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Timberwolves 122, Heat 121 (2OTs)

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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MIAMI — The Minnesota Timberwolves, despite being out of the playoff hunt, battled mightily and snapped the Miami Heat’s four-game win streak, earning a 122-121 double-overtime win Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Minnesota forward Corey Brewer, who drew a foul on Heat guard Norris Cole, made one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left in double overtime to win the game.

Heat guard Ray Allen missed a shot at the buzzer to end it.

Wolves forward Kevin Love, who had 28 points and 11 rebounds hit a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in double overtime to give Minnesota a 119-117 lead.

Love then blocked a shot by Heat forward LeBron James, who eventually got the ball back, got fouled and made one of two free throws with 15 seconds left. That left Minnesota up 119-118.

James finished with 34 points.

Wolves point guard Jose Juan Barea, a player with strong Miami ties, made two free throws with 13 seconds left to put Minnesota up 121-118.

But Heat forward Chris Bosh made a 3-pointer at the top of the key to tie the score 121-121 with 10 seconds left. Bosh had 24 points.

In the first overtime, Love hit a jump hook with 14 seconds left to put Minnesota up 109-108.

Heat point guard Mario Chalmers had a chance to win the game with 1.9 seconds left in overtime but he only made one of two free throws. He did the same thing at the end of regulation.

Love then missed a difficult shot from the corner to force double overtime.

Both teams had a chance to win in the final 3.9 seconds of regulation. Trailing by one, Chalmers made just one of two free throws to tie the score 97-97.

On Minnesota’s final possession of regulation, Love had a step-back 3-point try go in and out at the buzzer.

Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio had 13 points and dished out 14 assists. Forward Chase Budinger came off the bench to score 24 points.

Chalmers had 24 points to lead the Heat (52-23), who are still percentage points ahead of the Indiana Pacers in the battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers lost to the Toronto Raptors earlier Wednesday.

Allen, who scored 10 points, returned after missing five straight games due to a stomach flu that hit his whole family. It was the third-longest absence in Allen’s 18-year career. He missed 16 games in 2007 and 11 in 2012, both with ankle injuries.

Up next, Miami’s five-game homestand concludes with games Sunday vs. the New York Knicks and Tuesday vs. the Brooklyn Nets.

Minnesota plays at Orlando Saturday before returning home for three tough games — San Antonio, Chicago and Houston.

NOTES: Minnesota PG Jose Juan Barea, a local product who played his high school ball at Miami Christian, made his first start of the season. He started in place of SG Kevin Martin (foot injury). … Heat SG Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and C Greg Oden sat out their fifth game in a row. … Minnesota C Nikola Pekovic (ankle) missed his second straight game. He has made 54 starts this season. … With Pekovic out, C Giorgui Dieng, fresh off his Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for March, made his eighth start of the season. … Minnesota C Kevin Love had no triple-doubles in his first five NBA seasons, but has three this season, including two in the past four games entering Friday. … Minnesota announced Friday that it had released PG A.J. Price. … Minnesota F Dante Cunningham was not with the team after being charged with domestic assault for allegedly attacking his girlfriend Thursday.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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