Winning formula: Wolves trail big early, beat Pistons 109-99

Ok, taking those big double-digit leads obviously didn't work.

So the Timberwolves took a different tack tonight.

This time, they trailed 17-4 before the game was six minutes old.

This time, they got back in the game with a 17-4 run that ended the first quarter and began the second quarter.

But the reason they won this time was they did many things right in a fourth quarter when they had done so many things wrong so far this season.

And this time, Luke Ridnour provided the kind of steadying hand and veteran leadership the Wolves were expecting when they signed him last summer.

He made like Kevin Love and had a double-double -- 20 points and 10 assists -- and showed in a 13-4 run midway through the fourth quarter what a difference it makes when you make a few plays and don't throw the ball all over the place.

He made two threes in that stretch, had a huge steal and fed Mike Beasley for a slam that started the run off and turned a one-point game into a 99-89 bulge with 3:33 left.

As efficient as the team's offense ran when it mattered most, Ridnour pointed to defense and the fact that the opponent this time didn't score every time down the floor.

"Really, we just got stop, so it made it easier on us," Ridnour said. "We didn't have to rely on just scoring every time. We played a little bit more patient, ran some pick-and-rolls that got some guys some good looks and everyone made plays instead of not making plays."

Perhaps foremost among those guys was Ridnour, whose 20 points tied his season high set on opening night against the Kings and whose 10 assists followed Wednesday's nine-assist game and were the most by a Timberwolves player this season.

Last season, a Timberwolf didn't have a 10-assist game until Ramon Sessions did so in the season's final week.

"Sometimes it seems like in this offense you get look and sometimes you don't," Ridnour said. "We've just got to get guys used to playing together, all of us together. We have a whole new team. We're just figuring out how to win the game, what works and what doesn't. It's just something we have to continue to get better at."

Some other stuff from tonight:

* Love didn't have a rebound and had just one point in the first quarter, then had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the second quarter alone.

Tonight was his ninth straight double-double with at least 15 rebounds. It's the longest streak of 15-rebound games since Ben Wallace had 15 or more rebounds in 14 straight games during the 2002-03 season.

* Darko Milicic said before the game that he didn't know how much he could play on that bad leg (bruised quad muscle), but would try anyway. Turns out the answer is 36 1/2 minutes, during which he set a career high with seven blocks.

He had those seven by the end of the third quarter, but made a couple of big plays in the fourth, including finding Ridnour with a pass for a big three pointer.

"That's what I do, block shots," he said.

He said he was surprised that his quad got worse as the game went on rather than loosening and getting better.

"It surprised me it's not getting warmer, not getting looser through the game," he said. "It's getting tighter. It's supposed to get loose, supposed to get lighter and not feel it no more. It hurts a little bit but it's not a pain I can't go through."

Darko's seven blocks temporarily reclaimed the league's top spot in blocked shots, but I think Andrew Bogut got it back with five of his own in a victory over Houston tonight.

* The Wolves won with Beasley struggling with foul trouble and thus with scoring as well. His 12 points were his fewest since he had 11 against the Spurs at home on Nov. 24.

* Corey Brewer played nearly 33 minutes, went 4 for 14 from the field but had three steals and was a plus-21. The next best Timbewrolf was Ridnour's plus-nine.

* Jonny Flynn began his final rehab stint in the D League tonight.

He played 30 1/2 minutes, scored eight points (on 2-for-8 shooting, including 0 for 4 on 3s), had 12 assists, seven turnovers and five rebounds.

He'll finish up there with a game Saturday night. In his first two games down there, he mostly has looked to involve his teammates. It'll be interesting to see if he looks to score in his final game before he comes back to the Wolves for what very well could be his season debut Tuesday at Golden State.

That also likely will be the first look we get at Martell Webster as well.

The Wolves made it through the snow tonight and landed in Chicago safely. They play the Bulls -- winners over the Lakers at home tonight -- there tomrorrow night.

That's all I got from Target Center tonight.

Kent Youngblood's got tomorrow night's game from Chicago and I'll pick the fellas up next week on that five-game swing across the West.

The Wolves don't play at home again until Big Al Jefferson comes back to Minny with Utah on Dec. 22.