Wolves preseason record: 1-3

Kevin Love rose for an insignificant rebound in an insignificant preseason game Friday night at United Center and came down with a fractured left hand that’s expected to sideline him until December.

X-rays taken at the arena showed he broke the fourth metacarpal bone in that hand and the initial estimate is he will miss the next six to eight weeks. Love will see a hand specialist Monday to find out if the injury will require surgery.

“Freak accident,” he said as he sat at his locker stall following a 94-90 loss to the Chicago Bulls, his left hand heavily bandaged.

Love went up to grab the rebound of Bulls center Brad Miller’s missed free throw with 3:50 left in the third quarter. His right hand collected the ball. His left hand whacked teammate Oleksiy Pecherov’s elbow.

“Fortunately, it’s my non-shooting hand,” Love said after Minnesota’s 94-90 preseason loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

That’s about the only thing that went right for the Timberwolves.

Tyrus Thomas, who missed four games with a bruised right hip, had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, and Jannero Pargo hit the go-ahead jumper in the final minute.

Chicago led most of the way until Minnesota’s Damien Wilkins hit two free throws to tie it at 87 with 47.9 seconds left. Pargo then buried a jumper from the top of the key that sent the Bulls (5-1) to their third straight win and second in three nights over the Timberwolves (1-3).

Wolves coach Kurt Rambis inserted Damien Wilkins into Friday’s starting lineup for Ryan Gomes, probably as a reward for Wednesday’s solid game against the Bulls, and intends to increase the playing time for Jefferson and Corey Brewer in a measured effort to get them ready for the regular season, now 11 days away.

Jefferson played 34 minutes despite fighting a cold, recording 10 points and 16 rebounds. Brewer played only 25 because of first-half foul trouble, but he was the Wolves’ leading scorer with 20 points.

Love could miss the first 20 games or more. Included will be the season’s only two visits to his hometown of Portland, where the Wolves play twice in 13 days in November.

Without him, newcomers Ryan Hollins and Oleksiy Pecherov will be asked to step to the forefront.

Pecherov shook off Wednesday’s dreadful debut by scoring 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting in nearly 21 minutes off the bench. He also had five rebounds.

Pecherov hoisted up six three-point attempts and made two.