Timberwolves see progress, but can't keep Suns from their ninth win in a row

Gallery: Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) encourages the fans to shout at the referee after getting a technical foul in the third quarter.With the season about to commence, Wolves fans assumed the points would come easy, the defense hard.

Monday at Target Center, against the red-hot Phoenix Suns, it was the reverse. Missing too many shots and turning the ball over too often much of the night, the Wolves used defense to stay in the game, to lead late in the fourth. One game after a questionable effort in a one-sided loss in Los Angeles to the Clippers, the Wolves, as Karl-Anthony Towns said, never let go of the rope.

But, still, another loss, 96-93 to the Suns, the Wolves'…