Love injured in loss to Bulls
By ANDREW SELIGMAN - The Associated Press
CHICAGO – Kevin Love went up for a rebound as he always does, but this time he banged his left hand. Now, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second-year forward will be watching from the bench for a while.
Love broke a bone in his hand, and the NBA’s leading rookie rebounder last season hopes to return in late November or early December.
“Fortunately, it’s my non-shooting hand,” Love said after Minnesota’s 94-90 preseason loss to the Bulls on Friday night at the United Center.
That’s about the only thing that went right for the Timberwolves.
Tyrus Thomas, who missed four games because of 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.
“It was good to just come out and play, have some fun and to get the win,” Thomas said. “I was cramping a little bit.”
The Bulls got 14 points from Gibson and 13 from Pargo while improving to 5-1 in the preseason. Brad Miller scored four points after missing two games with the flu.
“I’m glad our guys are competing, but we had so many different lineups out there,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. “Our body count is a little low so I’m just trying to mix and match and to make it work.”
The Bulls 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 consecutive win and second in three nights against the Timberwolves (1-3).
Thomas provided a big boost for the Bulls and did not show any obvious signs of lingering pain as he flew around the court. That was a good sign for a short-handed team.
Already without Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose, who has not played since the preseason opener because of an inflamed tendon behind his right ankle, the Bulls also were missing guard John Salmons. He was with his wife for the birth of their second child.
Thomas received a nice ovation when he checked in with 4:44 left in the first quarter and wasted no time making an impact.
He immediately drew a roar from the crowd when he soared for a putback dunk on Pargo’s miss and added another jam and a layup on consecutive possessions about a minute later. Thomas kept it going in the second quarter, scoring eight points as Chicago built a 44-37 lead, but the Bulls had trouble pulling away.
NOTES: The NBA has made a big statement by slapping coaches Stan Van Gundy, Larry Brown and Lionel Hollins with big fines for criticizing the replacement officials, and Del Negro is taking note. “Yeah, you just ... yeah,” he said, his voice trailing off when he was asked if he’s paying attention. He said the referees are “doing the best they can.” The league fined Van Gundy and the Orlando Magic $35,000 each on Friday after hitting Brown and the Charlotte Bobcats for $60,000 and Hollins for $25,000. ... Timberwolves G Wayne Ellington shot 1 for 10 after missing a game with a sore left ankle.
