There was no improbable road win this time.
No, the Hawks got ran out of the building by the host Timberwolves.
The Hawks had a four-game road win streak end as the Timberwolves led by as many as 29 points on the way to a 104-90 victory Monday night at the Target Center.
“The outplayed us in every phase of the game,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
The Hawks (15-16) dropped under .500 with the loss where even the return of Dwight Howard made no difference.
The Hawks lost to the Timberwolves, 92-84, last week in Atlanta as they played without Howard. The starting center returned but it didn’t matter to the Timberwolves after the first quarter. Howard finished with a double-double of 20 points, on 9-of-9 shooting, and 12 rebounds but played just 21 minutes after returning from a three-game absence due to back tightness and the game out of hand by the third quarter.
The Timberwolves outscored the Hawks 31-20 in the second quarter and 35-20 in the third quarter to open the substantial advantage. The Timberwolves were a combined 10 of 15 from 3-point range in the middle two quarters.
The Hawks also got 13 points from Thabo Sefolosha, all in the first half. No other starter scored more than eight points.
The Timberwolves (10-21) swept the season series with the Hawks for the second straight year. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine each finished with 21 points.
The Timberwolves broke open a close game and led by as many as 13 points with a 15-6 run in the second quarter. They took a 54-45 lead into intermission. The Hawks committed seven second-quarter turnovers that led to eight points. Towns had 18 first-half points for the Timberwolves, including 15 in the first quarter. Howard nearly had a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds in the opening two quarters for the Hawks. Sefolosha also had 13 points.
The Timberwolves led by as many as 28 points in the third quarter thanks to a 14-0 run in the period.
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