The AP reports: Mike Miller scored 34 points and hit a season-high eight 3-pointers to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 113-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. Rudy Gay added 23 points for Memphis and Hakim Warrick had 20 as the Grizzlies sent the Wolves to their fourth straight loss and sixth in the last seven… Ryan Gomes led Minnesota with 19 points and Al Jefferson had 18.

The AP reports: Steve Nash had 14 points and 11 assists, then sat out the final quarter Friday night while the Suns completed a 117-88 rout of the Timberwolves. Amare Stoudemire had 24 points in 28 minutes as five Suns reached double figures. Grant Hill, out for the previous three games with a strained right groin, had 16 points and 10 rebounds… Raja Bell added 15 points and Leandro Barbosa 11 for the Suns… Al Jefferson scored 20 on 11-of-26 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who fell to an NBA-worst 5-32 on the road. The Timberwolves shot 38 percent.

The AP reports: Mehmet Okur made four 3-pointers and scored 22 points, leading the Jazz to a 117-100 win over Minnesota. He scored 19 of points and made three 3-pointers in the second half… Okur credited guard Deron Williams for Utah’s stellar play in the second half. The Jazz scored 38 points in the third quarter and shot 62 percent from the field after the break. Williams had 19 points and 14 assists for his 49th double-double of the season… Utah won for the 24th time in 25 home games and improved to 34-4 at EnergySolutions Arena this season… Marko Jaric led Minnesota with 18 points and eight rebounds. Reserve Rashad McCants had 17 points.

The AP reports: As Chauncey Billups has done so many times before in a Detroit uniform, Rodney Stuckey did much of his damage when his team needed him most, scoring 12 of his career-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Pistons to a 94-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night… “I’ve always said he’s one of those guys, the bigger the game, the bigger the situation, the more responsibility he has and he wants,â€� said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who gave Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton the night off to rest up for the playoffs. .. Al Jefferson had 26 points and seven rebounds, but only managed 12 shots while being hounded by double- and triple-teams all night. Foye scored 18 points, but was just 6-for-14 from the field, committed a costly turnover in the closing minutes and rushed an off-balance shot out of a timeout with 45 seconds to go to seal the loss.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jerry Zgoda) reports: The Wolves lost eight of the first 13 times they led going into the fourth quarter this season. They now have won the past four games in which they led after three quarters and are 10-4 in that category since winning at Golden State on Jan. 21, the demarcation line in a season they started 5-34. “We’ve grown up,” Wolves center Al Jefferson said. They won seven games in March, are 14-19 since that Jan. 21 game, and Sunday’s victory was their second over the Jazz at home in five weeks. “We’re getting better and better,” Jefferson said. “To win like this two times in a row over them at home says a lot.”

The AP reports: Al Jefferson had 22 points and eight rebounds and Rashad McCants scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half of Minnesota’s 110-103 victory Sunday over a Utah team that just can’t seem to win on the road. Corey Brewer tied a career high with 16 points and had seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have now beaten the Jazz at home twice this season, losses that are inexcusable for a team that hopes to contend for the Western Conference crown. Carlos Boozer had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the short-handed Jazz, who are nearly unbeatable at home but just 16-22 on the road this year… Deron Williams had 15 points and 13 assists, but was pretty quiet from a scoring standpoint after getting seven points in the first 5 minutes.

The AP reports: Manu Ginobili scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and the San Antonio Spurs picked up their sixth straight win with a 99-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday… Tony Parker added 18 points for the Spurs and Tim Duncan had 12 points and 14 rebounds. Ryan Gomes led the Timberwolves with 17 points and Al Jefferson added 14. Reserve Rashad McCants scored 13. Michael Finley, who is averaging better than 18 points in his last three games, joined the Spurs’ Big Three, scoring 16.

The AP reports: Tracy McGrady scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Luis Scola had 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in the Rockets’ 97-86 victory Wednesday night… McGrady also had 11 rebounds and nine assists to help the Rockets keep pace in the tight Western Conference race… The Rockets outrebounded the Wolves 58-38 and scored 14 second-chance points to win for the 19th time in their last 21 home games. Al Jefferson had 21 and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which had won four of its last six games… The Rockets have won 29 of their last 33 games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has requested waivers on center Theo Ratliff after reaching a contractual buyout agreement. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Several newspapers in Detroit have reported that Ratliff may sign with the Pistons.
“Theo indicated to us that he wasn’t sure of his plans in the future - whether he was going to play or not - and there was an indication that he would not re-sign with us if he did choose to continue playing,” said Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. “This provides us an opportunity to play our younger post players - Craig Smith and Chris Richard - and give us more time to continue to evaluate them. I cannot say enough about Theo’s professionalism throughout the entire season and we wish him the best of luck in the future.”
Ratliff, in his first season with the Wolves, appeared in 10 games (six starts) for the Timberwolves this season, and posted averages of 6.3 points (.511 FG%), 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game. He missed 45 games this year due to soreness in his right knee, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 18. The 13-year NBA veteran has career averages of 8.0 points (.497 FG%), 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in 689 career NBA contests. The 6-10 center was acquired by Minnesota in a trade with Boston on July 31, 2007.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports: Wolves veteran Antoine Walker said today he’s open to a “workable buyout” of his contract, though he believes the odds of such a deal happening are slim.Walker said the next step in a season that’s turning more frustrating because of his limited role is to explore the possibility of a buyout. Any possible buyout would have to be completed before March 1 so Walker could be eligible to make a playoff roster with another team, said Walker’s agent, Mark Bartelstein. “It’s something we’ve thought about and are giving consideration to,” Bartelstein said. “If there’s something out there that would ultimately make sense, we’re open to it. I don’t know where it’s going to wind up yet.”Bartelstein declined to comment when asked if he has contacted the Wolves’ front office or owner Glen Taylor about a buyout.