HOUSTON (AP) — Michael Beasley scored 34 points, Ricky Rubio had 18 points and 11 assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Rockets 120-108 on Monday night in Rick Adelman’s return to Houston.

Kevin Love had 29 points for the Timberwolves, who blew open a close game with 42 points in the third for their highest scoring quarter this season. Minnesota shot a season-best 58 percent (43 of 74) from the field and eclipsed its previous high point total for the season by 14.

Kevin Martin scored 29 points after missing two games with inflammation in his right heel. The Rockets lost for only the second time in 11 games.

Adelman went 193-135 in four seasons with Houston, and turned down the team’s offer to renew his contract after last season.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

MINNEAPOLIS – It was a tense tied game late in the fourth quarter, one these nervous fans were used to seeing their Minnesota Timberwolves let slip away.

Ricky Rubio then splashed a 20-foot jumper through the net for a lead, and the rookie point guard raised his arms, urging them out of their seats and trying to reassure them that times are changing around here.

It’s certainly starting to look that way.

Rubio scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and dished out 10 assists to lift the Timberwolves to an 87-79 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

Kevin Love had 18 points and 16 rebounds and Nikola Pekovic added 14 points and 10 boards for the Wolves, who have beaten the Spurs two straight times in the same season for the first time since 2000.

“We weren’t playing to win the game (last year),” Love said of a team that won just 17 times and faltered down the stretch on countless occasions. “This year, we’re playing to win the game. We’re confident. Real confident.”

Tony Parker scored 20 points and Tiago Splitter continued his strong play off the bench for the Spurs, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

But the Spurs scored only one field goal over the final seven minutes against a suddenly stingy Wolves defense. They also had only two offensive rebounds, which was a franchise record for a Timberwolves opponent.

Derrick Williams scored 12 points for the Wolves, who held the third-leading scoring team in the league 20.5 points under its average and outrebounded the Spurs 46-34 to improve to 9-10.

“It’s a terrific win for our guys, especially against a veteran team like that that wins those games all the time,” coach Rick Adelman said. “Hopefully it’s really a step forward for us.

The Wolves led 73-67 with less than nine minutes to play, but Parker kept the Spurs in the game by relentlessly attacking the rim. He scored on a driving layup, hit a pull-up jumper and then converted a three-point play on another explosion to the basket to bring the Spurs within 1 in a two-minute flurry.

Splitter then fed Gary Neal for a 3-pointer and a 79-77 Spurs lead.

Rubio responded with two free throws and a jumper, then fed Love for a layup that gave Minnesota an 83-79 lead with 1:45 to play.

The Spanish rookie raised his arms to cajole the crowd, who stood and cheered “Rubio! Rubio!”

Rubio had been mired in a terrible shooting slump over the last six games, hitting just 23 percent of his shots. He played more than 46 minutes in Minnesota’s surprising win at Dallas on Wednesday night, then followed that by hitting seven of 12 shots in 42 minutes against the Spurs.

“Even though I didn’t (shoot well) the last six games, I knew that I can do it because I work hard,” Rubio said. “My confidence is high. Sometimes your shot’s going to miss a lot, but you have to keep shooting because if not, that’s going to affect you.”

San Antonio 22 20 22 15– 79

Minnesota 21 20 23 23– 87

SAN ANTONIO (79)

Jefferson 4-9 0-0 10, Duncan 2-12 5-6 9, Blair 0-2 0-0 0, Parker 9-19 1-1 20, Leonard 1-4 0-0 2, Splitter 5-7 2-2 12, Green 1-3 0-0 2, Joseph 1-3 0-0 2, Neal 4-9 0-0 9, Bonner 4-7 2-2 13. Totals 31-75 10-11 79.

MINNESOTA (87)

Johnson 3-7 0-0 6, Love 6-13 6-7 18, Pekovic 7-13 0-2 14, Rubio 7-12 3-4 18, Ridnour 2-8 1-1 5, Beasley 3-11 1-2 7, Ellington 1-4 2-2 4, Randolph 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 6-10 0-0 12, Webster 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 36-82 13-18 87.

3-Point Goals_San Antonio 7-16 (Bonner 3-6, Jefferson 2-5, Parker 1-2, Neal 1-3), Minnesota 2-9 (Webster 1-1, Rubio 1-2, Love 0-1, Beasley 0-1, Johnson 0-2, Williams 0-2). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_San Antonio 38 (Duncan 10), Minnesota 58 (Love 16). Assists_San Antonio 17 (Duncan 4), Minnesota 18 (Rubio 10). Total Fouls_San Antonio 17, Minnesota 10. Technicals_San Antonio defensive three second. A_16,699 (19,356).

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Minnesota Timberwolves star forward Kevin Love will stay in Midwestern state for the immediate future — he and his team has agreed to a four-year contract extension worth a reported $60-62 million million.

According to ESPN, the deal gives the 23-year-old the option to opt out of his contract in the fourth year if he doesn’t like the direction of the team. Love wanted a five year contract, but accepted the four-year deal with the option on the last year.

Via the deal, Love will stay with the Timberwolves, at least, through the summer of 2015.

“Did I want the five years? Of course,” Love said this week. “It was something I felt strongly about, but at the end of the day, a four-year deal is still great.

“I like the direction the team is headed,” he continued. “I like the youth. I like the pieces, like we’re knocking at the door and we’re close in a lot of games.”

Before the deal was announced, a post on Love’s verified Twitter page (@KevinLove) hinted that it was all but complete: “To #twolves fans: I’ll be in Minnesota for 4 more years! Excited to see you when I get back to Minneapolis.”

ESPN says that Love was eligible for a five-year, $80 million extension — which the Oklahoma City Thunder awarded guard Russell Westbrook last week. But the Wolves refused to budge on their offer, said reports. It would’ve made him Minnesota’s “designated player.” Based on the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, every team is allowed to have one “designated player”, who receives a five-year maximum extension on his rookie contract.

Love has emerged as the new face of the franchise who hasn’t had a star since Kevin Garnett (who was traded to the Celtics in 2007).

The Minnesota star is currently averaging 24.9 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. If he finishes the season with those averages, he’d be the first player to do so since Moses Malone in 1981-82.

The Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled what could have been a great celebratory night for Mavs fans by defeating Dallas 105-90 on the night the team was presented last year’s championship rings. The fans gave a standing ovation to former Mav JJ Barea, who now plays for Minnesota, as he and two other retired Mavs also received their championship rings at the Wednesday night pregame ceremony.

The game started off well enough for Dallas who led 27-26 at the end of the first quarter and was rolling to a double-digit head with just five minutes to go in the first half. Then somehow Minnesota flipped a switch and started playing lights out. Kevin Love hit two three pointers, and then a couple of turnovers and suddenly the Mavs just had a two point lead at half. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves rode the momentum into the second half as their hot shooting continued. Dirk Nowitzki-less Dallas simply could not respond and was outscored by eight and nine points, respectively, in the third and fourth quarters.

Kevin Love started earning his new $60 million contract with a 31 point, 10 rebound performance for Minnesota. Love has now had a double-double in 17 out Minnesota’s 18 games this NBA season. Ricky Rubio also chipped in 17 points and 12 assists for the Timberwolves. Jason Terry was the leading scorer for Dallas with 17 points, and Shawn Marion added 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Dallas drops to 11-8 with the loss and will host Utah on Friday at 8:30 PM EST. Minnesota moves to 8-10 on the season with the win and gets to enjoy a day off before returning home to face the Spurs on Friday night at 8 PM EST

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Read More: Kevin Love (F – MIN), Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves agreed Tuesday to a four-year extension worth $62 million, according to Ray Richardson of the Pioneer-Press.

Richardson reports that Love is expected to sign the contract on Wednesday afternoon — making the deal official just hours before the NBA’s midnight (ET) deadline. Had the two sides not reached common ground in time, Love would have become a restricted free agent this summer. Instead, he’s locked up for the foreseeable future.

Earlier this week, Christopher Gates of SB Nation Minnesota noted Love’s fantastic start to the season:

If there’s a better power forward in the league than Kevin Love, I really don’t know who it would be. Love has notched a double-double in each of the Timberwolves’ first 15 games, which is one shy of the NBA record for most consecutive double-doubles to start a season. He is also currently the only player in the NBA in the top five in scoring (fifth at 24.7 points/game) and rebounding (second at 14.5 boards/game). For good measure, he’s also hitting nearly 40% of his three-point attempts.

Gates must have jinxed Love, who came two rebounds shy of a double-double in the Wolves’ 16th game, but Love responded on Monday with 39 points and 12 boards. Love came into his own last season, and he’s taken the next step into truly elite company this year, ranking No. 6 in SB Nation’s latest MVP Power Rankings, sandwiched between the likes of Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose.

For more on the Wolves and Love, visit Canis Hoopus and SB Nation Minnesota.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to a four-year, $62 million contract extension with All-Star forward Kevin Love, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday, citing a source.

The 23-year-old is expected to sign the new deal in Dallas on Wednesday, ahead of Minnesota’s game against the defending NBA champion Mavericks that night.

ESPN.com reports that the discussions are still “ongoing” and that a final decision will not be made by Love until Wednesday.

“If you read it on the Internet it must be true right?” Love wrote on Twitter shortly after the initial report of an agreement broke.

Love, voted the NBA’s most improved player last season, averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds a game in 2010-11 on his way to getting his first All-Star selection.

This year he is averaging 24.9 points and 13.9 rebounds and leads the league in double-doubles with 16 in 17 games.

The No. 5 overall pick in 2008, Love is one of 20 finalists for the USA’s 2012 Olympic basketball team.
 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Martin scored 31 points to lead the Houston Rockets to their seventh straight victory, 107-92 over Minnesota on Monday night in coach Kevin McHale’s first game back at Target Center since he was fired by the Timberwolves in 2009.

Kyle Lowry had 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and Samuel Dalembert grabbed 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who put the game away with a 19-1 run bridging the third and fourth quarters.

Kevin Love had 39 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who committed 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter in coach Rick Adelman’s first game against the team he spent the last four seasons coaching.

Ricky Rubio had 12 assists for Minnesota, but the rookie scored just six points on 2-for-10 shooting and turned the ball over five times.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Jazz’s Paul Millsap is never mentioned in discussions about the best power forwards in the NBA.

But that could change.

Maybe it should change.

Millsap capped a monstrous week against top competition Saturday night, when he outplayed U.S. Olympic team candidate Kevin Love and led the Jazz to a 108-98 victory over Minnesota.

Millsap scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, including 10 of Utah’s 13 during a critical 41/2-minute stretch in which the Jazz finally broke away.

In four games since last Sunday — including outings against the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki and Love — Millsap averaged 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and shot 57.8 percent from the field.

“We appreciate all his efforts,” said Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, “and the way he continues to work to get better. As a result, we’re a better team because he’s so effective on the floor.”

Asked if he takes it personally when paired against high-profile opponents like Love, Millsap paused for a moment and broke into a wide smile.

Story continues below

“Well, yeah,” he said. “But you always want to match up against the best. You always want to test yourself. Me, I’m going to take up the challenge every single time. That’s what we play for.”

For the Jazz, who improved to 10-5 this season, Al Jefferson and C.J. Miles contributed 18 points. Raja Bell added 12 as Utah won for the ninth time in 11 games.

Minnesota, which had a three-game winning streak snapped, got 17 points and 11 assists from rookie point guard Ricky Rubio.

Love managed only 15 points, however, and missed 16 of his 21 field-goal attempts. He failed to score in the final 14:03 of a winnable game.

“My main focus was with defense,” Millsap said. “I was trying to help on defense and trying to limit Kevin Love’s touches. I wasn’t really too focused on offense. It just happened.”

Millsap appeared to frustrate Love, who picked up his second technical foul of the season in the third quarter.

“I got my hand on the basketball a lot,” Millsap said. “That kind of takes a guy out of their rhythm. So he got a little frustrated. He got a technical. But I was just trying to do my job.”

Love disagreed.

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz hold a two-point edge over the Minnesota Timberwolves in what’s been an entertaining and well-played first half Saturday night.

C.J. Miles scored 11 points and Paul Millsap had 10 for the Jazz, who went to the locker room with a 54-52 lead over the flashy Timberwolves.

Rookie Ricky Rubio — say that five times fast — hasn’t disappointed in his first showing at EnergySolutions Arena. The Spanish playmaker totaled nine points and seven assists — many of the highlight variety — in the opening half.

Derrick Williams and Wesley Johnson scored a combined 21 points, while power forward standout Kevin Love has been limited to just seven points and six rebounds.

Minnesota (7-8) has won three games in a row, including a last-second victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

The Jazz (9-5) are looking to get back to their winning ways after falling to Dallas 94-91 on Thursday.

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By Jon Krawczynski, Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Love had 20 points and 17 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a dreadful start to the game to slug out a 93-85 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

Anthony Tolliver had 11 points off the bench and shut down Tayshaun Prince in the fourth quarter to help the Timberwolves to their third win in four games.

Prince finished with 29 points, but scored only four in the fourth as the Pistons gave away a 13-point third-quarter lead. The Pistons missed 11 free throws and were outscored 29-14 in the final quarter to lose for the ninth time in 10 games.

The Timberwolves trailed by 16 in the second quarter and didn’t hold a lead until there was less than nine minutes to play in the game.

Read More: Kevin Love (F – MIN), Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz

After trailing throughout every minute of the first three quarters, the Minnesota Timberwolves (6-8) came back to beat the Detroit Pistons (3-12) by a score of 93-85 at the Target Center on Wednesday night.

The Timberwolves started the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to tie the game 71-71, setting the tone for a dominant 29-14 fourth quarter.

Kevin Love led the Timberwolves with 20 points, and his 17 rebounds made certain that he continued his season-long streak of being the top rebounder in every game he has played in.

Ricky Rubio meanwhile finished just 1-9 shooting from the field but managed to total 9 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals.

Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Pistons.

Minnesota now goes on the road for two games in a row, starting with a date with the Los Angeles Clippers in a game slated to start at 10:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by a matchup with the Utah Jazz the next night, Saturday, at 9:00 p.m. eastern.

Canus Hoopis is the place to go for more Timberwolves coverage, check out Detroit Bad Boys for your Pistons coverage.

Stats that stand out from the New Orleans Hornets 87-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night.

1. 37. Timberwolves first-half points, fewest by a Hornets’ opponent this season.

2. 0. Field goals made by Hornets forward Chris Kaman in 10 attempts.

3. 19. Hornets’ season-high fast break points, but only six of those in the final three quarters.

4. 7 and 4. Career high in points and rebounds by Hornets forward Gustavo Ayon.

5. 17. Points scored by Timberwolves forward Kevin Love in the third quarter.

+/- rating for every Hornet player

Ayon +5

Summers +3

Landry +1

Belinelli 0

Jack -3

Kaman -3

Aminu -5

Smith -7

C. Johnson -8

Vasquez -8

Okafor -10

FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 21, Timberwolves 16

Hornets points in the paint: 18.

Timberwolves points in the paint: four.

Hornets second chance points: four.

Timberwolves second chance points: two.

Hornets fast-break points: 13.

Timberwolves fast-break points: 0.

Hornets biggest lead: eight.

Timberwolves biggest lead: 0.

Times tied: 0.

Hornets leading scorer: DaJuan Summers, seven.

Timberwolves leading scorer: Wesley Johnson, seven.

SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Timberwolves 21, Hornets 17.

Hornets points in the paint: eight.

Timberwolves points in the paint: two.

Hornets second chance points: four.

Timberwolves second chance points: four.

Hornets fast-break points: one.

Timberwolves fast-break points: three.

Hornets biggest lead: seven.

Timberwolves biggest lead: 0.

Times tied: 0.

Hornets leading scorer: Emeka Okafor, eight.

Timberwolves leading scorer: Luke Ridnour, eight.

THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Timberwolves 26, Hornets 13.

Hornets points in the paint: six.

Timberwolves points in the paint: six.

Hornets second chance points: eight.

Timberwolves second chance points: two.

Hornets fast-break points: 0.

Timberwolves fast-break points: two.

Hornets biggest lead: one.

Timberwolves biggest lead: 14.

Times tied: 0.

Hornets leading scorer: Okafor, four.

Timberwolves leading scorer: Kevin Love, 17.

FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 29, Timberwolves 24.

Hornets points in the paint: 10.

Timberwolves points in the paints: two.

Hornets second chance points: six.

Timberwolves second chance points: six.

Hornets fast-break points: five.

Timberwolves fast-break points: 0.

Hornets biggest lead: 0.

Timberwolves biggest lead: 12.

Times tied: three.

Hornets leading scorer: Marco Belinelli, 12.

Timberwolves leading scorer: Love, 11.

Qualifier: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one.

Kevin Garnett(notes):

Future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett owns virtually every Minnesota Timberwolves franchise record. Garnett led the Timberwolves to all of their success as a franchise from his 1995-96 rookie season through his trade to the Boston Celtics in 2007. He carried the team to each of its eight playoffs as well as its two playoff series wins in 2004. The one-time MVP and Defensive Player of the Year owns seven of the top nine single-season point totals and eight of the top nine rebound totals in team history. Through 16 seasons, Garnett ranks in the NBA’s all-time top 25 in points (23,323), rebounds (12,819), steals (1,608) and blocks (1,847). His 14 All-Star appearances tie him for the third most by any player.

Kevin Love(notes):

One of the most tenacious rebounders in the NBA today, 2011 All-Star power forward Kevin Love leads the current Timberwolves roster. After earning All-Rookie honors in 2008-09, Love jumped forward with his first double-double year in 2009-10 despite coming off the bench. His 2010-11 season set a new standard when he averaged 20.2 points and a franchise record 15.2 rebounds per game to win the Most Improved Player award. On the offensive end, he bangs in the post and possesses a soft touch from three-point land and on both ends of the floor he owns every loose ball. Through just three seasons, he already ranks third in Wolves franchise history with 2,504 rebounds.

Al Jefferson(notes):

Current Utah Jazz big man Al Jefferson played three strong seasons with the Timberwolves from 2007 to 2010. Jefferson served as the centerpiece of the Garnett trade and he responded by anchoring the Wolves’ frontcourt with three All-Star-caliber years. Over 208 games, he averaged 20.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for some otherwise weak Timberwolves teams.

Tom Gugliotta:

One-time All-Star power forward Tom Gugliotta was a big part of the Timberwolves’ rise to relevance in the mid-1990s. Gugliotta was a skilled big man who could pass, handle the ball and shoot from the perimeter. Spending the prime of his career in Minnesota, Gugliotta registered 18.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists as the Wolves evolved into a playoff team. For his career as a whole, he racked up 9,895 points and 5,589 rebounds in 763 NBA games.

Christian Laettner:

Former All-Star Christian Laettner started his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992. Laettner joined Minnesota as the third overall pick in the 1992 draft and proceeded to play three-plus years of his best basketball there. He maintained averages of 17.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 276 games with the Timberwolves. In 2005, Laettner retired with 11,121 points over 13 NBA seasons.

Sources:

Minnesota Timberwolves Franchise Index, Basketball-Reference.com

More from this contributor:

Minnesota Timberwolves top five small forwards

Minnesota Timberwolves top five shooting guards

Minnesota Timberwolves top five point guards

Milwaukee Bucks top five power forwards

Indiana Pacers top five centers

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