On their fifth attempt to get to the .500 mark, the Minnesota Timberwolves finally got the job done on Saturday night at the Target Center. Kevin Love's 25 points and 18 rebounds led the way for Minnesota, as they defeated the Houston Rockets for the second time in five days, winning by a score of 100-91.
The game was not without controversy, however. During the first quarter, Love fouled Houston's Luis Scola on a drive to the basket, and then stepped on his head as he was laying on the Target Center floor. After the game, Love said it was unintentional. Feel free to judge for yourself.
Don't get me wrong. . .I'm a big fan of Kevin Love, but I'm not sure I can buy into the "unintentional" line.
In any case, the Wolves got off to a very hot start in this one, as they had a 13-point lead over the Rockets at halftime, 55-42. Houston cut the lead to nine by the start of the fourth quarter, and got as close as three, but the Timberwolves managed to hold on down the stretch.
The Timberwolves are now at .500, the first time they have achieved that mark since the second game of last season, when they had a record of 1-1.
In addition to Love's strong performance, Luke Ridnour had a strong game with 22 points, including hitting 4-of-6 three-point attempts. Ricky Rubio put up yet another double-double, scoring 13 points and dishing out 11 assists. The Rockets were led in scoring by Scola and Kyle Lowry, who each scored 24 points on the evening.
Minnesota will next take to the court on Tuesday night, as they will host the Sacramento Kings at the Target Center.