Hawks End Losing Streak By Stopping Timberwolves, 111-105

(Sports Network) – Al Horford and Josh Smith helped the Hawks snap a four-game losing streak, supplying 28 and 23 points, respectively, in a 111- 105 victory over Minnesota.

Horford and Smith each had 10 rebounds, while Joe Johnson added 17 points and five assists for Atlanta, which had won its first six games of the season before hitting a cold stretch.

Kevin Love, coming off a memorable 31-point, 31-rebound effort against the Knicks on Friday, recorded 22 points and 17 boards for the Timberwovles, who had a two-game win streak broken. Michael Beasley netted 25 points, and Sebastian Telfair scored 18 to go with eight assists in the loss.

Wolves Head South To Take On Atlanta Hawks

(Sports Network) – The Atlanta Hawks have fallen on hard times since their 6-0 start to the season and will try to halt a four-game losing streak when they close out a three-game homestand today versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Hawks were pegged by many to have another strong season and proved the pundits right by winning the first six games on the 2010-11 schedule. Now they’re just trying to hold onto a lead and hope to save face at Philips Arena, where Atlanta dropped a 90-86 decision versus Utah on Friday.

Joe Johnson recorded 23 points and Josh Smith chipped in 20 and 13 boards for the Hawks, who shot 49.3 percent and got 14 points from top reserve Jamal Crawford.

“They did a great job. They came up with key offensive rebounds and they made some key plays,” Johnson said of the Jazz. “Down the stretch we didn’t come up with the big plays and didn’t get the offensive rebounds.”

Hawks forward Marvin Williams returned from a bone bruise in his right knee that caused him to miss four games. He recorded five points on just 2-of-8 shooting in a losing cause.

Atlanta is 2-3 as the host this season and went 34-7 in Dixie last year. It has dropped three in a row at home.

Timberwolves big man Kevin Love is coming off an extraordinary performance in which he single-handedly carried his team to a 112-103 victory versus New York on Friday. He ended with 31 points and 31 rebounds, an accomplishment something no player has done since 1982.

Love’s 30-30 night was the first in the NBA since Moses Malone turned the trick 28 years ago, and his 31 rebounds set a franchise record for the Timberwolves, who were down by as many as 21 points. Minnesota outrebounded New York by a 56-43 margin and scored 48 points in the paint.

“I just got in a good mindset that every single one was mine,” Love said.

Michael Beasley, fresh off a career-high 42-point game, added 35 points in Minnesota’s second straight win following a six-game losing streak. Rookie Wesley Johnson posted 15 points in the win.

The T’Wolves, who will also visit Charlotte on their quick two-game road swing, will not have guard Wayne Ellington for today’s game because of a bruised left thigh. The former first-round pick in 2009 has missed three straight games.

Atlanta already defeated Minnesota, 113-103, on November 5 this season at the Target Center. Smith scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists to lead the Hawks to their ninth straight win in this series.

Minnesota is winless in its last seven visits to Philips Arena.

Love's 31 Points, 31 Boards Lead Timberwolves Past Knicks

(Sports Network) – Kevin Love accomplished something no player has done since 1982, as the third-year forward recorded 31 points and 31 rebounds to help the Minnesota Timberwolves erase a double-digit halftime deficit en route to a 112-103 triumph over the New York Knicks.

Love’s 30-30 night was the first in the NBA since Moses Malone pulled the trick 28 years ago, and his 31 rebounds set a franchise record for the Timberwolves, who were down as many as 21 before holding the Knicks to 27.9- percent shooting in the second half.

Michael Beasley, fresh off a career-high 42-point game, added 35 points in Minnesota’s second straight win following a six-game skid.

Danilo Gallinari and Raymond Felton paced five Knicks in double figures with 25 and 22 points, respectively, but it wasn’t enough to snap the club’s three- game slide.

Wolves Look To Extend Streak To Two Tonight Against Knicks

(Sports Network) – Mired in a three-game losing streak, the New York Knicks hope a visit to the Twin Cities against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Target Center will cure what ails them.

New York had won back-to-back games before losing to Philadelphia, Milwaukee and most recently Golden State on Wednesday night. Former Knick David Lee had 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Warriors. Lee spent the first five seasons of his career in New York, then was acquired by the Warriors this summer in a trade that sent Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Kelenna Azubuike to the Big Apple.

Amare Stoudemire led the Knicks with a season-best 33 points and 10 boards, while Wilson Chandler ended with 27 points and six rebounds for New York, which committed 20 turnovers and got 20 points, six rebounds and six assists from Raymond Felton.

“There were a lot of things that hurt us, but the turnovers were the big one,” said New York head coach Mike D’Antoni. “They got 30 points off of turnovers and if you take half of them away we did a good job. We have a lot of work to do, no doubt about it.”

Danilo Gallinari had 15 points and seven rebounds in defeat. The Knicks will play five of their next six games on the road and will begin a four-game trek out west after hosting Houston on Sunday.

Minnesota ended a six-game losing streak with Wednesday’s 98-89 victory at Sacramento in the finale of a three-game road trip, as Michael Beasley pumped in a career-high 42 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the way.

“I was just out there knocking down open shots, playing aggressive and it worked out well,” said Beasley, who leads the T’ Wolves with 18.1 ppg.

Sebastian Telfair scored 16 points and rookie Wesley Johnson added 12 and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who had dropped 17 in a row on the road dating back to last season and shot 47.1 percent from the floor.

The Timberwolves will hit the road for two games at Atlanta and Charlotte following their home tilt with the Knicks. In injury news, guard Wayne Ellington (thigh) is questionable for tonight’s game.

New York and Minnesota split a home-and-home series a year ago, with each club holding serve as the host. The Timberwolves are 13-5 in the previous 18 meetings with the Knicks, losers in 10 of their last 13 games at Minneapolis.

Timberwolves Get Rare Road Win In Sacramento, 98-89

(Sports Network) – Michael Beasley poured in a career-high 42 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled out a rare road win, 98-89, over the Sacramento Kings.

Sebastian Telfair netted 16 points, while Wesley Johnson added 12 and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who had lost six straight overall and 17 in a row on the road dating back to last season.

Omri Casspi had a team-high 17 points, while Beno Udrih chipped in 16 and nine helpers for the Kings, who dropped the final three games on a four-game homestand.

Minnesota held a slim 74-72 edge going to the fourth and a Telfair layup a little more than two minutes in pushed the margin to 80-73.

Casspi hit a three-pointer to cut into the deficit, but Tyreke Evans, the reigning Rookie of the Year, fouled on the next possession with 9:02 remaining and the Kings never recovered.

Six straight points by Love in just over a minute gave the visitors a 91-82 lead with 3:51 on the clock, and it was at least a two-possession game the rest of the way.

The Timberwolves, coming off a tough loss to the Lakers, led 27-22 after the first quarter and extended the slight margin to 51-45 at the break.

They continued to play front-runner until a Samuel Dalembert alley-oop slam capped a seven-point run for a 64-62 Kings lead at the midway point of the third.

Game Notes

Minnesota’s last road win came at Miami on February 23 of last season…These teams split their four-game series last season…Dalembert ended with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Evans had just five points and nine assists in the loss…Beasley shot 17-of-31 from the field.

Timberwolves Continue Road Trip In Sacramento Against Kings

(Sports Network) – The Sacramento Kings close out a four-game homestand tonight by welcoming the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves to ARCO Arena.

The Kings fell to 1-2 on their residency on Saturday when Rudy Gay finished with 32 points and nine rebounds, as the Memphis Grizzlies ended their recent road trip on a high note with a 100-91 win over Sacramento.

Tyreke Evans had 30 points, eight boards and five assists for the Kings, who have lost their last two after opening the homestand with a win over Toronto. Francisco Garcia added 21 points off the bench.

“I think we were just playing too fast,” Evans said. “They were forcing us off our spots. They were pressuring the wing and we just weren’t getting into our offense good enough. So we were rushing instead of just taking our time.”

The Wolves, meanwhile, are now 0-2 on a three-game trek after dropping a 99-94 decision to the unbeaten Los Angeles Lakers in Hollywood last night. Kobe Bryant scored 33 points on 12-of-28 shooting and Pau Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds in that one.

Kevin Love pulled down a career-high 24 rebounds — 11 offensive — to go with 23 points to pace Minnesota, which has dropped 12 straight to LA and 17 in a row on the road dating back to last season.

“Just to perform well [was nice],” said Love, a Santa Monica native and UCLA product. “If you can’t get high to play in Staples Center and against the world champs you should go home.”

Michael Beasley scored 17 points for the T’Wolves, who also received 13 points and nine assists from Sebastian Telfair.

Sacramento has won six of its past eight games with the Wolves, including a 117-116 decision in the Twin Cities earlier this season. Overall, the lowly T- Wolves have lost six straight and are a dismal 3-36 since Feb. 8 of last season.

Love Has Monster Night, Wolves Still Lose To Lakers, 99-94

(Sports Network) – Kobe Bryant scored 33 points on 12-of-28 shooting and Pau Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Lakers stayed unbeaten with a 99-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lamar Odom and Ron Artest scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Lakers, who are three wins away from matching the franchise-record 11-0 mark they set in the 1997-98 campaign.

Kevin Love pulled down a career-high 24 rebounds — 11 offensive — to go with 23 points to pace Minnesota, which has dropped 12 straight to LA and are off to a slow 1-7 start.

The Timberwolves were in it despite turning the ball over 27 times.

NBA Schedule: Timberwolves Head Out West To Battle Lakers

(Sports Network) - It's best versus worst in the Western Conference at Staples Center tonight as the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers shoot for their 12th straight win over the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers, who are one of only two unbeaten teams left in the NBA along with the New Orleans Hornets, improved to 7-0 on Sunday when Pau Gasol recorded his fourth career triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, leading Los Angeles to a 121-96 rout over the Portland Trail Blazers in Hollywood.

Lamar Odom added 21 points and 12 boards for the Lakers, who shot 54.9 percent and had seven players -- including all five starters -- finish in double- figures.

"We had more energy tonight," Gasol said. "We're taking it game-by-game. We're not thinking about a record. I'm happy we're winning, otherwise the triple- double is meaningless."

The Lakers have started 8-0 or better just twice in their storied history, in 1997-98 when they raced out to a franchise-record 11-0 mark, and in 1987-88 when they opened 8-0 on their way to the NBA championship.

The Wolves, meanwhile, fell to a dismal 1-6 and 0-4 on the road Sunday with a 120-94 blowout loss at the hands of previously winless Houston. Luis Scola ended with 24 points and Kevin Martin added 21 to lead the Rockets in that game.

Kevin Love had 16 points and 16 boards to pace the Timberwolves, who have dropped five in a row overall. Nikola Pekovic had 12 points and 11 boards off the bench for Minnesota while Michael Beasley had 15 points and Corey Brewer contributed 10.

"We continue to make mistakes in areas where we've worked on it since training camp," said Minnesota head coach Kurt Rambis. "They're not together. They're not unified as a team yet. We're still making simple mistakes on pick-and-roll coverages that we see every single day."

Minnesota, which has dropped eight straight at Staples Center, is a miserable 3-35 dating back to Feb. 9 of last season, and has lost 40 of its 45 contests on the road since the beginning of last year.