Wolves record: 2-17
Love played in his first regular-season game after missing seven weeks because of a broken bone in his left hand. He didn’t start, but he provided an immediate boost and finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Al Jefferson’s return to New Orleans Arena, where he suffered a season-ending knee injury Feb. 8, 2008, gave the Wolves (2-17) plenty of ammunition with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
But another player’s return stole the show. New Orleans point guard Chris Paul was back for the first time since Nov. 13 after sitting out eight games because of a sprained ankle.
The Timberwolves did receive a shed of positive news despite falling to 2-17. Forward Kevin Love made his first appearance this season after missing the first 18 games with a fractured metacarpal on his left hand. He wore a glove on his left hand to protect his surgically repaired hand.
Love didn’t quite see the same minutes as Paul did in his return. He played 24 minutes, scoring 11 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. But Love understood whose return took the headlines.
“[Paul] got the double-double and the win,” Love said. “He got the best of me. That is why he is Chris Paul and I am second-year player Kevin Love.”
The Wolves trailed by 10 points early, then rallied with a 12-2 run when Love entered the game midway through the first quarter. They led by 11 points with less than a minute left before halftime, but Paul orchestrated a closing 9-0 run that included his three free throws after he drew a shooting foul from Ryan Hollins near midcourt just before the buzzer.
He controlled with the pick-and-roll and his command of the game in a decisive 28-16 third quarter that left the Wolves 2-17 and consoled only by Love’s promising return.
“I like the big fella out there,” Wolves guard Ramon Sessions said. “He played hard.”
