Read More: Kevin Martin (G – HOU), Michael Beasley (F – MIN), Kevin Love (F – MIN), Ricky Rubio (G – MIN), Rick Adelman (H – HOU), Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets, Jan 30, 2012 7:00 PM CST

On Monday night in Houston, Minnesota Timberwolves’ forward Michael Beasley found himself in a bit of an unfamiliar role. . .coming off of the bench. If tonight’s results are any indication, that might not be the worst thing Rick Adelman could do.

Beasley led the Wolves in scoring on Monday night, pouring in 34 points while hitting 10-of-14 shots from the field and going a perfect 12-of-12 from the line in Minnesota’s 120-108 victory over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. The victory marked just the second time the Timberwolves have beaten the Rockets in their last 18 meetings.

The 120 points is a high scoring mark on this season for the Timberwolves, eclipsing the 106 they put up in a victory over the San Antonio Spurs on January 2.

Minnesota trailed going into halftime of this one by a score of 56-54, but started the second half on a 12-4 run to give themselves a 66-60 lead. After the Rockets fought back to tie the game at 68, the Timberwolves went on a 19-6 run, and were really never threatened after that point.

In addition to Beasley’s big night, Kevin Love chipped in with 29 points and seven rebounds. Ricky Rubio did what Ricky Rubio does, coming up just short of a triple-double by putting up 18 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. The Rockets were paced by guard Kevin Martin, who scored 29 points. He didn’t get much support, however, as none of his teammates scored more than 13.

Minnesota’s victory in coach Rick Adelman’s return to Houston once again puts them within one game of the .500 mark at 10-11. They also collected their fifth road victory of the season, matching the total that they’ve put up in each of the past two seasons in just nine games.

Minnesota will once again try to get to that elusive .500 mark on Wednesday, when they return to the Target Center to host the Indiana Pacers.

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.)

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 27, 2012

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.”

The Spurs are 10-1 at home this season, but they entered the Target Center just 2-6 on the road, including a 106-96 loss here on Jan. 2 in which San Antonio allowed the Wolves to shoot almost 58 percent for the game. That follows the pattern they’ve set all season, where they have allowed 104.4 points per game on the road versus just 89.5 at home.

“If we’re on the road and we hold somebody to 87 points, I think we have a good chance,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I felt good about that. But like many NBA games, the last four or five minutes, whoever scores wins.”

The Spurs were much better defensively in the early going on Friday night, forcing three turnovers on Minnesota’s first three possessions and harassing Love into a 2-for-9 start.

But the Wolves turned the ball over just two times in the second half, Tim Duncan was 2 for 12 from the field and the Spurs offense ran out of gas.

The Wolves got Michael Beasley back from an 11-game absence because of a sprained right foot and Martell Webster played for the first time all season after having back surgery in September. Beasley had seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.

Love was playing his first game at home since signing a four-year extension worth more than $60 million. The deal allows Love to opt out after three years, which has the fans a little nervous. But they gave him a loud ovation upon introduction and hope that the Timberwolves continue their upward climb in the standings to keep him in Minnesota for years to come.

“This city is ready to explode,” Love said. “You can feel it.”

Notes

• Matt Bonner scored 13 points for the Spurs.
• Adelman joked that he has banned J.J. Barea from wearing his enormous Dallas Mavericks championship ring. “I don’t want him to pull the other hamstring,” Adelman said.
• Wolves C Darko Milicic missed the game because of illness.

Ricky Rubio scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter
and dished out 10 assists to lift the Minnesota 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.

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.

Derrick Williams scored 12 points for the Wolves, who held the
third-leading scoring team in the league 20.5 points under its
average.

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.

The Spurs are 10-1 at home this season, but they entered the
Target Center just 2-6 on the road, including a 106-96 loss here on
Jan. 2 in which San Antonio allowed the Wolves to shoot almost 58
percent for the game. That follows the pattern they’ve set all
season, where they have allowed 104.4 points per game on the road
versus just 89.5 at home.

The Spurs were much better defensively in the early going on
Friday night, forcing three turnovers on Minnesota’s first three
possessions and harassing Love into a 2-for-9 start.

But the Wolves turned the ball over just two times in the second
half and Tim Duncan was 2 for 12 from the field and the Spurs
offense ran out of gas.

The Wolves got Michael Beasley back from an 11-game absence
because of a sprained right foot and Martell Webster played for the
first time all season after having back surgery in September.
Beasley had seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.

Love was playing his first game at home since signing a
four-year extension worth more than $60 million. The deal allows
Love to opt out after three years, which has the fans a little
nervous. But they gave him a loud ovation upon introduction and
hope that the Timberwolves continue their upward climb in the
standings to keep him in Minnesota for years to come.

He closed the game with six straight points to hold off the
Spurs and send the Wolves to their sixth win in nine games.

Notes: Matt Bonner scored 13 points for the Spurs. … Wolves
coach Rick Adelman joked that he has banned J.J. Barea from wearing
his enormous Dallas Mavericks championship ring. “I don’t want him
to pull the other hamstring,” Adelman said. … Wolves C Darko
Milicic missed the game because of illness.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Now that they are on their first three-game winning streak in almost two years, Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves are enjoying the ride.

Love hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer after Ricky Rubio‘s tying 3 with 20 seconds to play, lifting the Timberwolves to a pulsating 101-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

The Timberwolves, coming off consecutive home wins over Sacramento and Detroit, have won three straight for the first time since a four-game stretch from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6, 2010. After that, they lost 29 of their final 31 games.

“In the last two games we’ve missed a ton of shots, but our defense has picked up and we’ve executed down the stretch and we’ve given ourselves a chance to win,” Love said. “So if we can continue to do that, eventually our offense will pick up and we’ll be able to win a lot of ballgames.”

Darko Milicic had 22 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota before fouling out with 1:01 left, and Love had 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Rubio, Minnesota’s rookie point guard, missed his first 10 field goal attempts before draining a clutch 3 from in front of the Clippers’ bench. He finished with nine points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.

“He is unflappable. He missed every shot, and then he makes a big 3 to tie it,” coach Rick Adelman said. “The thing I like about him is that he’s a competitor. He doesn’t back down from anybody and he keeps an even keel. He doesn’t get too high or too low. He just plays. He’s been very good all year. He’s played in the fourth quarter of every game, even when he wasn’t starting.

“He’s got a real gift. He’s a great passer in the open court and he’s just a smart player. You’ve got to give him rope and let him go because he’s got that ability. And because of him, we’ve really kind of changed and simplified things we’ve done just to put the ball in his hands. He’s been better than I thought he was going to be.”

Chauncey Billups missed a driving layup against Rubio coming out of a timeout, and Love got the rebound before Minnesota called a timeout with 1.5 seconds on the clock.

Luke Ridnour inbounded the ball in front of the midcourt line to a wide-open Love, whose only option was to catch and shoot from a few feet beyond the arc. The ball hit nothing but net as the sellout crowd groaned.

“Coach set up a great play for us. How I was that open, I don’t really know, but I got a good look at it and I hit it,” Love said. “I tried to hold up my hands as soon as I shot it, because it felt great when it left my hands. I knew it was in. For us to do that, especially out here in L.A., it’s a big deal. The Clippers are a good team, and we just want to catch up and try to get back to .500.”

Love’s shot snapped the Clippers’ seven-game home winning streak.

“I got triple-screened and he made the shot,” Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said. “He’s a great player and he’s going to make shots. I have to try to keep a hand in his face and make it tough on him. We didn’t finish the game like we were supposed to. We let them hang around, and we got beat.”

Mo Williams scored 21 of his 25 points off the bench in the first half for the Clippers before getting ejected midway through the fourth quarter. Blake Griffin had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Billups finished with 20 points after getting into early foul trouble. Point guard Chris Paul missed his fourth straight game because of a left hamstring strain.

Williams received his second technical foul with 6:21 remaining, after he was called for fouling Rubio on a drive to the basket as Rubio lost his footing.

“I felt like it was a questionable call,” Williams said. “I didn’t say anything. I just reacted to it — not in the direction of the referee, but towards our bench. I was surprised the technical was called, and it was at a crucial point in the game.”

The Timberwolves closed to 91-90 with 4:37 remaining after four consecutive free throws by Rubio. Billups responded with a 3-pointer and two free throws for a 98-94 Clippers lead.

Clippers forward Caron Butler, who shot a career-worst 1 for 12 on Wednesday night in a 91-89 win over Dallas after hyperextending his right knee the previous night at Utah, did not play against the Timberwolves.

“Obviously, they were a different team tonight because they didn’t have Chris or Caron,” Love said. “It was a big break for us when Mo got ejected because he was really on a roll.”

Michael Beasley missed his eighth straight game for the Timberwolves due to a sprained right foot. Reserve guard JJ Barea was back in Minnesota nursing a sprained ankle that also will keep him out of Saturday night’s game at Utah. Center Brad Miller and guard Martell Webster, both of whom resumed practice this week, also didn’t dress.

The Timberwolves, whose only other lead came after Milicic’s game-opening basket, opened the third quarter with a 12-1 run that sliced an 11-point deficit to 62-60.

Notes: Billups overtook Peja Stojakovic for fourth place in career 3-pointers (1,762). Ahead of him are Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Jason Kidd. … An MRI taken Thursday on Butler’s knee revealed no structural damage. It was the same knee he had surgery on last January, which sidelined him for the rest of the season, but coach Vinny Del Negro said this injury was not related. … Adelman’s teams are 61-20 against the Clippers, his best mark against any club.

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ offense fell apart late in their last game.

It was a 48-minute struggle for the Sacramento Kings in their most recent
effort.

The Timberwolves will try to snap a three-game home losing streak on Monday
night when the Kings look to rebound from one of the franchise’s worst offensive
performances.

Leading by 18 late in the third quarter Saturday, Minnesota (4-8) was
outscored 24-2 during a nine-plus minute stretch and lost 93-91 at Atlanta.

“When you are 18 up, you have to control the game,” said rookie point guard
Ricky Rubio, who finished with a season-high 18 points and 12 assists. “We have
to learn about that. We didn’t know how to offense that zone.”

The Kings (4-9) didn’t have many answers for Dallas’ defense Saturday and
lost for the fourth time in five games, 99-60. It was the fewest points scored
by the team since a 101-59 loss at Charlotte on Jan. 10, 1991.

Sacramento’s 23 first-half points were a franchise low. The previous mark
was 25 against Boston on Feb. 26, 1957, when the Kings were based in Rochester,
N.Y., and called the Royals.

“When you come into the league, what you want to do is make shots,” said
Kings coach Keith Smart, who is 2-4 since replacing the fired Paul Westphal.
“When you’re not making those, you get down. When you get a collection of
players doing that, the team gets down.”

The Kings are hoping for better results as they complete their five-game
trip.

Sacramento shot 56.0 percent and won 127-95 in its last visit to the Target
Center on March 20. It was the second-most lopsided home loss in Timberwolves
history.

Minnesota forward Kevin Love, who finished with just three rebounds and no
points in that game after suffering an injured left groin, will try to score 30
or more points in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Love, the NBA leader with 12 double-doubles, averaged just 6.3 points and
7.3 rebounds as the Timberwolves dropped two of three to the Kings in 2010-11.

Michael Beasley scored a team-best 24.0 points per game in those contests -
including a career-high 42 on Nov. 10, 2010, when Minnesota snapped a four-game
skid in Sacramento – but he is questionable after missing the last five games
with a right foot sprain.

J.J. Barea could miss his third consecutive game with an ankle injury. That
could mean more playing time for Rubio, who has 30 points and 21 assists in two
games after entering the starting lineup Friday.

Wolves guard Luke Ridnour had a team-high 42 points in two home losses to
Sacramento in 2010-11. He scored 22 on March 20, when he got into a
confrontation with Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins after the two became tangled
on a screen.

Cousins, who was ejected following that play for shoving Ridnour and Martell
Webster, has five double-doubles in six games since Smart took over.

Kings guard Tyreke Evans averaged 25.0 points in Smart’s first five games
before scoring a season-low three on Saturday.

Evans finished with five points and nine assists in the home loss to the
Timberwolves last season after missing a 117-116 victory in Minneapolis on Oct.
27, 2010, due to suspension. Evans was sidelined with plantar fasciitis in his
left foot on March 20.

The Timberwolves and Kings have alternated wins in their last seven
matchups.

Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Ivan Johnson hit the clinching
free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining and the Atlanta Hawks
rallied from from 18 points down to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves
93-91 on Saturday night.

Kevin Love missed a potential game-tying jump shot at the
buzzer, but finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota,
which was trying to win consecutive road games for the first time
since last Feb. 7-8 at New Orleans and Houston. The Timberwolves
were coming off a seven-point victory Friday against the
Hornets.

Jeff Teague added 20 points and 10 assists for the Hawks, who
overcame a season-high 20 turnovers to win their second straight
game after losing Al Horford to a torn pectoral muscle that will
sideline the starting center for three to four months.

Ricky Rubio had 18 points and 12 assists for Minnesota. With
3:40 left in the third quarter, Rubio’s 12-foot runner from the
left baseline gave the Timberwolves the game’s biggest lead at
18.

But Atlanta went on a 23-2 run that was capped by Teague’s 3
with 8:48 remaining, putting the Hawks up 76-73 and giving them a
lead for the first time since the game’s first minute.

Ivan Johnson, playing a season-high 25 minutes with Horford out,
finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Love scored 30 points for the 12th time in his career and
finished with a double-double for an NBA-leading 12th time.

NOTES: Hawks F Marvin Williams returned to the lineup and had
eight points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes. Williams missed the
last three games with a sprained left ankle. … Minnesota F
Michael Beasley (right foot sprain) and reserve G Jose Barea (left
ankle) did not make the two game road trip. … Hawks reserve G
Tracy McGrady missed his third straight game with back spasms.

The New Orleans Hornets host the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at 7 at the New Orleans Arena. The game will be televised on CST and broadcast on 106.1-FM and 830-AM (in Spanish).

Notable: This is the first meeting of the season between the teams, and Hornets fans are taking a particular interest in the Timberwolves’ fortunes, because New Orleans owns Minnesota’s first-round pick in the next draft. … T-Wolves guard Ricky Rubio has been compared to Pistol Pete Maravich, and this will be the first opportunity to see, up close, if those comparisons are valid. … Minnesota F Michael Beasley has missed the past three games with a foot sprain. … G J.J. Barea, part of the Mavericks’ NBA championship team last season, is back with the T-Wolves after missing four games with a strained left hamstring. … Minnesota is 3-7 and hasn’t played since Tuesday, a loss to the Chicago Bulls. … The teams played just three times last season, and the T-Wolves won two, including the matchup at the New Orleans Arena. The teams meet again just three times this season.

Timberwolves

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG

Wes Johnson F 6-7 215 4.8

Kevin Love F 6-10 250 23.6

Darko Milicic C 7-0 275 5.9

Wayne Ellington G 6-7 200 4.5

Luke Ridnour G 6-2 175 12.3

Reserves: R. Rubio, G, 10.2; J. Barea, G, 11.4; A. Tolliver, F, 5.4; A. Randolph, F, 7.8; D. Williams, F, 8.7.

Hornets

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG

Al-Farouq Aminu F 6-9 215 4.8

Chris Kaman F 7-0 265 11.7

Emeka Okafor C 6-10 255 8.2

Marco Belinelli G 6-5 195 9.3

Jarrett Jack G 6-3 197 14.9

Reserves: C. Landry, F, 15.2; D. Summers, F, 7.0; G. Vasquez, G, 5.5; C. Johnson, G, 2.1; G. Ayon, F, 1.5; J. Smith, F, 7.0; T. Johnson, G, 1.8.

By Alex Boeder

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Nov 2, 2011 – In what can only be considered a truly ironic public relations blunder for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley, the firm that he hired just three weeks ago in order to improve his image has issued a statement explaining that they no longer represent Beasley. The firm’s reasoning:

“We think that Michael is a great kid, and we’re wishing the best for him, but he was just not a good fit for our firm,” S & S Associates’ Tonya Payton told CBSSports.com on Wednesday. ”Michael is at the stage in his life and his career where he just needs to take a step back and reevaluate a lot of things in his life.”

The lockout-induced extra time away from the NBA has only compounded problems for Beasley, whose busy October included a bit of everything, as Ben Golliver of Eye on Basketball reports.

In the three weeks since he hired the P.R. firm, Beasley threw an “All-Star” charity game in which all the All-Stars bailed out and said that the ongoing labor negotiations are “kind of retarded.” But that was the petty stuff.

The real bombshell came when Beasley launched explosive lawsuits against his former agent, Joel Bell, and his former AAU coach, Curtis Malone, in which he and his mother admitted to receiving thousands of dollars of illegal benefits while he was in high school and college. The lawsuit is personal, too, as Malone reportedly served as a surrogate father to Beasley, allowing him to live with his family during his high school years.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley says in a lawsuit that his former agent gave him and his mother improper benefits during his one season at Kansas State.

Beasley filed a countersuit in a Maryland a month ago in response to agent Joel Bell’s wrongful termination lawsuit against him. Beasley says Bell conspired with Beasley’s AAU coach to forge a relationship with the star from the time he was 14 years old in hopes of cashing in on that relationship when Beasley went to the NBA.

Beasley says Bell gave his mother living expenses and paid for her move to Manhattan, Kan., when he went to school there, which would likely violate NCAA rules.

The allegations were first reported by The Washington Post.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Published 10/27/2011, INFORUM

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley says in a lawsuit that his former agent gave him and his mother improper benefits during his one season at Kansas State.

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dance

Posted October 24, 2011 09:43 PM

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Read More: Josh Howard (F – WAS), Kevin Durant (F – OKC), Michael Beasley (F – MIN), Kevin Love (F – MIN), Wayne Ellington (G – MIN), DeMarcus Cousins (F – SAC), Wesley Johnson (G – MIN), John Wall (G – WAS), Minnesota Timberwolves

Michael Beasley had great intentions when the the Minnesota Timberwolves forward announced intentions to hold the Michael Beasley All-Star Classic in Osseo, Minn., on Friday night. Unfortunately things aren’t exactly working out well for him as Kevin Love, John Wall and Kevin Durant have all had to bow out of the charity game.

The game was originally set to feature the four aforementioned players along with DeMarcus Cousins and Timberwolves teammates Derrick Williams and Wesley Johnson. With Love, Durant and Wall now out, however, the Star Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda reports a few changes have been made.

Organizers are working to add another star name or two. Beasley’s Timberwolves teammate Wayne Ellington and Washington’s Josh Howard have been added to the game.

They’ve changed ticket prices from $60, $120 and $300 to $40 for general admission, $80 for VIP reserved and $200 for one of 35 courtside seats.

All in all, it’s for charity and therefore a worthy cause regardless of who is going to play what amounts to being a meaningless game of basketball regardless.