Nikola Pekovic scored 29 points and Kevin Martin added 24 to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to their third straight victory, 112-101 over the sluggish Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
Minnesota had not even won back-to-back games this season until this modest streak. The Timberwolves led throughout against the Pistons despite the absence of guard Ricky Rubio, who is still recovering from a left ankle injury. Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points for Minnesota, and Thaddeus Young added 16.
Andre Drummond had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons, going 8 of 8 from the field.
Detroit trailed 74-55 in the third quarter before fighting back to make a game of it. It was 83-79 early in the fourth, but a 3-pointer by Wiggins started an 18-6 run for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves have won 10 straight over the Pistons.
