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.

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).

Tags:
sports, updates, timberwolves, basketball

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.

Forget potential, for the Minnesota Timberwolves the future was now as Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love teamed up to take down the San Antonio Spurs 87-79 on Friday night.

The Southwest Division-leading Spurs started the game strong but eventually both teams settled into a tight affair with the Spurs leading by one after each of the first two quarters before taking a tied game into the fourth quarter. Minnesota took a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter but San Antonio came back to tie things up at 79-79 with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

That’s when Rubio and Love took over, fueling an 8-0 run by the Wolves to close the game and secure the big W in front of an approving Target Center crowd. Rubio sparked the run scoring the first four points and then finding Love for a layup. The Spurs had no answer and Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Richard Jefferson took turns trying to answer but continued to come up empty.

Rubio finished the game with 18 points and 10 assists including some beautiful bounce passes through traffic for easy buckets at the rim. Love added his patented double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but was joined in the double-double ranks by Nikola Pekovic with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Parker led the way for the Spurs with 20 points and three assists while Duncan finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Minnesota has a day to enjoy this victory as they prepare for another high-profile guest on Sunday when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers visit.

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.

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.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — 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 consecutive 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 one 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% 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% 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.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kevin McHale hired and fired both Flip Saunders and Randy Wittman to coach the Minnesota Timberwolves. But now that Wittman has replaced Saunders in the latest Wizards’ coaching shakeup, McHale was in no mood to reminisce about the time he shared with either man in Minnesota or discuss their current situations.

I don’t like this line of questioning!
(Jim Mone – AP)
“I’m not too worried about Washington,” McHale, now coach of the Houston Rockets, said after a lengthy practice at Toyota Center on Thursday. “We’ll play them tomorrow night and that’ll be the last time I think about them till next year because we don’t play them again. So, I don’t think too much.”

Wittman won his debut with the Wizards (3-15) on Wednesday and is hoping to lead his team to its first road win on Friday at Toyota Center. When reminded that he worked with Wittman for nearly eight years in Minnesota, McHale responded, “I worked with Flip, too. Again, I’ll prepare tonight. Watch film of them. All last night, I watched our bad performance against Milwaukee. Then we’ll watch what Washington’s doing and prepare for that. Other than that…I’m not thinking about….”

Does he have any thoughts on how the Wizards might look with Wittman at the helm as opposed to Saunders? Before waiting to hear the end of the question, McHale smiled and said: “No thoughts. I’m pretty much not going to answer anything you’re asking on that. That’s usually a hint. If I don’t answer the first question, I’m not answering the second or third.”

After both Saunders and Wittman were dismissed, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor forced McHale to leave his position as vice president of basketball operations to take over the more laborious task as coach.

McHale reluctantly took over for Saunders midway through the 2004-05 season but returned to his front office position after the season ended. He hired Dwane Casey, but replaced Casey with Wittman after 1½ seasons. Then after he replaced Wittman in December 2008, McHale was dismissed completely from the Timberwolves organization at the conclusion of the season.

After taking two years off to work as an analyst for Turner and NBATV, McHale has returned to a profession he once dreaded and taken over as head coach of the Rockets. When the Rockets defeated the Wizards, 114-106, at Verizon Center on Jan. 16, McHale offered perfunctory comments about being “happy” for Saunders, his former college teammate and colleague for nearly 10 years with the Timberwolves.

Nothing close to that before the rematch with the Wizards with Wittman at the helm. Should be a fun game on Friday.

More on the Wizards:

Wittman hopes to build on past experience

D.C. Sports Bog: Wittman comapres Wizards to ex-smokers

Insider: McGee talks contract, demurs on Saunders

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.

By Jon Krawczynski, Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Love watched friends Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook sign five-year extensions this season and was ready to do the same with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

As the clock ticked down toward the deadline, it became abundantly clear that owner Glen Taylor and president of basketball operations David Kahn didn’t want to go that far.

So the two sides found a middle ground.

Love signed a four-year maximum extension Wednesday worth more than $60 million that allows him to opt out after three years.

The deal offers the financial flexibility and protection from injury that the Timberwolves were seeking while giving the 23-year-old Love the freedom to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015 if he so chooses.

“Did I want the five years? Of course,” Love said on a conference call from Dallas before the short-handed Wolves beat the Mavericks 105-90. “It was something I felt strongly about. But at the end of the day, a four-year deal is still great.”

Love is showing that he is worth every penny this season, including in the game against defending champion Dallas when he scored 31 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and hit 4 of 6 3-pointers in 43 minutes.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can offer one player on their roster a five-year deal with annual raises of 7.5 percent, which is one year longer and three percentage points higher than any other team can offer.

Love has emerged as the new face of the franchise in the post-Kevin Garnett era, an All-Star who led the NBA in rebounding last season and is off to an even better start this year. He is averaging 25.2 points, 13.7 rebounds and leads the league with 39.6 minutes per game.

“He’s the key of this team. He’s our leader,” point guard Ricky Rubio said. “We appreciate what he does on the court. It’s great for us.”

Coupled with the additions of coach Rick Adelman and Rubio, Love has helped form a promising foundation. Still, Love can leave if he doesn’t like the direction the organization is headed in three years.

“The early termination keeps my options open and I want to see where this team is going to head,” Love said. “I feel that we are (on the right track), and that we’ll get there. … I’m looking at this as a four-year deal and we’ll go from there.”

With this grueling, lockout-shortened season still only a quarter of the way finished, Kahn said he and Taylor felt that extending a player even as accomplished as Love for five years was more than they were comfortable doing.

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.

SALT LAKE CITY — An All-Star worthy effort from Paul Millsap helped the Utah Jazz get back on track Saturday night.

Millsap scored 26 points to lead the Jazz to a 108-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Jazz have momentum again after Thursday’s tough loss to Dallas, and are scoring well again on their report card.

GUARDS: Devin Harris was back in the starting lineup, and wasn’t even booed by his home crowd. That’s a plus. He played a lot better after the disaster against Dallas, but notably got fewer minutes than Earl Watson. Harris, after committing a turnover 11 seconds into the game, played well and finished with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting. Raja Bell is finding his stroke, as he went 5-for-6 and tied his season-high with 12 points. Bell again played well on defense. Ricky Rubio dazzled in his Utah debut, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Ridnour hit some key shots for the Timberwolves. Give Minnesota a slight edge, but Bell and Harris did nothing to put Utah in danger of losing. Grade: B

FORWARDS: Millsap was outstanding, and outplayed Kevin Love. Millsap had one more rebound than Love, who for the first time this season did not record a double-double. He had 15 points and eight rebounds. Gordon Hayward continues to struggle shooting the ball, but is helping in other ways. He had six assists and five rebounds. Wes Johnson was tough for Minnesota, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds. Grade: A-

CENTERS: Al Jefferson was solid against his old team, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Darko Milicic had 10 points and four rebounds and disappeared in the third quarter. He did ride a mean stationary bike in the fourth quarter. Grade: A

BENCH: C.J. Miles scored in double figures for the third straight game. He’s playing aggressively on offense and sparking the second unit. Watson continues to run the offense well, as he had 10 points to go along with seven assists. Rookie Derrick Williams scored a career-high 15 points for the Timberwolves, and Wayne Ellington scored 10. Utah’s bench had the advantage though, outscoring Minnesota’s reserves 39-33. Grade: B+

COACHING: Tyrone Corbin interestingly played Harris and Watson together in the final two minutes and it seemed to be an arrangement that could work. Watson is the better facilitator and Harris is a good combo guard. He also played Watson five more minutes than Harris. He just seems to have the pulse of this team, and he had a great gameplan in slowing Love down. Grade: A

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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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.

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.

By George Henry, Associated Press

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson wasn’t too concerned when Atlanta trailed Minnesota by 18 points late in the third quarter.

He could sense the Hawks were finally figuring out how to defend Kevin Love.

“We started focusing in on him and doubling him a lot more and trying to make it tough for him, but he’s a load down there, man,” Johnson said. “He did a great job of keeping them in the ballgame. He’s a hell of a player.”

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

Love missed a potential game-winning 3-point attempt 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.

“It’s my fourth year in the league, so I’ve had a lot of teams come back us, especially last year, so you never feel like a game is over no matter how far ahead you are,” Love said. “‘We started to shoot too many jump shots and didn’t get the ball inside enough. Plus, it seemed like they hit every single shot down the stretch.”

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.

“Every game is not going to be perfect,” Joe Johnson said. “You’re going to have to win them ugly sometimes, and tonight was definitely an ugly game. I’m just glad we came out on top.”

Rookie Ricky Rubio, starting his second game in the last two nights, 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.

Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman was nearly speechless after watching a fourth quarter in which his team was outscored 30-20, was outrebounded 12-8 and committed five turnovers to the Hawks’ two.

There were five lead changes and the score was tied six times in the final period, but Minnesota never led after Love’s two free throws made it 86-84 with 2:41 remaining.

“I don’t have anything to say,” Adelman said. “Our guys did everything they could to win that game and it just didn’t happen. That’s all I have to say.”

Atlanta brought in Ivan Johnson and Jason Collins to contest Love inside and used a zone defense to close the passing lanes, helping the Hawks go on a 23-2 run. Teague’s 3 capped the run with 8:48 remaining to put the Hawks up 76-73 and give them a lead for the first time since the game’s first minute.