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Love helps Timberwolves take down Bucks

Dec 29, 2013 - 5:36 AM Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Love scored 33 points to go along with 15 rebounds in helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 117-95 drubbing of the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Kevin Martin had 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc and Nikola Pekovic added a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards for Minnesota, which snapped a three-game road losing skid.

Khris Middleton paced Milwaukee with 23 points, while O.J. Mayo and Brandon Knight scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, in defeat.

Larry Sanders, starting in place of John Henson who sat with a sprained ankle, scored nine points with 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who have lost eight of their last nine games.

The Bucks trailed 34-28 at the end of one quarter and Minnesota used a 14-4 run early in the second to grab a 48-34 advantage. Love hit a 3 to get things going and Dante Cunningham closed the spurt with a jumper at the 7:47 mark.

Milwaukee pulled within five, 60-55, late in the frame after a free throw from Knight, but Minnesota scored the final four points to take a nine-point lead at half.

"What happened to us in the second quarter really led to what happened to us in the third quarter," said Bucks coach Larry Drew. "We didn't execute in the third quarter."

Minnesota essentially put the game away minutes into the second half thanks to a 14-0 run out of the locker room. Pekovic and Love combined for nine points during the burst to help the visitors to a 78-55 lead with just under eight minutes left in the third.

Mayo hit a 3 to end the scoreless drought, but the Timberwolves outscored the hosts 39-21 in the third for a 103-76 advantage heading into the fourth.

Minnesota cruised in the fourth, despite managing just 14 points in the period.

"It was a good win," said Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman. "If nothing else our guys learned a lesson that the game's not over. We missed a lot of shots and missed free throws."

Game Notes

Minnesota shot 45.8 percent from 3, which marks the seventh consecutive game the Bucks have allowed their opponent to shoot better than 44 percent ... Corey Brewer scored 12 points for the Wolves ... Milwaukee shot 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from deep.