By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) -- All the losses and injuries had been piling up
for weeks on the Timberwolves. They were shaken, unsure, almost
helpless to stop them.



They were desperate for a break. And finally, they got one.



Luke Ridnour scored 21 points, Ricky Rubio added 13 and 10
assists and Minnesota snapped an eight-game road losing streak,
beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-92 on Monday night.



"We needed that bad, man," Ridnour said.



He made a critical 3-pointer with 1:43 left and scored 13 points
in the fourth quarter for the banged-up Timberwolves, who hadn't
won on the road since Jan. 3 - star center Kevin Love's last
game before he was lost indefinitely with a broken hand.



Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 10 rebounds as Minnesota
ended a four-game losing streak and improved to just 4-16 since
losing Love.



"It's been a long month for us," Ridnour said. "It's always
tough. We're competitors. You want to win games. Losing, as much
as you don't want to say it, takes a toll on you. This is a good
one for us."



Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and Tristan Thompson had 16 for
the Cavs, who were within 82-81 in the fourth before Ridnour
sparked a 10-2 run by the Timberwolves. Minnesota shot 75
percent (12 of 16) in the fourth quarter, leaving Cleveland
swingman C.J. Miles to call out his teammates.



"We basically did it to ourselves," he said. "They made some
tough shots - don't take anything away from them - but for the
most part, we gave the game to them. We just don't get it. It
was just a poor effort from the start. It just didn't look like
we were interested."



Cavs coach Byron Scott was at a loss to explain perhaps his
team's worst loss this season.



"I'm baffled," Scott said. "We had a little adversity and we
scattered. We didn't come together."



Before the game, Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said the losing
and mounting injuries had taken a toll on his players.



"When you go through the things we've had to go through the last
two or three weeks, it wears on you mentally," said Adelman, who
recently took an extended absence to be with his wife, Mary Kay,
as she recovers from seizures. "They're human. You get out there
and bust your tails and lose a close game in the last minute it
starts to wear on you big time."



At one point in the second half, a frustrated Rubio slapped the
padded basket support after picking up a foul on a charge.



Afterward, Adelman praised his players for persevering.



"In this league you've got to be mentally tough enough to get
through it," he said. "You've got to find a way to win. I hope
it's a big boost for us."



Irving, whose late-game heroics have led Cleveland to some
recent wins, tried to rally the Cavs but couldn't. He had two
bad misses and a turnover in a three-minute stretch.



Still, the Cavs were within striking distance when Thompson made
two free throws to pulled Cleveland within 92-89 with 1:56
remaining. But Ridnour, who always seems to play well against
Cleveland, buried his key 3-pointer from the right side and hit
another short jumper with 9 seconds left to cap just Minnesota's
second win in 12 games.



Derrick Williams had 13 points and Mickael Gelabale and Alexey
Shved added 11 apiece for the Timberwolves.



Irving rolled his left ankle late in the first half when he
landed on Shved's foot after making a 3-pointer. Irving hopped
around in obvious pain but stayed in the game for a few more
seconds. He was then replaced and limped to the locker room for
treatment.



Irving played his usual minutes in the second half. He was not
available following the game, and was seen getting treatment in
the trainer's room.



Notes: Irving said he hasn't given much thought to he and LeBron
James some day playing together. James can opt out of his
contract after the 2014 season and there has been speculation he
might return to Cleveland. "The potential is endless if it ever
did happen," Irving said. "Obviously, I would be 22 and still a
young guy." Irving said he and James "talk often." ... Wolves G
J.J. Barea played 15 minutes after missing Sunday's game with a
sprained left foot. Minnesota was also without Andrei Kirilenko
(strained quad), F Chase Budinger (knee surgery), G Brandon Roy
(knee) and G Malcolm Lee (knee, hip surgery).