12-06-2019, 01:04 AM
MINNEAPOLIS -- Down 19 at home to the struggling Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves season had reached a bit of crossroads as the second quarter opened. Air Max 97 Donna Saldi . With a brutal trip awaiting, the Wolves simply couldnt afford to drop this one. So they rolled up their sleeves and started chipping away, and the young Sixers let them right back in it. Kevin Love had 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists and the Timberwolves got solid contributions from their beleaguered bench to beat the 76ers 106-99 on Wednesday night. "It took us a long time to get into it," coach Rick Adelman said. "But then into the second quarter, into the second half, we just kind of gradually got a rhythm going and took control and they stopped." Ricky Rubio had 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds, Nikola Pekovic added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Robbie Hummel hit a couple of big shots for the Wolves in the fourth quarter. "It showed the second unit can step up and can score," said Love, who racked up his fifth game this season with at least 25 points, 15 boards and five assists. No other player has done it once. "So I guess this was a character builder for us." Spencer Hawes had 20 points and six rebounds for the Sixers, who led 39-20 after a tremendous first quarter and had a 13-point advantage at halftime. But they turned the ball over 26 times and shot 14 free throws to Minnesotas 29. Hummel scored all 10 of his points in the fourth, including a 3-pointer that started the deciding 13-3 run. The Wolves grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to offset 38.5 per cent shooting. "We just had stats that were too insurmountable," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "Its hard to make those types of deficits up on the road against a good team." The Wolves still trailed 86-81 with less than 9:30 to go before Hummel buried a 3 to get them started. Pekovic scored six points during the run, including a soft baseline jumper from the burly Montenegrin that put them in front 89-86. Tony Wroten had 20 points in yet another start for Sixers star rookie Michael Carter-Williams, who missed his fourth straight game with a sore right knee. James Anderson added 16 points and eight rebounds. The Sixers were surprisingly competitive early in the season, winning their first three games and beating the Miami Heat in the opener. But the pains of rebuilding have gradually started to set in, and they slumped into Target Center having lost 11 of their previous 13 games and eight in a row on the road. Perhaps taking the game for granted, the Wolves put together a lifeless performance in the first half, and the young Sixers pounced. They shot a staggering 77 per cent in the first quarter, closing it on a 20-3 run. They scored 15 fast-break points and held Minnesota to 30 per cent shooting to build the cushion. Turner and Young attacked the rim for easy layup after easy layup and Hawes hit two 3s to spread the floor, catching the Wolves totally flat-footed. Kevin Martin missed his first eight shots and the Wolves still trailed by 13 at halftime in a game they absolutely needed. The Wolves leave Thursday for a tough trip to San Antonio, Memphis and Boston and also play Portland and at the Clippers and Lakers before Christmas. "When you have a team down 20 thats coming off a back-to-back and you have the opportunity to put a stamp on it, youve got to take advantage of it," Hawes said. "Credit to them. They fought their way back." They finally showed some signs of life to start the third quarter, opening with a 13-2 run and tying the game on a 3-pointer from Rubio late in the quarter. Rubio also had three steals. The Wolves scored 27 points off those Philly turnovers to hold off the Sixers. NOTES: Wolves coach Rick Adelman said before the game that F Ronny Turiafs fractured right elbow isnt healing as quickly as the team had hoped. He said Turiaf is still "a ways away" from playing, though there is no specific timetable. ... Sixers PG Lorenzo Brown, a second-round pick of the Wolves who did not make the team out of training camp, played well with four points and six assists. Vapormax Italia . Second-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States made lighter work of her day as she beat 2009 champion and Swiss wild card Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3. Two seeds fell: No. 4 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium lost to Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-4, 6-2, and No. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Outlet Italia . With the results, North America claimed 2.5 of the three available points, opening up a 17.5-12.5 lead in the overall standings. A total of 60 points are available, meaning the first team to 30.5 points will win the Continental Cup. http://www.outletscarpesaldi.it/air-max-...basso.html .Y. -- In a span of three days, Shabazz Napier and Connecticut knocked out both Philadelphia schools in the NCAA tournament.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- It was as if Matt Moulson never left the New York Islanders. He was scoring goals, hearing cheers and chants of his name at Nassau Coliseum, and waving his stick to the crowd after being chosen as the games No. 1 star. And none of the fans decked out in orange and blue seemed to mind a bit that he was doing major damage against the home team while wearing a Minnesota Wild sweater. In his first game as an Islanders opponent since being dealt, Moulson scored two goals and had three points in the Wilds 6-0 rout of New York on Tuesday night. "I was pretty nervous. I dont think I slept a minute during pregame nap," Moulson said. "I was here for a long time. This team had a big place in my heart when I was here. The fans give great support. It was pretty emotional." Ilya Bryzgalov made 16 of his 36 saves in the first period when the Wild took a 2-0 lead. Minnesota made the most of 22 shots on a night coach Mike Yeo switched up his lines. "It some ways, you feel a little bit bad. You dont want to sit there and run up the score. Thats not the intention there," Yeo said. "(Moulson) is a guy that is obviously very, very well respected here. You see what the crowd is doing in a game like that. I thought that was very classy." Frustration was also noticeable in the crowd that is fed up with general manager Garth Snow, who not only traded Moulson, but this month also dealt Thomas Vanek -- the key player acquired when Moulson was sent to Buffalo. Moulson, like Vanek an impending free agent, was traded by Buffalo to Minnesota this month. He scored the first of the Wilds two goals in the opening period and their third in the final frame. "Anytime a trade happens or something when you switch teams, you have something to prove," Moulson said. "I had a lot of family and friends here so I made sure I didnt embarrass them." Wild forward Zach Parise will have a similar experience Thursday when the former Devils star plays in New Jersey for the first time since leaving as a free agent. "Its a little different situation. He got traded and I didnt," Parise said with a laugh. "I dont know how its going to be when I get there." Jared Spurgeon, a sixthh-round pick of the Islanders in the 2008 draft, made it 2-0. Air Max 720 Uomo Saldi. . Mikael Granlund pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second, defenceman Clayton Stoner scored his first goal of the season on a breakaway in the third, and Justin Fontaine was credited with a goal after a video review to make it 5-0. Mikko Koivu had three assists to move past Marian Gaborik for the most points in Wild history with 438. Moulson closed the scoring with a power-play goal with 3:26 left. It was his 20th of the season and third in seven games with Minnesota. "I think the trade was pretty tough on him," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "Ive seen him do what he did tonight many times." Bryzgalov earned his second shutout of the season and 32nd in the NHL. Anders Nilsson stopped 16 shots for New York, but couldnt match his fine performance of Saturday night when he beat Buffalo with a 33-save effort. Moulsons name was cheered when announced as part of the Wilds starting lineup, then he was feted with more applause when the Islanders thanked him on the video board. A louder roar went up when he scored his first goal 12:23 in. After his second, fans chanted "We want Moulson!" "I knew from playing against him here that he was a fan favourite," Parise said. "I dont think anyone expected the We Love Moulson cheers at the end, but it was nice to see him get a good reception." Spurgeon, a defenceman who never played for the Islanders, took a pass from Dany Heatley and one-timed a hard drive with 4:03 left in the first. Granlunds seventh of the season, gave the Wild a three-goal edge with 3:58 remaining in the second. Fontaines 13th goal zipped in and out of the net 7:06 into the third, but play continued for over a minute before a video review took place. Moulson and Koivu earned assists. NOTES: New York D Brian Strait broke his left hand while blocking a shot in the second period. ... Moulson, who began his NHL career with Los Angeles, has three goals in two career games vs. New York. He had 118 goals and 105 assists in 304 games with the Islanders. ... Islanders D Kevin Czuczman made his NHL debut. ... The Wild were whistled for penalties for the first time in three games. ' ' '