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.

Read More: Kevin Love (F – MIN), Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves, Jan 23, 2012 7:00 PM CST

With the eleventh hour approaching, the Minnesota Timberwolves may or may not have landed an extension with their star big man Kevin Love. According to Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press, an agreement is in place. Love becomes a unrestricted free agent this summer if a deal is not reached and in writing by Wednesday at midnight eastern time.

Richardson’s report says the supposed deal is worth $62 million for four years, which would mean the T-Wolves did not make Love their “designated player” and give him the maximum $78 million over five years.

Now, for what it’s worth, less than an hour after Richardson’s post went up, Kevin Love tweeted, “if you read it on the internet it must be true right?” making it pretty implicitly clear that Richardson’s report is erroneous. Marc Stein tweeted shortly thereafter that the two sides have not agreed to anything and talks are still “ongoing.” A google search renders a result from ESPN with the headline, “Report: Kevin Love, Wolves agree,” but when you click on it, the headline changes to, “Sources: Kevin Love, Wolves talking.”

Therefore, I think it’s probably safe to assume that nothing is final yet, but things appear to be getting closer, close enough for Minnesota beat writers to jump the gun. Stay tuned for more updates.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

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

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.