MINNEAPOLIS -- Two games into the season, and it is clear that Russell Westbrooks knee injury has taken the swagger and ferocity right out of the Oklahoma City Thunder. http://www.intermilanfcteamshop.com/ . The last team in the NBA that will have any sympathy for the Thunder is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are showing signs of putting everything together after two years of devastating injuries. Kevin Love had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Ricky Rubio added 14 points, 10 assists and five steals to lead the Timberwolves to a 100-81 victory over the Thunder on Friday night. Nikola Pekovic had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota and Corey Brewer led a spirited defensive effort against Kevin Durant. Derrick Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota after not playing in the opener. Durant scored 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting and had trouble finding clean looks against a Timberwolves team that was supposed to be porous on defence. But the Thunder shot 35 per cent and turned the ball over 21 times to get run out of the building. "We can be very good," Love said when asked how good the team can be if it plays that kind of defence. "We can be very good. But Ive learned not to look too far into the future. I just want to take it day by day." After scoring 42 in the season opener against Utah, Durant scored his fewest points since Dec. 31, 2011 when he had 12 against Phoenix. Jeremy Lamb was the only other Thunder player in double figures with 16, and it has become abundantly clear very early in the season how much they miss Westbrook. "If they play one-on-one, I felt like I had the better matchup. But every time I caught it there was two guys guarding me, so Ive got to kick to my teammates," said Durant, who had four turnovers. "Ive got to make better decisions in that area." The Thunder offence has lacked its usual punch with the fiery Westbrook sidelined indefinitely. "Them not having Westbrook, thats taking away 25 (points), seven (rebounds) and six (assists) or some crazy number like that," Love said. "Its a whole different dynamic when they have Westbrook on the team. " Westbrook or no Westbrook, it was a bit of a statement for the Wolves, who enter this season with hopes of getting to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. They led by 34 points, allowing coach Rick Adelman to rest his starting five for the entire fourth quarter. The Timberwolves shot poorly in the first half as well, but they used some opportunistic defence and made good at the free throw line to build a 20-point lead. They made 18 of 19 shots at the foul line while Durant, Kendrick Perkins and Steven Adams piled up the fouls early. The Wolves, who figured to struggle on the defensive end this season without a true shot-blocker in the paint, forced 13 turnovers in the first half, which led to 19 points. "We know we can score," Rubio said. "But when we (play) defence, were a different team." Williams blocked two shots and the Wolves made Durant work for his touches while limiting his shot attempts. The Thunder star was just 2 for 5 from the field in the first 26 minutes, and it looked at times like he was deferring to his younger role players to try to get them involved. All it did was dig the Thunder a bigger hole. The Wolves offence got clicking midway through the second quarter with a 21-9 run that ended on a beauty of a no-look, wraparound bounce pass from Rubio to Pekovic in transition for a 59-37 lead. "Im worried about guys playing hard, competing hard and playing for your team every time down the court, and tonight that wasnt the case," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "But its early. Weve got a game right around the corner and weve got to play much better." NOTES: Timberwolves C Ronny Turiaf left the game in the second quarter after taking a nasty spill while fighting for a rebound against the Thunders Nick Collison. He was diagnosed with a right elbow contusion and did not return. ... The Thunder head back to Oklahoma City for their home opener against Phoenix on Sunday. ... Martin finished with nine points. http://www.intermilanfcteamshop.com/Authentic-Marco-Andreolli-Jersey/ . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. http://www.intermilanfcteamshop.com/Authentic-Jonathan-Biabiany-Jersey/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. http://www.intermilanfcteamshop.com/Authentic-Dodo-Jersey/ . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set.TORONTO - After falling victim to slow starts in each of the last two games, both losses, Raptors coach Dwane Casey hinted change could be on the way. "Weve got to look at our starts," said Casey, the afternoon following a 90-83 defeat to Miami, one in which his team fell behind by nine in the first quarter. "Thats the second game in a row thats happened." Toronto allowed the Heat to shoot 52 per cent in the first quarter four days after the Nets shot 60 per cent in the opening 12 minutes of Tuesdays loss. Despite a second-half push, the Raptors failed to dig themselves out of an early-game hole in both contests, prompting Casey to suggest that a change could be imminent as soon as Sundays game, at home to Denver, or in Oakland against Golden State on Tuesday. "Whether its a lineup change or a change in personality," he continued, "weve got to look at something to start the game because we cant expend that much mental and physical energy to fight against all the teams were going against, and thats what its been the last couple of weeks." The Raptors - who used 22 different starting lineups last season, sixth most in the NBA - have started the same unit in each game to begin the campaign. After experiencing some success on the floor together - specifically on the defensive end - towards the end of last season, the group of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas has underachieved through 15 contests this year. That unit - the Raptors most used, both this season and last - outscored opponents by 85 points when they were in the game together a year ago, starting 21 of the teams final 25 games. They ranked third in the NBA in defensive efficiency among five-man units that played a minimum of 300 minutes together (only the Spurs and Grizzlies starting fives had a better defeensive rating). http://www.intermilanfcteamshop.com/Authentic-Rodrigo-Palacio-Jersey/. This season they are a minus-35, per NBA.com/stats, and are allowing opponents to shoot 52 per cent from the field. They have shared the floor for 229 minutes while the teams second most-utilized unit - Lowry, DeRozan, Gay and Johnson with Landry Fields - has played just 34 minutes together. As a team, Toronto has been least effective in the first and third quarters, with the starters playing the bulk of the teams minutes. The Raptors are a plus-three in the opening frame and minus-39 in the third. Their best quarter has been the fourth - a period in which the starters have rarely played together - where their plus-45 mark is third best in the NBA (behind only the Pacers and Thunder). "I think you have to look at the chemistry, skill set, what they bring to the table, a little bit of everything," Casey said of a possible change. "I dont question our guys fight. Its not that were not playing hard, its just not meshing together with the first group." Two starters who could be on the hot seat are Johnson and Valanciunas. Both frontcourt players logged fewer than 18 minutes in Fridays loss and have failed to meet lofty pre-season expectations overall. Tyler Hansbrough, who played 25 minutes and helped turn the game around in the second half with his physicality, earned praise from his coach following Saturdays practice and could be a candidate to replace either Johnson or Valanciunas in the event Casey decides to make a change. "It may be just a matter of time to let it go," Casey said. "Were still searching, like a lot of teams in the league are doing. Were not panicking but weve got to make sure we understand and we get the right group together." 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