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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves cant afford any more lazy starts like the one that got them beat two nights ago. 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. Cheap Air Max 90 Ultra China . Snedekers best result so far this year is a tie for eighth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He sits 113th in FedEx Cup standings and has dropped to 31st in world rankings — not the results expected from a player ranked fourth in the world only two years ago. Fake Air Max 90 White .Impact president Joey Saputo confirmed Thursday that he is part of a group of investors whose offer to buy the 105-year-old Italian club was accepted by the teams board of directors. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outlet-air-max-90-ultra-cheap.html .L. - Defending womens champion Alberta improved to 3-0 at the Canadian junior curling championships with a 10-3 win over Ontario in Sundays afternoon draw. Wholesale Air Max 90 Black .com) - Minnesota Vikings fans would surely concede Teddy Bridgewater is not Peyton Manning. Cheap Air Max 90 Essential .com) - Mikko Korhonen carded a 5-under 67 on Thursday to claim medalist honors at the European Tours Final Qualifying Stage tournament.NEW YORK -- The trade that put Jeff Samardzija on a post-season contender cost him a chance to pitch in his first All-Star game. A day after Samardzija was dealt from the Chicago Cubs to Oakland, a big league-high six Athletics were picked Sunday for the game at Target Field in Minnesota on July 15. That doesnt include Samardzija, selected as a National League All-Star. Major League Baseball said he is ineligible to play because of the league switch. The 29-year-old right-hander, who was 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts for the Cubs, won his American League debut Sunday when he allowed one run in seven innings for a 4-2 victory over Toronto. He will be introduced with the NL players before the All-Star game; still to be decided is whether he wears a Cubs or As uniform -- or a generic NL jersey. "I wont get to pitch, which is a bummer, but thats all right," Samardzija said. "Ill just go through whatever ceremonies they have and just jump over to the AL dugout with an NL jersey on and have some fun with the six other dudes we have over there, which is exciting." Oakland, with the best record in the majors, has its most All-Stars since 1975: left-handers Sean Doolittle and Scott Kazmir; catcher Derek Norris; first baseman Brandon Moss; third baseman Josh Donaldson; and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. "Its really cool," As manager Bob Melvin said. "We were hoping for something like this." Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, playing his 20th and final season, was chosen for his 14th All-Star team and will start for the ninth time. He gets reunited with Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano, his former double-play partner in New York. Mariano Rivera, the retiring Yankees reliever, was the centre of attention at last years All-Star game when the Mets hosted in Citi Field. Jeter could be in the spotlight this year. "All-Star game was in New York last year. Its a little bit different," Jeter said. "I dont go into it with any expectations. Just trying to enjoy myself and have fun with whoever is here." Among the big names bypassed entirely were slugger David Ortiz and closer Koji Uehara from World Series champion Boston, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, and Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett. "I had a chance to talk with David, and he felt the four days of rest might be more advantageous to him," said Boston skipper John Farrell, the AL manager. "He was a pro about it. He spoke his mind and had a lot of input in the decisions." Also elected by fans to start for the AL were Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Donaldson, and outfielders Jose Bautista of Toronto, Adam Jones of Baltimore and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimores Matt Wieters, sidelined by season-ending elbow surgery on June 17, was elected to start at catcher and willl be replaced by Kansas Citys Salvador Perez.dddddddddddd Orioles bopper Nelson Cruz, tied for the major league home run lead with 27, was voted in by fans at designated hitter after serving a 50-game suspension last year for violating baseballs drug agreement. The big year could lead to a large contract for Cruz, who left Texas for an $8 million, one-year deal with Baltimore. "Its always a blessing when you make the All-Star game," Cruz said. "Im happy because I know I made the right decision." Elected to the NL starting lineup were Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley, Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina along with outfielders Carlos Gomez of Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh and Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, a pair of rookies off to superlative starts, were among 26 first-time All-Stars and 24 foreign-born players. Tanaka and setup man Dellin Betances are the first Yankees rookie pitchers to be picked as All-Stars since Spec Shea in 1947. Surprise selections included Pittsburgh utilityman Josh Harrison and left-hander Tony Watson, and St. Louis reliever Pat Neshek, who is from Minnesota and began his career with the hometown Twins. "I shook head my head for a while. I couldnt believe it," Neshek said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Its awesome to be rewarded like that and to get the chance to play against the best." Milwaukee closer Francisco Rodriguez made his fifth All-Star team, his first since 2009. Bautista, at 5.68 million, received the most votes for the second time in four years. Tulowitzki topped the NL at 5.35 million. Other players omitted despite strong credentials were Cincinnati pitcher Alfredo Simon, Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager and San Diego closer Huston Street, who had converted 23 consecutive save chances before allowing a tying home run in the ninth Saturday. Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun and Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, who like Cruz served lengthy drug-related suspensions, also were left out. The candidates in online voting for the final AL spot are all pitchers: Houstons Dallas Keuchel, Clevelands Corey Kluber, Los Angeles Garrett Richards, Detroits Rick Porcello and Chicagos Chris Sale. Vying for the NL spot are Miami third baseman Casey McGehee, Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau, Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton. ------ AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen and AP freelance writers Mike Cranston, Brian Hall, Michael Wagaman and Jeff Melnick contributed to this report. ' ' '