Greeting for a final time from Target Center

With a very different rotation due to injuries to Kevin Love (quad), Kevin Martin (thumb) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle), the Wolves managed to put together a very recognizable loss to the Blazers.

Sound familiar? Wolves let a third-quarter lead go, then can't make stops in the fourth?

Here are some final thoughts on the game:

--It's amazing how much better Ricky Rubio's shot looks when he's thinking shot first. He had to pick up the scoring load with all the injuries and he responded with a career-high 25 points with nine assists. It is imperative he keep that mindset, at least to a certain degree, when the Wolves get healthy.

--Shabazz Muhammad scored a career-high 12 points in nearly 17 minutes of playing time tonight. He has earned more playing time going forward.

--I thought Ronny Turiaf had another strong game. He didn't score much (eight points). But he had 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. What a nice off-season signing that was. And a bargain, too.

--Chase Budinger is looking more and more like himself. Of course, we'll have to see how he feels after playing nearly 30 minutes tonight. But he hit half of his shots.

--J.J. Barea continues to be a bit confounding. He was on the edge of out of control a number of times, made just one of seven shots. The Wolves bench, not surprisingly, scored just 18 points.

That's about all for now. Have a great rest of your weekend.