MINNEAPOLIS -- Every time the Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to get even a little bit of momentum against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, guard Damian Lillard was there to sniff it out.

The diminutive guard put up 34 points, including 20 in the second half, as Portland hung on for a 106-101 win in front of an emotional Target Center crowd.

The Wolves were playing their first home game since the sudden death of head coach and President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders. The 60-year-old Saunders died of complications of Hodgkin's lymphoma on Oct. 25. The team unveiled a jersey patch they will wear the remainder of the season. A video tribute played prior to the game.

Minnesota used that emotion to build a 17-point first-quarter lead only to see the Blazers chip away at it late in the quarter and into the second.

"I think that emotion helped us. I think we felt confident," Wolves rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "We went out there emotional and wore our emotions on our sleeve."

Portland went on an 11-0 run into the early part of the second quarter and closed the quarter on a 22-9 spurt to pull even at 53-53 at the half.

That's when Lillard took over.

After scoring 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the first half, Lillard matched those numbers in the third quarter alone, scoring 15 points as the Blazers led by as many as seven out of the break.

"I think he found the rhythm there," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "Damian is a competitor. He puts it all out there and do whatever it takes to win a game. It's good to see him get his stroke. He carried the team."

Portland extended its lead to 10 in the final six minutes of regulation on a long 3-pointer by Lillard, giving the Blazers their largest lead of the night.

The Wolves responded out of a timeout, scoring the next eight points to get back within two. Guard Andrew Wiggins appeared to tie the game at 103 with a tip-in with 54.4 seconds remaining. Originally ruled no-basket on the floor, a lengthy review confirmed the call.

Minnesota never got any closer.

Wiggins' runner with under 20 seconds to play came up short and Blazers forward Mason Plumlee made 1 of 2 from the stripe to make it a three-point game.

"I liked the way we kept our composure down the stretch," Stotts said. "Even though we had a 10-point lead, they made a good run. But we made plays when we needed to."

Wolves guard Kevin Martin had Minnesota's last chance but officials didn't blow the whistle on an apparent foul on a 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left. Portland's Allan Crabbe raced the other way for an uncontested layup to provide the final margin.

"This game was lost in the first half," said Wolves forward Tayshaun Prince. "The last couple minutes of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter is where the game changed. Momentum works wonders in this league. This is a game of momentum."

Lillard shot 14 of 25 from the floor, including 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. He also had seven assists and grabbed a pair of rebounds. Guard C.J. McCollum added 18 points and six boards.

"Obviously we knew they were going to have a lot of energy. We kept our heads," Lillard said. "We were resilient all night. It was a gutsy win."

Martin led the Wolves with 24 points off the bench. Towns chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds and made his first NBA 3-pointer to get Minnesota to within two points with 4:26 to play.

Guard Ricky Rubio had 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

NOTES: Blazers F Cliff Alexander missed Monday's game because of left knee soreness. ... Blazers G Gerald Henderson did not play because of soreness in his left hip. ... Timberwolves C Nikola Pekovic remained out as he recovers from surgery on his right Achilles tendon. ... The Blazers will play at the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. ... The Timberwolves will play the Miami Heat at Target Center on Thursday.