MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin Love worked all summer long to put an injury plagued season behind him and reclaim his spot as the best power forward in the league. Don Hutson Jersey . LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers is one of the players standing in his way. In their first head-to-head matchup of the season, Love pounced on a road-weary Aldridge and grabbed Round 1. Love had 29 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists to outshine Aldridge in the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-109 victory over Portland on Wednesday night. "Awesome," Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio said. "Theres no words to describe. Hes doing a great job leading this team in scoring, rebounding, even assisting. Hes taking my job." Nikola Pekovic had 30 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Martin scored 22 for the Timberwolves, who led by 32 in the second quarter and held off a charge in the second half from the Blazers. Damian Lillard had 36 points, six assists and six rebounds and Aldridge had 15 points and 14 boards for the weary Trail Blazers, who lost for the first time in six games. It was just their fifth loss of the season in 27 games and came at the end of a four-game road trip. The Timberwolves outscored Portland 72-34 in the paint and shot 49.5 per cent from the field. Aldridge, one of the early leaders in the MVP race thanks to Portlands remarkable start, made just 7 of 22 shots. "Just one of those nights," Aldridge said. "I couldnt throw a rock in a lake if I tried to, even if I was standing in the water." The Blazers have been the most surprising team of this young season, and they stormed into Target Center fresh off two straight heart-pounding victories on last-second shots by Lillard that gave them the best record in the NBA. But playing their fourth road game in five nights, their legs were heavy, their shots where shaky and the Wolves pounced. Love owned the first 24 minutes. He had a double-double before the game was 13 minutes old and went into halftime with 17 points, 11 boards and eight assists. The Wolves rode a staggering 42-12 run through the second quarter to take a 62-30 lead five minutes before the break. He started fast breaks, he hit deep 3s and he went to the floor for loose balls, setting the tone and building a cushion that they sorely needed as the game wore on. But he still ended up one assist shy of his first career triple-double. "I did think I was looking at it right in the face tonight, but it didnt happen for me," Love said. "Guys kept saying just get one more. I just said lets get a ... win. How about that? Im way more happy with that more than anything." Portland coach Terry Stotts said he considered pulling the plug after the third and resting his starters. But these are the Blazers, who shoot 3s without conscience and play with a swagger generated by their cold-blooded point guard. And theyre never out of a game. Lillard scored 17 points in the third, and his step-back 3 brought Portland to 86-75 with 2:04 to play in the quarter. "Two things, one is you dont know when to pull a plug on a game like this, and two with our team, with our ability to shoot, you just dont know," Stotts said. Martin, who missed Monday nights game in Boston with a sore left knee, responded with a 3 and J.J. Barea hit two big 3s in the closing seconds of the quarter to push the lead back to 22. Lillard hit two 3s and Nicolas Batum, who scored 20 points, scored on a putback and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to five with 46 seconds to play, but the Wolves closed it out at the free-throw line. "You know last year, that probably wouldve been a game where we just said all right were going to give it a shot in the third quarter and in the fourth quarter we probably wouldve ended up laying down," Lillard said. "But we fought back, and I think with a minute and a half it was a game." NOTES: The Wolves announced that F Chase Budinger has been cleared for full-contact practice. Budinger has yet to play this year after having surgery to remove part of the meniscus in his left knee. ... It was the third career 30-point game for Pekovic. ... Lillard went 7 for 14 from 3, while the rest of the team went 7 for 26. Jaire Alexander Jersey . While Minnesota takes aim at its eighth win of November, the Canadiens will try to post just their third victory in nine games this month. Kadar Hollman Jersey . JOHNS, N. https://www.packersjerseysale.com/424j-dave-robinson-jersey-packers.html . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66.INDIANAPOLIS -- Carl Edwards 11-year run with Roush-Fenway Racing will end after this NASCAR season. Roush confirmed the decision Sunday, a move that had been long expected but could not be substantiated because Edwards refuses to publicly discuss contract negotiations. Hes believed to be headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in a new fourth car, but his contract with Roush does not permit him to announce his plans until September. Matt Kenseth was bound by the same clause when he left Roush at the end of 2012 and had to wait months to announce he was moving to Gibbs. Edwards, speaking two hours before the start of the Brickyard 400, said he has a completed deal with another team but is not ready to talk about it. He also tried to limit his time discussing his departure from Roush because the start of Sundays race was approaching. "Right now, the mission is to win this championship, this race," Edwards said. "This is my decision, its a decision I made and I didnt take it lightly. Sometimes you just want to make a change, and opportunities present themselves and you say, Hey, what was that like to not take that opportunity? " With a move to Gibbs, Edwards will be reunited at a Toyota team with Kenseth, whom he didnt always get along with when they were Roush teammates. Minutes before the race, team owner Joe Gibbs declined to discuss Edwards but said a fourth car at the organization is possible. Leaving Roush ends Edwards long association with Ford. The manufacturer stepped up heavily in contract negotiations four years ago to offer incentives to keep Edwards from leaving Roush for Gibbs. "Carl Edwards has been a part of the Ford family for a decade, and it will certainly be tough to see him leave Ford and Roush Fenway Racing," said Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing. "While we are disappointed in his decision to leave Roush Fenway Racing, we certainly want to extend our appreciation for Carls contributions." Edwards has been with Roush since 2003 and in the No. 99 Ford in the Cup Series since 2004. He has 67 career victories in NASCARs three national series. Edwards results have not been anywhere close to what he had hoped after losing the 2011 championship on a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart. Edwards went winless in 22012, his first year of a new three-year contract extension with Roush, and missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Lucas Patrick Jersey. Although he won two races last season, he finished last in the 13-driver Chase field. His performance is much better this year and Edwards goes into Sundays race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ranked sixth in the standings with two victories. He said he does not want his departure to interfere with winning the Chase. "If you look around, not in the NASCAR world, but all of sports, change sometimes is a good thing from a performance standpoint," Edwards said. "You guys know what Ive been through from a competitive standpoint. Ive been really close as a driver to some championships, and I know what one point, one race can do. So the last thing Im going to do, or (the team) is going to do is let next year and beyond affect the championship." Roush disclosed its three-driver 2015 lineup: Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will both return, and Trevor Bayne will move up from the Nationwide Series to a full-time Sprint Cup Series ride. "We have always prided ourselves in developing talent at Roush Fenway, and our 2015 lineup is a testament to the success of our organization in that respect," Jack Roush said. Biffle has been with Roush since 1998 and earned the organization its first NASCAR championship with the 2000 Truck Series crown. He added a Nationwide Series title in 2002. He has qualified for the Chase in five of the last six seasons and was a career-best second in 2005. "I dont have the words for what Jack Roush has meant to my career," Biffle said. "Our goal remains to run up front, win races and become the sports first triple crown winner by having a championship in all three series." Stenhouse, a two-time Nationwide Series champion, joined Roush Fenway in 2008. He replaced Kenseth in the No. 17 Ford when Kenseth left for Gibbs. Fastenal, one of the primary sponsors on Edwards car, will move its funding to Stenhouse next season to remain in the organization. Roush officials had previously announced that Bayne will be promoted from the Nationwide Series to a full-time Cup ride next year, with AdvoCare as his primary sponsor of the No. 6 Ford. ' ' '