes and other corrective measures designed to right a listing ship. It's one that tilted even further toward the horizon Saturday. Saunders lamented his young team's lack of energy and willingness to compete against a Utah team that, while also undermanned, has won six of nine games.

"Energy comes from within," Wolves rookie Andrew Wiggins said. "No one can tell you to play hard. You have to want to play hard."

Saturday's loss, the Wolves' 11th in a row, came in front of a Saturday night audience announced at 13,702. The Wolves have won just once — Dec. 10 against Portland — since they beat the Lakers in Los Angeles the night after Thanksgiving.

"We've had pretty good crowds these last two games, considering where we're at," Saunders said. "And on a Saturday night, when the crowd was pretty energized, to come out how we did in the beginning, that's uncalled for. We talked to the team afterward about just what it is to be professional. It's everybody's responsibility."

Ultimately, the Wolves were bullied by the Jazz's physicality, not to mention makeshift starting center Rudy Gobert's career-high 13 points and six blocks or reserve forward Trevor Booker's career-high 15 rebounds.

"They beat us on energy plays and they ripped in and took our heart away," Saunders said.

The Wolves also had no answer for Jazz point guard Trey Burke, who shook Friday's 2-for-19 shooting performance (including 0-for-11 on three-pointers) against the Hawks and scored a season-high 28 points.

That's four points shy of his career high, reached in last season's finale against the Wolves team that traded his rights in a 2013 draft-night deal that brought Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng to Minnesota.

"He'd be first team all-league if he played against us every time," Saunders said of Burke. "Maybe I should have drafted him based on how he's played against us and in this arena."

The Jazz played without starting shooting guard Alec Burks, without Burks' replacement, rookie Rodney Hood, and without Burks' replacement's replacement, Patrick Christopher. Also injured was starting center Enes Kanter, so Gobert stepped forth and had 11 points and five blocks in the third quarter alone.

Saunders cautioned about waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

"Like I told our guys, don't think it can't get worse," Saunders said. "It definitely can.

' The thing is, they might be waiting for Rubio and Pekovic and everything else, but when those guys come back, some guys won't be playing."