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NEW YORK -- For the Minnesota Timberwolves, a 3-0 start is as much cause for caution as celebration. The Wolves have had too much bad luck lately to think things will stay this smooth. Kevin Love had 34 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, Kevin Martin scored 30 points and Minnesota improved to 3-0 for the first time in 12 years with a 109-100 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night. The Timberwolves, averaging a whopping 37.3 points in the first quarter, are healthy again after an injury-wrecked 2012-13 and showing the early promise of a team that can contend for its first playoff berth since 2004. But after being limited to 18 games last season, Love knows nothing is guaranteed. "We dont want to get too far ahead of ourselves because of the injuries," he said. "So dont want to live in the past, dont want to live too far in the future, we just want to try to plan for Cleveland tomorrow." Minnesota took a huge lead after a 40-point first quarter, then pulled away after the Knicks trimmed it to two in the closing minutes to move halfway to matching the 2001-02 team that set the franchise record by winning its first six. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Knicks, who have dropped two straight after a season-opening victory and drew some loud boos in the first half while appearing to be standing still on defence. Anthony shot just 8 of 21. Metta World Peace added 17 points, but the Knicks were too far behind by the time they found any offence. Raymond Felton had 12 assists but shot 3 of 12, as did rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. The Wolves were 29 of 38 from the free throw line after coming into the game leading the NBA with 27 makes per game, while New York was just 11 of 13. Many times the Knicks lost whatever momentum they had when they sent a Minnesota player to the line. Minnesota rang up 38 points in the first quarter of its opener, put up 34 in a rout of Oklahoma City on Friday, and made 14 of 21 shots in the opening 12 minutes of this one. "That was the difference in the game," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "I thought the second, third and fourth quarter we played pretty good basketball, but you just cant come out on your home court and dig a hole." Ricky Rubio finished with eight points, 10 assists and six rebounds, and Nikola Pekovic had 11 points and 12 boards. "This is such a fun team to play on," said Martin, who was 5 for 5 on 3-pointers. "Nobody is trying to lead the league in scoring here. Everybody has the big picture of getting to the playoffs." Leading by four, the Wolves closed the period with a 23-6 run, and it really couldnt have been much easier. When they werent getting ahead of the Knicks defence for fast-break layups, they were getting to the line, such as when Love had a four-point possession after Kenyon Martin fouled him on a 3-pointer, then gave an extra shove for a technical foul. Minnesota scored the final 11 points of the period to make it 40-19, got the first basket of the second, and took a 64-49 lead into halftime. Playing again without the suspended J.R. Smith and with Amare Stoudemire resting, the Knicks finally sustained a run in the fourth quarter. Consecutive 3-pointers by Anthony and Iman Shumpert capped a 17-5 surge that cut it to 100-98 with 4:49 remaining, but Martin made a free throw on a technical foul, then hit a 3-pointer, and Love followed with a jumper to push the lead to 106-98 with 3:19 to play. "We started playing with some energy. We started feeling desperate," Anthony said. "We dug ourselves a hole. We started fighting out that hole. We gave ourselves a chance to get back in the basketball game." NOTES: There was a moment of silence before the game for former Knick and Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy, who died Saturday at 74. Woodson said he had seen Bellamy not long ago in Atlanta, where the former Hawks coach still owned a home. ... Minnesota snapped a four-game losing streak to New York. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Cheap NHL Jerseys China . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. http://www.cheapnhljerseyschinafreeshipping.com/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. NHL Jerseys China . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Cheap NHL Jerseys . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots must get used to playing without Rob Gronkowski again. The star tight end who missed the first six games while recovering from surgeries is done for the season after being placed on injured reserve Monday with a damaged right knee. That experience could help the Patriots handle his absence. "Id like to think theres going to be some carry-over there, not only (from) the first six weeks of the season, but the entire training camp as well," coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "Thats the way we practiced and played most of the year." Gronkowski was hurt midway through the third quarter of the Patriots 27-26 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday when he was hit on the knee by safety T.J. Ward after a 21-yard reception. The Patriots were 5-1 while Gronkowski recovered from off-season operations on his left forearm and back. In the next six games, he led all NFL tight ends with 37 catches and 560 yards receiving and they were 4-2. But the offence was much more productive. Gronkowski caught touchdown passes in four consecutive games before making just two receptions for 32 yards against the Browns. He suffered a torn ACL and damaged MCL, a person familiar with the injury said Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team did not release those details. Cleveland coach Rob Chudzinski said Monday he didnt know whether Wards hit on Gronkowski resulted from a reluctance to hit a player high and possibly incur a fine for helmet-first contact. "From my vantage point, I think he was trying to get Gronkowski down on the ground," Chudzinski said. "A big guy coming at you that way is tough to get on the ground, so I dont know that it has to do with the rules other than trying to get the guy on the ground. Certainly, we feel terrible about that (injury). Hes a great player, and (we) hope that hee has a speedy recovery.dddddddddddd" The Patriots visit Miami on Sunday. "The thing about New England is they have an excellent offensive staff, they utilize their personnel very, very well, and they adjust," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said. "You have to have a big enough system offensively that you can incorporate different players throughout the course of the season." The injury is just the latest to a key Patriots player. Defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly, linebacker Jerod Mayo and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer are on season-ending injured reserve. Gronkowskis injury should make it tougher for the Patriots (10-3) to hold on to the No. 2 spot in the AFC and a first-round bye. Cincinnati (9-4) is third and has beaten New England this season. "We cant sit here and try to pretend like its something thats easy and that we just can roll through. Its tough," special teams captain Matthew Slater said. "When you lose guys, and guys of this calibre, it makes it hard on your football team." The Patriots signed tight end D.J. Williams to the 53-man roster. They had released him last Wednesday after signing him as a free agent on Nov. 27. Williams played sparingly in a 34-31 win over Houston. He and Matthew Mulligan are the Patriots only healthy tight ends. Michael Hoomanawanui missed the past three games with a knee injury. "As far as (getting) more reps here or there, you just dont know," Mulligan said. "Its all game plan and well see what happens." Mulligan has just 16 receptions in five seasons. Gronkowski set an NFL record for tight ends with 18 touchdowns in 2011. "Unfortunately, weve had to take the field without him in the past and weve had to figure out ways to still be productive," Slater said. "Were going to have to do that again." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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