Three months and 33 games into their 35th regular season, the Timberwolves on Wednesday finally became the last NBA team to lose consecutive games.

Their 117-106 home loss to New Orleans followed Monday’s loss at New York in a New Year’s Day matinée.

Until Wednesday, the Wolves won the next time out after each of their first eight losses this season while they built a 24-8 record that was best in the Western Conference.

But not this time, when they finished their season series with New Orleans by losing the final two games after they won the first two — perhaps because Pelicans star Zion Williamson played those last two games but not the first two because of injury and rest.

Williamson delivered 27 points, four rebounds and six assists. C.J. McCollum scored 24 points and Brandon Ingram had 19 points, four rebounds and seven assists.

The Wolves trailed by as many as 24 points after they were outdone by New Orleans’ 32-22 second quarter and 33-25 third quarter. They trailed by double digits for the entire fourth quarter.

Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 35 points.

The Pelicans won their fourth consecutive game and for the ninth time in 12 games.

The Wolves played their 12th game in a row against a team with a winning record. They fell to 7-5 in those games with Wednesday’s loss.

That’s indicative of how well the Wolves have played this season, even if they didn’t play as well in December into January as they did in November.

Before Wednesday’s game, coach Chris Finch was asked if his team’s recent inconsistency is due to playing such competition.

“I’m sure,” Finch said. “We’re playing some good teams, playing them for the second time. You know it’s not going to be easy. We never thought we’d waltz through an 82-game schedule. These things come in waves. I’d like to see us play better basketball, but we’ve found way to win games. So that has been a credit to the guys.”

The Wolves finished their season series with the Pelicans six weeks before the All-Star break. The Wolves won 122-101 at home and 121-120 in New Orleans within 10 days of each other in November. Their lone loss was 121-107 at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center on Dec. 11, the first time the Wolves faced the Pelicans with Williamson in the lineup.

“I think it’s good to play a team four times this early,” New Orleans coach Willie Green said before Wednesday’s game. “It’s an opportunity to get familiar with their group and how they play. They’re a really good team.”

Wednesday’s game was the first time this season the Wolves played a Pelicans team with both Williamson and McCollum on the court. McCollum was sidelined earlier this season because of a collapsed lung.

Williamson, meanwhile, rested in the second half of back-to-back games three times in an attempt to keep him healthy. One of those games was the Wolves’ one-point victory there on Nov. 18.

Both started Wednesday’s game.

The Pelicans are 6-0 this season when Williamson, McCollum and Ingram all healthy and all with at least six assists each in the same game. They came within one more McCollum assist of making it 7-0 on Wednesday.

“It starts with those guys,” Green said. “As long as they set the tone on both ends of the floor and they’re sharing the basketball. We know all three of them can score. Getting everybody involved is important.”

Wednesday’s game reunited Green with Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who played his first three NBA seasons in New Orleans. Green coached him there.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth in Nickeil and I’m really proud of him,” Green said. “It’s hard sometimes coming in as a young player to carve a role out in the NBA. But he’s done that, on a really good team. That’s important. He’s playing his role. … I believe he’s going to get better and better.”