Wolves

Jazz grooves, moves past Wolves

Back-to-back blowouts a week ago became ancient history as the Wolves were crushed in a ho-hum performance against Utah.

By Jerry Zgoda

March 17, 2011 at 11:59AM

Minnesota's Kevin Love takes a shot as he is defended by Utah's Andrei Kirilenko. (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

SALT LAKE CITY - If you ever feel like you're just counting down the games to the merciful end of this long, lousy Timberwolves season, you're not alone.

The Wolves played like it, too, in Wednesday's 119-104 loss at Utah.

Late last week, the Wolves put together the franchise's first consecutive 20-point victories since 2001, when a fellow named Kevin Garnett played for them.

This week, the Wolves have been thumped in consecutive road games, by 24 on Sunday at Golden State and then again in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.

That's when the Jazz avenged Friday's 21-point loss at Target Center by outscoring the Wolves 36-18 in the second quarter and running off to a lead that grew to as many as 26 points before halftime.

"You could tell they were mad," Wolves veteran point guard Luke Ridnour said.

And interested, too.

The Jazz still is chasing the last playoff spot in the West. The Wolves are 13 games from the guaranteed finish line.

Afterward, Wolves coach Kurt Rambis called his team's energy and effort from the start "abysmal." So, too, was their defense: They allowed the Jazz and former Timberwolves center Al Jefferson to score 62 points in the paint, and allowed guard C.J. Miles a career-high 40 points.

"They have two ballgames in a row where they did a great job defensively and moved the ball," Rambis said, referring to blowout home victories over Indiana and the Jazz last week. "Then the last two games, our defense disappeared, the ball movement stopped and this is a result of it."

Jefferson delivered 26 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday, five days after he had just nine and nine against his old mates.

Rambis threw Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Martell Webster at Miles with no success. Miles torched Beasley mostly for 18 first-quarter points. By halftime, Miles had scored 25.

Placed into the starting lineup by coach Ty Corbin for the second consecutive game, Miles finished with 40 points, 11 more than his previous career high. He made 14 of 18 shots, including six of seven three-pointers.

"Miles got hot and really just changed the game," Ridnour said. "He scored 40 points, which I'm sure is a career high by a long shot. He came out and proved he wanted to be out there."

The Wolves pulled within 10 points early in the fourth quarter before the Jazz pushed the lead back to 22.

"You spend the entire second half trying to fight your way out of it," Rambis said. "It's too deep a hole."

One and countingOne game after his 53-game double-double streak ended at Golden State, Wolves forward Kevin Love potentially started another one with a 22-point, 11-rebound game.

"That was an incredible run, but there's no reason to think he isn't going to start another one," Rambis said.

Big Al is backWith Deron Williams traded to New Jersey last month, Jefferson is the league's second-leading scorer since All-Star break.

"Last year, he never regained his pop," Rambis said, referring to Jefferson's recovery from February 2009 knee surgery. "He never did. You can clearly see it just the way he runs and moves and jumps and how quick and explosive he is now. He's back to being the old Al Jefferson, and he never had that last year."

Etc.• Ridnour joined the team in Utah Tuesday night after returning home for two days to be with his wife and newborn twins and started at point guard.

• Darko Milicic started at center Wednesday after missing practice in San Francisco on Tuesday because he was ill.