DETROIT _ Sunday seems so far away.
Just three days after a joyous, buzzer-beating victory at Oklahoma City, the Timberwolves on Wednesday in Detroit followed Tuesday's apathetic home loss to Indiana with another at least its equal, if not more so.
Their 122-101 loss to a Pistons team that seemed equally adrift after its most recent defeat started with the Wolves scoring the game's first nine points.
From there?
Just like Tuesday's closing minutes, the Wolves never responded.
The Wolves started the season 2-1 with three games against Western Conference playoff teams a year ago in San Antonio, Utah and Oklahoma. They're now 0-2 against two teams that managed to miss the Eastern Conference playoffs a year ago and didn't have a chance by the fourth quarter against either of them.
Those last two losses came with three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler home ill with an upper respiratory ailment.
Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau reported Wednesday that Butler was feeling better, but not well enough to travel to Detroit and play. He'll be evaluated on Thursday for Friday's rematch with Oklahoma City at Target Center.
Butler was well enough to watch Tuesday's game.
When Thibodeau was asked what his star thought, Thibodeau paused, grinned slightly and said, "He said we need work."
Just as they had on Tuesday, the Wolves trailed by as many as 25 points even after that 9-0 start Wednesday.
They were undone by Pistons power forward Tobias Harris' 34-point game and a lively 14-point performance off the bench from second-year reserve Henry Ellenson, Rice Lake, Wisconsin's own who dunked in Nemanja Bjelica's face for two of those points.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins added 21 points.
