Their plan was to emulate what happened a year ago, when the Wolves sprinted out of the All-Star break 15-8 down the stretch on the way to the postseason.
Unfortunately, at Target Center Friday night the Wolves got stuck in the gate in a 121-113 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Instead, the Wolves continued their season-long habit of playing down to the competition.
Down 11 in the third and down seven entering the fourth, the Wolves – with Naz Reid and Anthony Edwards heating up – started the fourth quarter on a 15-6 run to take a 104-102 lead with 7:02 left.