Minnesota gives up 152 points to Phoenix

PHOENIX (MCT) — The season is fast running out — well, not nearly fast enough — but school sure was in Tuesday night during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ astounding 152-114 loss at Phoenix.

Two-time league MVP Steve Nash and his locomotive Suns provided the painful instruction on a night when Nash had 11 of his 14 assists by halftime ... and the Suns already had scored 79 points by then.

That’s right:

79 points in a half.

And 152 in a game.

That’s the most ever in a first half and in a game against a Timberwolves team, and we’re talking about those Isaiah Rider-Tellis Frank-Bob McCann Wolves teams.

The Suns’ 79 first-half points eclipsed the 77 allowed Denver in 1992 and Golden State in 1994. The 152 total points eclipsed the 146 allowed Golden State in 1994 and then again to the Warriors in November.

“Records are records, I don’t care about records,” Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said. “Defensive effort, our defensive rotations, those were not good. But what do I care about their records?”

But the good news: The 38-point defeat was three points shy of worst loss in team history.

“It’s just embarrassing to let a team score that many points and still lose by that many points,” Wolves forward Ryan Gomes said.

The loss was the Wolves’ 10th in a row and their 16th in the past 17 games. Their only victory since Feb. 6 was a victory at Miami against a Heat team missing Dwyane Wade three weeks ago.

The Wolves led 25-24 with fewer than 4 minutes left in the first quarter and still were within 38-36 early in the second quarter.

But it was a pace of play they’re not suited for, and one that produced a deficit as big as 41 points in the second half.

“We fell into the trap of the way they want to play and it kind of worked for us for a while,” Gomes said. “But it was a trap. They’re used to playing that way for 48 minutes, we’re not. The onslaught came: Their players just kept competing and playing hard.