Streak hits 12, Flip-less Wolves fried by Nuggets

The losing streak continued for the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night. They fell to the Denver Nuggets 110-101 at Target Center.

Flip Saunders missed the game because of an illness and the Wolves continued to struggle without their head coach, losing for the 12th straight time.

The tone was set early, as the Nuggets built a 21-point first-half lead on their way to the commanding victory.

Minnesota made a run in the second half, but never really threatened.

Arron Afflalo led the Nuggets with 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting. JJ Hickson helped out with a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kenneth Faried added 15 and Ty Lawson finished with eight points and 12 assists for the Nuggets.

Gorgui Dieng led the Wolves with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins added 20. Shabazz Muhammad added 19 points for Minnesota.

Earlier in the day, Wiggins was named the NBA's Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December, winning the award for the second month in a row.

Wiggins becomes the first Wolves player to win the award multiple times during the same season.

He led all Western Conference rookies in scoring (14.6 ppg) and minutes played (33.9) during December. He scored 20 or more points on five different occasions during the month, and was the Wolves leading scorer four times.

The Wolves (5-28) return home on Wednesday to face the Phoenix Suns.