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. 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. China Jerseys Replica . The Flames announced Monday that Treliving, a former assistant general manager with the Coyotes, will take over the vacant GM spot in Calgary. "Im ready for this,"Treliving said. China Jerseys website . That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. http://www.chinajerseyspaypal.com/ . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released veteran guard Davin Joseph, a mainstay on their offensive line over the past eight seasons. China Jerseys Authentic .com) - The Calgary Flames are spoilers once again. China Jerseys For Sale . Wearing bib No. 1, Maze skied through the gates cleanly to defend her big first-run lead and finish 0.07 seconds ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria. Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, trailing 0. PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Locke insists he didnt need a confidence boost after a late summer swoon. A return to basics and a little help from his teammates provided one anyway. Flashing the form that made him a surprise All-Star in July, Locke allowed three hits over seven innings to earn his first victory in nearly two months as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Thursday night to move into a tie for first place in the NL Central. "Nothings really changed with me mentally," Locke said. "I still try to go out and be aggressive. Tonight was an example of everything working out the way youd like it to." Locke (10-5) struck out five and walked one to help the Pirates (85-61) win their fourth straight. They pulled even with the Cardinals, who lost 5-3 to Milwaukee. Mark Melancon worked out of a two-on, none-out jam in the ninth for his 14th save. Jordy Mercer went 2 for 4 with an RBI double for Pittsburgh. Marlon Byrd and Pedro Alvarez each added an RBI single for the Pirates, who hardly appear content with their first winning season in 21 years. Pittsburgh crossed the 82-victory plateau on Monday night in Texas and followed it up with two more wins in a sweep of the Rangers. Locke and some stellar defence kept it going against Chicago. First baseman Justin Morneau saved at least one run with a snow-cone catch in the fourth. Mercer tossed in a spectacular jump throw from deep shortstop to end the sixth, and Gold Glove centre fielder Andrew McCutchen laid out to take away a sinking line drive off the bat of Junior Lake in the seventh. "I already told Cutch that as a pitcher you see a lot of balls go over your head and you see him and you say theres no way he can close that gap," Locke said. "Before you know it, hes belly-up with the ball in his glove. Unbelievable play." The Pirates needed Locke to be sharp after Chicagos Chris Rusin continued his impressive run. Rusin (2-4) gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings for the Cubs, looking every bit like a player who plans to be on the opening day roster next spring. "Hes been right there with (Travis Wood) as our most effective starter over the last (few weeks)," Chicago manager Dale Sveum said. "Ever since hes got intoo the rotation, hes done pretty much a great job every outing.dddddddddddd" It was the kind of performance that Locke put up regularly during the first half. Yet he entered Thursday winless since beating Cincinnati on July 21. He struggled through August and never worked more than 5 2-3 innings in any start as his ERA slowly rose from 2.11 to 3.23. Despite fighting control issues, Locke stressed he wasnt fatigued and appeared to find something last week against St. Louis, giving up just two earned runs while battling through five innings. He carried it forward against the Cubs, who were coming off an impressive series win against the Reds. "It was intent, conviction and execution," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "All three of them were covered off the mound tonight by Jeff." The Pirates were given a long ovation when they walked onto the field, as a crowded PNC Park in mid-September -- a rarity over the last two decades -- let a generation of frustration out in 30 seconds of pure joy. "It was pretty impressive to get a standing ovation like that just to hit the 82 mark," Mercer said. "Weve still got a lot of work left to do. Theres unfinished business." Rusin did an admirable job of trying to spoil the fun. The 26-year-old is part of Chicagos future. He pitched that way once again against a team that typically batters left-handers. The Pirates came in hitting .266 against lefties but only touched up Rusin in the fourth. Byrd singled home McCutchen, and Alvarez singled to deep right to bring home Morneau. NOTES: Pittsburgh All-Star closer Jason Grilli will work in middle relief for the time being as he works his way back from a right forearm injury. Melancon will remain the closer while LHP Tony Watson and RHP Kyle Farnsworth work in setup roles. ... Pittsburgh LHP Wandy Rodriguez threw 67 pitches in a simulated game. Rodriguez hasnt pitched since June 5 due to discomfort in his arm. ... The Cubs have switched to a six-man rotation for the final two-plus weeks of the season to give RHP Scott Baker more work. Baker is recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery. ... The series continues Friday when Charlie Morton (7-4, 3.44 ERA) faces Chicagos Jake Arrieta (2-2, 4.2. ' ' '