Two months ago, the Timberwolves were lousy and they went into Detroit and built an 11-point third-quarter lead into a 25 anyway on their way to an inexplicable, runaway victory.

Tonight, they were 10-2 in January at the opening tap against the Pistons, but this time they couldn’t hold another 11-point third quarter lead and lost on a night when they once again didn’t start well and then didn’t finish well, either.

Go figure.

Rasheed Wallace took Al Jefferson outside late and scored at will, providing 10 of his 25 points in the fourth including seven straight for the Pistons down the stretch that included a crucial three with 53 seconds left.

Afterward, Kevin McHale lamented that his team was “stuck in the mud” and in “second gear” almost all night. Perhaps they didn’t play at the pace McHale wanted because Sebastian Telfair played just 20 minutes because he was slowed by a bruised thigh sustained in Milwaukee Monday and because when he did play, he quickly found foul trouble.

Kevin Love played like he had something to prove after he was passed over earlier in the day for the All Star rookie-sophomore game and had a 17-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist night, his ninth double-double of his young career and his sixth in January. But the Pistons’ defense locked down on him and Craig Smith after intermission and Al Jefferson had just two points of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

The Pistons started the game by scoring theWolves 14-8 and ended it by scoring 13 of the final 16 points.

The Wolves now are 10-3 in 2009. And now it just continues to get tougher: The Lakers at home on Friday, at Boston on Sunday in a back-to-backer featuring last season’s two finalists.

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