MINNEAPOLIS - The Washington Wizards turned in bookend cold shooting performances in the first and fourth quarters last night, surrendering a 14-point second-half lead before losing, 90-86, to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves (3-2), weary from the first of 20 sets of back-to-back games this season, nonetheless stormed back from nine down to start the fourth quarter, as Washington went nearly seven minutes in the period without a field goal, shooting only 2-for-22 as a team from the floor in the quarter.
Kendall Gill, acquired late in the preseason by Minnesota, was brilliant in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of his team-high 22 points, including the three-pointer that capped a 19-7 run and gave Minnesota the lead at 85-82 with 2:50 to go. Troy Hudson and Kevin Garnett chipped in 17 points each, and Garnett pulled down 16 re bounds.
Jerry Stackhouse had 25 points for Washington (1-3), but only two free throws in the fourth. Michael Jordan shot 5-for-14 for 10 points, but was blocked twice in the final two minutes.
The Wizards were in command as late as the early stages of the fourth quarter, but watched helplessly as Garnett, the NBA's highest-paid player, drew their attention, setting the stage for Gill, who scored seven of Minnesota's last eight points.
Already leading by eight at the half, the Wizards continued to control the tempo early in the third period, as Stackhouse scored 10 of their first 12 points in the quarter to help push the lead out to 12, at 59-47 with nine minutes left.
Minnesota then went on a quick 10-2 burst, as Garnett scored five in the run, to slice the Washington advantage to 61-57. But the Wizards answered back with a 10-0 run of their own, to take their largest lead of the night, a 14-point advantage with 2:30 to go in the quarter.
However, Troy Hudson's three-pointer from just inside halfcourt at the buzzer cut the Washington lead to 75-66 after three quarters.
For a fourth straight game, the Wizards got out of the gate slowly, shooting only 33 percent from the field for the first quarter. Stackhouse's nine points were the only consistent offense Washington could sustain in the period, and four of his points came from the foul line.
However, the Timberwolves, playing at home after losing, 106-82, to New Jersey Monday night, couldn't take advantage of Washington's cold shooting.
Minnesota led by as much as six with 3:04 left in the quarter, before the Wizards ran off six straight points, on a Kwame Brown lay-in, a pair of foul shots from Stackhouse and a 16-foot jumper from Jordan to tie the score at 21 with 1:20 left in the first quarter.
However, Garnett hit a jumper from the right wing and Hudson scored on a layup to give the Timberwolves a 25-21 lead after the first quarter.
In the second period, the Wizards, who had lost their last two games here, after winning eight of 11 previous meetings with Minnesota, sprang to life with solid bench play, as the reserves scored 24 of the team's 30 points in the quarter.
Reserve big man Etan Thomas, who did not play in Washington's loss to New Jersey Saturday night and had only logged 12 minutes in the Wizards" other two previous games, scored seven points, pulled down two rebounds and a blocked shot in seven productive minutes.
His two free throws at the 6:17 mark gave Washington its first lead since midway through the first quarter, and came in the midst of an 18-4 run that sent the Wizards from four down to 10 up, to eventually lead by eight at half, 51-43.