The Timberwolves lagged behind the Trail Blazers in first quarter Saturday night and never recovered as Blazers rolled on to a 109-94 victory at Rose Garden in Portland.
After trailing 31-19 after the first quarter, the Wolves bounced back in the second by outscoring the Blazers 25-20 to narrow the gap to 51-44 at half.
The Blazers regained their momentum in the third quarter, however, outscoring the Wolves 32-27, and kept ahead of the Wolves pace in the fourth, outscoring Minnesota 26-23 to secure the 109-94 win.
Derrick Williams led the Wolves in scoring with 23 points, while Ricky Rubio scored 12 points and had nine rebounds and nine assists.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 24 points, while J.J. Hickson scored 18 and pulled in 16 rebounds.
The Wolves return to Target Center Monday to take on the Miami Heat.
