Annika » I was just following the puck.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves cant afford any more lazy starts like the one that got them beat two nights ago. Sam Darnold Jersey . They cant afford any more losses to teams with inferior records. Their one last, desperate playoff push begins right now. The Detroit Pistons are in the same boat. But they sure arent playing like it. Kevin Love had 28 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and the Timberwolves led by 31 points in the third quarter en route to a 114-101 victory over the Pistons on Friday night. Kevin Martin scored 24 points and Ricky Rubio added 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who trail the Dallas Mavericks by five games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with 21 games to go. "We have to have more discipline in what we do," said coach Rick Adelman, referring to the Wolves letting the Pistons back into the game in the fourth. "I dont care what the score is. We have to learn. Its hurt us in the past and it will hurt us again if we dont know the time and score." Greg Monroe had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Will Bynum scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons. But Detroit shot 40 per cent and lost for the ninth time in 11 games, yet another demoralizing performance for a team that started the night just three games back of eighth-place Atlanta in the East. "Tonight our lack of defence, especially in that first half, dictated our offence," Pistons coach John Loyer said. "Its pretty hard to really have great pace and play with offensive pace if youre so lackadaisical on the defensive end, which we were." Nikola Pekovic had 17 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota (31-30), which matched its win total of last season and led by 28 when the final quarter opened. But Bynum got going in the fourth, and his driving layup cut the lead to 112-101 with a minute to play. But the deficit proved too big for the Pistons to overcome. "Sometimes coach has to make a hockey substitution and put all five (starters) back in," Martin said with a smile. "Were just happy we got a win." The Timberwolves came home from an 11-day West Coast road trip that included four wins in five games to move them one game above .500 and 4 1/2 out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the demanding Western Conference. A four-game homestand against struggling opponents had them cautiously optimistic that they could sneak back into the mix. But they opened the crucial stretch with a clunker, falling behind 15-2 en route to losing on to the woeful New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The loss stung even more when Phoenix, Dallas and Memphis, the three teams right ahead of them in the playoff chase, all lost before the Wolves hit the floor. "We learned our lesson, we played aggressive tonight and everyone did a good job," Rubio said. With almost no margin for error the rest of the way, the Wolves jumped on the Pistons from the get-go. After struggling mightily from the field and playing tentatively in his previous two games, Martin came out very aggressive in the first quarter. He hit three of his first four shots and attacked the basket with a layup that gave the Wolves a 29-11 lead. The battle under the boards between two of the most physical, tenacious rebounding front lines in the league never materialized. Monroe picked up two quick fouls and a technical in the first quarter that limited his effectiveness early and Andre Drummond, who was averaging 13.0 rebounds per game and leads the league in offensive rebounds, had just two points and one rebound while playing 15 minutes over the first three quarters due to foul trouble. Drummond finished with six points and seven rebounds before fouling out. "There are a lot of young guys and a lot of players on this team that havent been able to experience the post-season," said Pistons forward Josh Smith, who had 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting. "They wont understand it until they get in and they get that feeling. Thats when that addiction starts to creep in." NOTES: Brandon Jennings had 17 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Pistons, but did not play in the fourth quarter. ... Wolves backup PG J.J. Barea, the subject of boos from the home crowd against the Knicks, had another rough game, with four points on 2-for-8 shooting. ... The rock band Arcade Fire, including basketball aficionado Win Butler, was in attendance. Terrelle Pryor Sr. Jets Jersey . For the Miami Heat, that was outstanding news. LeBron James scored the last of his 32 points on a layup that put Miami up for good with 11. Isaiah Crowell Jersey . The team announced the defensive coordinator will not be offered a contract extension. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/ . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders.NEW YORK -- The Rangers clutch victory over the Stanley Cup champions earlier this week would have lost a lot of lustre if New York couldnt back it up against the struggling Dallas Stars. The Rangers needed 58 minutes to get ahead -- and then spent the final two holding on. Rick Nash snapped a tie with 1:58 left, and the Rangers sent the Stars to their fifth straight loss, 3-2 on Friday night. New York is 7-2-1 in its last 10, but more importantly, the Rangers followed up their stirring win at Chicago on Wednesday with another one at home. "We talked about it this morning," said Henrik Lundqvist, who made 24 saves to earn his second straight win. "Its always a great feeling when you come up big in the end of a game." Nash poked a rebound of Chris Kreiders shot past goalie Kari Lehtonen to give New York its first lead. Nash has 10 goals this season and three in three games. "I think it was 50 per cent luck ... well, probably 70 per cent luck and 30 per cent skill," Nash said of his 50th game-winner. "I was just following the puck. It went a little bit higher than anticipated, but luckily it went in." Ryan Callahan and Derick Brassard both erased one-goal Rangers deficits, and Brad Richards had two assists to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, four assists). Ryan Garbutt and Cody Eakin both had a goal and assist, but the Stars remained winless in 2014. Lehtonen stopped 31 shots for Dallas, which went 0-3 on its three-game trip through the New York metropolitan area. "I thought we skated better," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought we created a little bit more and I thought we were better with the puck. We still have a ways to go, though." After being shut out for the first time this season in a 1-0 loss at New Jersey on Thursday, the Stars got their offence on track early -- grabbing the lead 4:06 in on Eakins ninth goal. Garbutt outraced Rangers defenceman Marc Staal to a loose puck deep in the New York end and sent a pass back to Eakin in the right circle. Eakin let go a shot that Lundqvist blocked with his arm, but couldnt control as it found its way in. Dallas had the lead despite being outshot 8-3 at the time in the sluggish firrst period that featured multiple icings and frequent faceoffs. Custom New York Jets Jerseys. New York tied it with 8:40 left in the period on Callahans eighth of the season and first in five games since the Rangers captain returned from a nine-game absence caused by a sprained knee ligament. Benoit Pouliot kept the puck in the Dallas zone at the right point and got it to Richards, who took a shot. Richards got to his rebound and moved the puck to his right to the streaking Callahan, who snapped in a drive as he was flying to the ice. Dallas regained the lead 3:34 into the second on Garbutts eighth goal. Antoine Roussel sent a pass that Garbutt knocked down with the shaft of his stick. He then jammed the puck between Lundqvists pads. However, the Rangers tied it 2-2 just 4:48 later when Brassard scored a power-play goal on the games first advantage. Mats Zuccarello sent a hard shot from above the right circle into the slot where Brassard deflected it past Lehtonen for his seventh of the season and fifth on the power play. "I didnt do much. I just shot it. All the credit to him," Zuccarello said of Brassard. "If its there, its there. If its not there, its not there. "I just shot it. He made a really nice tip. Its a skill play by him." The Rangers, who swept the two-game season series from Dallas, have scored a power-play goal in nine of the past 12 games. "When a power play works, it keeps the other team honest because they dont want to see the power play on the ice," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Our power play has been working real well for us. Its been giving us momentum, its been giving us timely goals." New York had other scoring chances in the second, including several scrums in front of the net, but couldnt convert. Nash shot wide on a breakaway, and Richards struck the crossbar with a drive. NOTES: Callahan had an assist in each of his previous three games. ... Stars D Aaron Rome returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury. ... Garbutt has three goals in his last eight games. ... Dallas received its only power play in the third period. ... Rangers C J.T. Miller, scratched for the second straight game, is going down to Hartford of the AHL. Wholesale Spain Jerseys Cheap Juventus Jersey Cheap Cristiano Ronaldo Jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Cheap Arsenal Jerseys Cheap A.S. 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