Consider this a sign of progress: A season that began with Kevin Love's discontent over his playing time is approaching its conclusion with him quite happy just to sit and watch in the fourth quarter.
Love did so again during a 122-101 victory over Utah on Friday, when for the second time in three nights he enjoyed a blowout victory from a comfy seat on the bench.
"I love it," he said. "I needed that the past two games."
The rest eased the pain of his bruised knee and the burden of a long season that has seen him playing many, many minutes.
It also meant the Wolves were well on their way to consecutive victories for the fourth time this season on a night when Love's 53rd consecutive double-double was just one of many performances a weekend crowd at Target Center stood and cheered.
Love reached 24 points and 12 rebounds by the time he and the rest of the starters sat down early in the fourth quarter. By then, Darko Milicic had triumphed in his center matchup with former Timberwolf Al Jefferson and Michael Beasley had delivered what Love called a "focused" 23-point night.
Together, the Wolves showed yet another sign of progress: They made their first 11 shots and led by 19 points in the first half. Then they gave away all but two points of that lead before a 29-6 run that ended the third quarter restored an advantage that grew to as many as 31 points.
"That means something for us, especially this time of year," Milicic said after a 14-point, six-rebound, four-assist, two-block, two-steal performance that helped limit Jefferson to nine points. "It's the end of the season. We're kind of a struggling team. We're not going to make the playoffs. We're going to go home on April 13. It shows something about us that we're going out against teams fighting for playoff spots and we give them a good fight. "
