National Basketball Association

Timberwolves 91, Heat 88

Published Feb. 24, 2010 3:29 a.m. ET

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Kevin Love had 17 points and 12 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of Dwyane Wade's absence for a rare road victory, 91-88 over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

Jonny Flynn added 16 points and three steals for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak and won for just the fifth time in 29 road games this season.

Dorell Wright had a career-high 26 points off the bench to lead the Heat, and Jermaine O'Neal added 18.

Miami played its third straight game without Wade, the All-Star MVP, and starting point guard Rafer Alston. Wade is listed as day-to-day with a strained left calf, while Alston is dealing with a bruised right hand.

They were sorely missed against the lowly Timberwolves (14-44), who have the worst record in the Western Conference.

Miami trailed almost the entire game, except for a small stretch early in the third, and couldn't string together a solid run to overtake Minnesota.

The Heat trailed by as many as 14 in the final period. But Wright scored 11 points in the period, including three 3-pointers, to get the Heat close.

Wright hit a 3-pointer, Quentin Richardson connected on all three of his free throws, and Daequan Cook had a jumper from the left side to make it 87-84.

Michael Beasley's tip-in, and Wright's jumper after a layup by Flynn made it a one-point game with less than 30 seconds left on the clock.

But Wolves rookie Wayne Ellington knocked down both of his free throws, and Cook missed a 3-pointer as time expired to give Minnesota its first victory in Miami since the Kevin Garnett era in 2003.

The Heat got off to a slow start without Wade, shooting 6 of 18 for a season-low 15 points in the first quarter to go down by nine.

NOTES: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he splashed some Jackson 5 footage into game film to inspire his players. It was in response to comments made by TNT analyst Charles Barkley last year referring to Wade's teammates as a bunch of Tito Jacksons. ``Ultimately an 82-game season is long. So sometimes there are different ways to inspire players,'' Spoelstra said. Minnesota F Ryan Gomes hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter after going 0-for-9 from deep in his last four games. O'Neal's tip-in in the second quarter put him over the 12,000-point mark for his career.

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