Wizards at T-Wolves final score: Kevin Love leads Minnesota to dominant 120-98 win over Washington

Kevin Love is one of the best players in the NBA, and he reminded an unusually large audience of viewers of that fact in leading the T-Wolves to a 120-98 beatdown of the Washington Wizards.

Love scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win, but he needed only 32 minutes of court time to get to that production level, and the attention drawn by the sharp-shooting power forward helped to open up his teammates. As a squad, Minnesota shot nearly 50% from the floor, but they were also most effective at the free throw line, shooting 31 of 38 (81.6%) from the stripe, taking advantage of some misplaced aggressiveness on the Washington side.

Unfortunately for the Wizards, the fact that they were blitzed on the scoreboard and on the glass (44 to 35) isn’t the only problem, as they could be without one of their best options for a little while.

Young shooting guard Bradley Beal had to be carried off the court following a left leg injury, and that is incredibly troubling. Beal already missed significant time this season with injury worries in the leg, and to be honest, the Wizards are a completely different team (especially on offense) without him in the fold. Stay tuned for updates.

It certainly wasn’t all about Kevin Love, as Minnesota put 7 players (including all 5 starters) in double-digits during the game, but Love stood out, and that’s nothing new. The T-Wolves have faced a surprisingly tough schedule in the early going, and that certainly explains their 14-15 record, while giving them hope (as the schedule opens up) for a surge as the calendar turns to 2014.