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MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves started an important eight-game stretch with an emphatic victory, handing the improving Washington Wizards their worst loss of the season. Martavis Bryant Steelers Jersey . The Wizards hope they didnt lose something much more important than just one game. Love had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and J.J. Barea scored 17 points off the bench to help the Timberwolves beat Washington 120-98 on Friday night. Ricky Rubio had 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 26 minutes, and Nikola Pekovic added 18 points and 10 boards for the Timberwolves. Minnesota turned the ball over only five times and got 44 points from its long-struggling reserves. "Its no secret we need more production from our bench," Love said. "That really helps out some of the starters, especially when every night isnt going to be great for all of our guys, one through five." John Wall had 26 points and seven assists for the Wizards, who missed a chance to win their fourth straight road game for the first time since March 2008. Nene added 13 points and five rebounds, but Bradley Beal had to be helped off the floor in the fourth quarter with a left leg injury. Beal scored 14 points in 26 minutes, but got tangled up on a screen by Wolves forward Luc Mbah a Moute with 4:25 to go. Beal was knocked to the ground and couldnt put any pressure on his left leg as Jan Vesely and Trevor Ariza helped him to the locker room. "With the knee injuries going on this year in the NBA, you just hope (Beals) isnt one of those ones that (is) devastating," Wall said. Preliminary X-rays were negative on Beals left knee and he will have an MRI on Saturday. "I was just trying to really get up and I really couldnt get up," Beal said. "Was hoping it wasnt anything too serious or too crazy. I mean, I was able to put a little weight on it afterwards. Just have to see with the MRI tomorrow." Beal missed nine games this season with a stress fracture in his right leg, and the Wizards count on his scoring as part of their dynamic young backcourt. Barea shot 8 of 10 and Alexey Shved scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds to give the Wolves some much-needed balance between their starters and bench. The Timberwolves slogged through a brutal opening two months, weathering injuries to Chase Budinger and Ronny Turiaf and the third-toughest schedule in the NBA to post a 13-15 record. It was underwhelming considering the high hopes they started the season with, but not wholly unexpected given the schedule. Now is the time they have to make a move if they want to be a factor in the Western Conference playoff race. They play six of the next eight at home and face five teams that are currently under .500. The Wolves got off to an awful start Friday, shooting 28 per cent in the first quarter. But they got to the free throw line 10 times to stay close, then made their move in the second quarter with 39 points. "It makes things a lot easier," coach Rick Adelman said of his second-team backcourt. "I like the way they played at both ends of the court. Weve got to get something going when those guys come in." The Wizards, meanwhile, were looking to end a four-game road swing with a statement. They beat the Knicks, Nets and Celtics to start the trip, then had five days off before facing the Timberwolves, and coach Randy Wittman wanted to see his young team build on the steps he believed they took in those victories. Wall scored 22 points in the first half, but just four in the second as the Wizards faded. The Wolves dictated play for most of the night, shooting 38 free throws to just 17 for Washington and outrebounding the Wizards 44-35, including 14-9 on the offensive end. "They were tougher than we were," Wittman said. "They pushed us around. We had no resistance. So weve got to put this game behind us but learn from it." NOTES: Former Timberwolves F Martell Webster scored 11 points for the Wizards. ... Wizards F Kevin Seraphin missed the game with a sore right knee. ... The Timberwolves game against Phoenix on Jan. 8 has been moved to an 8:30 p.m. CST start to accommodate ESPN. Markus Wheaton Steelers Jersey . INJURIES - White Sox ace LHP Chris Sale is on the DL with a strained flexor muscle. Though indications are favourable (ie. Ryan Shazier Steelers Jersey .com) - After sweeping a home-and-home series from the rival Pittsburgh Penguins over the weekend, the Philadelphia Flyers will try to stay hot when they host the Chicago Blackhawks in Tuesdays inter-conference showdown at Wells Fargo Center.CHICAGO -- The San Francisco Giants on Wednesday became the first team since 1986 to win a protest filed with Major League Baseball, and will now get to resume a rain-shortened game the Chicago Cubs thought they had won. MLB executive Joe Torre ruled on Tuesday nights game at Wrigley Field that was called after 4 1-2 innings. The Cubs were declared the winners by a 2-0 score. Now, it is instead a suspended game that will resume at 4:05 p.m. CDT Thursday with the Cubs batting in the bottom of the fifth. The playoff-contending Giants and Chicago have a regularly scheduled game set to begin three hours later. "I thought we had a strong case," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Im just thankful and grateful that they (MLB) were open minded. "They listened and they looked at it and I think its the fair thing to do." A short rainstorm caused a delay of more than 4 1-2 hours Tuesday after the grounds crew couldnt put the tarp down quickly. The umpires said the field was unplayable and called it at 1:16 a.m. MLB ruled that the tarp had not been properly put away after its previous use. Therefore, under provisions of Official Baseball Rule 4.12 (a) (3) there a "malfunction of a mechanical field device under control of the home club." Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer called it a "just" decision. "The last thing you want is a playoff team feeling bitter about the result here," Hoyer said. "And obviously it was caused by our organization. Its a good outcome." "Hopefully we win the game. We have a 2-0 lead and pick it up from there," he said. Hoyer said the Cubs had hoped all along to play a complete game on Tuesday night, and that the Wrigley Field grounds crew and the umpires were caught off-guard by a "weird weather pattern" and a lack of advance warning of the localized downpour. That resulted in the field "wetter than usual," according to Hoyer, who added there was no rain at his house, located 12 blocks away from Wrigley Field. Manager Rick Renteria agreed with Hoyer that the game should be completed. "I believe in karma, OK," Renteria said. "The league has made the decision that this is what should be done. Were going to abide by it and hopefully we go out there and finish it off." Bochy was grateful to the Cubs for their support. I really have to compliment the Cubs," he said. "They were all for this too. They wanted to do the right thing." Giants President Larry Baer said in a statement: "We appreciate Major League Baseballs careful review of our protest that will allow last nights game to be continued tomorrow." "We want to thank Commissioner Bud Selig, Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred, Executive Vice-President for Baseball Operations Joe Torre and the Chicago Cubs organization for their co-operation throughout this process," he said. The last time a team won a protest filed with MLB was June 16, 1986, when St. Louis played at Pittsburgh. There were two rain delays at Three Rivers Stadium, and the Pirates correctly contended those didnt meet the National Leagues 30-minute threshold for cancellation. MLB said in its statement that after watching video of the trouble at Wrigley Field and talking to Cubs representatives, "the Cubs inability to deploy the tarp appropriately was caused by the failure to properly wrap and spool the tarp after its last use." "As a result, the grounds keeping crew was unable to properly deploy the tarp after the rain worsened," MLB said. MLB said it talked with umpire crew chief Hunter Wendelstedt and that grounds crew worked hard to comply with his direction to get the field covered. CHICAGO -- Thee San Francisco Giants on Wednesday became the first team since 1986 to win a protest filed with Major League Baseball, and will now get to resume a rain-shortened game the Chicago Cubs thought they had won. Mel Blount Steelers Jersey. MLB executive Joe Torre ruled on Tuesday nights game at Wrigley Field that was called after 4 1-2 innings. The Cubs were declared the winners by a 2-0 score. Now, it is instead a suspended game that will resume at 4:05 p.m. CDT Thursday with the Cubs batting in the bottom of the fifth. The playoff-contending Giants and Chicago have a regularly scheduled game set to begin three hours later. "I thought we had a strong case," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Im just thankful and grateful that they (MLB) were open minded. "They listened and they looked at it and I think its the fair thing to do." A short rainstorm caused a delay of more than 4 1-2 hours Tuesday after the grounds crew couldnt put the tarp down quickly. The umpires said the field was unplayable and called it at 1:16 a.m. MLB ruled that the tarp had not been properly put away after its previous use. Therefore, under provisions of Official Baseball Rule 4.12 (a) (3) there a "malfunction of a mechanical field device under control of the home club." Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer called it a "just" decision. "The last thing you want is a playoff team feeling bitter about the result here," Hoyer said. "And obviously it was caused by our organization. Its a good outcome." "Hopefully we win the game. We have a 2-0 lead and pick it up from there," he said. Hoyer said the Cubs had hoped all along to play a complete game on Tuesday night, and that the Wrigley Field grounds crew and the umpires were caught off-guard by a "weird weather pattern" and a lack of advance warning of the localized downpour. That resulted in the field "wetter than usual," according to Hoyer, who added there was no rain at his house, located 12 blocks away from Wrigley Field. Manager Rick Renteria agreed with Hoyer that the game should be completed. "I believe in karma, OK," Renteria said. "The league has made the decision that this is what should be done. Were going to abide by it and hopefully we go out there and finish it off." Bochy was grateful to the Cubs for their support. I really have to compliment the Cubs," he said. "They were all for this too. They wanted to do the right thing." Giants President Larry Baer said in a statement: "We appreciate Major League Baseballs careful review of our protest that will allow last nights game to be continued tomorrow." "We want to thank Commissioner Bud Selig, Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred, Executive Vice-President for Baseball Operations Joe Torre and the Chicago Cubs organization for their co-operation throughout this process," he said. The last time a team won a protest filed with MLB was June 16, 1986, when St. Louis played at Pittsburgh. There were two rain delays at Three Rivers Stadium, and the Pirates correctly contended those didnt meet the National Leagues 30-minute threshold for cancellation. MLB said in its statement that after watching video of the trouble at Wrigley Field and talking to Cubs representatives, "the Cubs inability to deploy the tarp appropriately was caused by the failure to properly wrap and spool the tarp after its last use." "As a result, the grounds keeping crew was unable to properly deploy the tarp after the rain worsened," MLB said. MLB said it talked with umpire crew chief Hunter Wendelstedt and that grounds crew worked hard to comply with his direction to get the field covered.cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '