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Sports

Rubio hits milestone as T-Wolves batter Spurs

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Minneapolis, MN – Ricky Rubio tallied his first career triple-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 107-83 rout over the San Antonio Spurs.

J.J. Barea netted 17 points off the bench for Minnesota, which had dropped eight of its last nine games coming in.

"It was a team win. We haven't shot the ball like that for a while. The second quarter was great ... We played with a lot of confidence," Barea said.

San Antonio played Tuesday without forwards Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard and guard Tony Parker because of injuries. None made the trip to Minneapolis. Duncan and Leonard are each battling a sore left knee, while Parker has a sprained left ankle that's expected to keep him out a few more weeks.

The Spurs listed all three with injuries, something the team did not do when Duncan, Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green were held out of a nationally televised game against Miami back in late November.

NBA commissioner David Stern slapped the San Antonio organization with a fine of $250,000 for the November decision.

Cory Joseph tallied 15 points to lead the Spurs, who lost for the second time in their last six.

"Minnesota was more aggressive than we were for more of the 48 minutes," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said.

After the Spurs took a 28-24 lead after a quarter of play, the Wolves outscored the Spurs 29-10 in the second to seize control of the contest.

The Wolves began the frame on a 21-6 run. They hit five 3-pointers during the burst -- two by Alexey Shved and Barea -- while Rubio knocked down the fifth one to conclude the surge and make it 45-34 in Minnesota's favor. Shved and Barea netted eight points apiece during the swing.

Minnesota headed into the locker room with a 53-38 cushion and into the final frame with a 77-60 spread. The Wolves' margin peaked at 29 in the fourth.

Game Notes

Shved tallied 16 points and seven assists ... San Antonio turned the ball over 17 times, which led to 30 Minnesota points ... The Wolves were 12-of-20 from beyond the arc.