ember, but since then, theyre 12-0-1 following a regulation defeat.Game notes Hornqvist is day to day and did not skate Friday m

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to be two teams on similar paths; young rosters filled with high draft picks to develop with new coaches.While Minnesotas youth seemed to be further along and the Timberwolves were considered an upstart team to begin the season, Los Angeles has adapted the quickest with its new pieces gelling under coach Luke Walton.The two teams get their first chance at each other Sunday as each will play the second game of back-to-back situations.The Lakers (6-4) showed their growth again on Saturday night in New Orleans, cruising to a 126-99 victory against the Pelicans. Los Angeles has won five of its past six games.I think our guys love competing, Walton said. I think they feel more challenged in the second half to go get it done. Its almost as if when the game starts, you know we have 48 minutes to get it done. Obviously, we dont want that ... but its a process.Under coach Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota has struggled to open the season, especially on the defensive end. The Timberwolves (2-6) lost at home to the league-leading Los Angeles Clippers 119-105 on Saturday night, giving up 21 fast-break points to Los Angeles and allowing the Clippers to shoot 52.6 percent from the field and make 11 of 24 3-pointers.Right now were not consistent enough, Thibodeau said. We have to build the right habits. Defensively its hard to win when you give up 119 points.Defensive improvement was expected under Thibodeau for a team that has long struggled to stop opponents. The transition is proving to take time. Minnesota has allowed 119 points in two of its past three games. Opponents have scored more than 102 in all but one game.The Timberwolves did get point guard Ricky Rubio back in the lineup on Saturday after he missed five games with a sprained right elbow. Rubio had seven points, six rebounds and six assists in the loss.Im trying to find a rhythm, trying to find how to run the team too, Rubio said. First game back after a couple weeks, just get the rust off.Minnesotas talent has shined at times on the offensive end. The Timberwolves have two players averaging more than 20 points per game in forward Andrew Wiggins (23.8) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (22.1). Guard Zach LaVine was also above the mark before he was held to 15 points on 7 of 15 shooting on Saturday.Wiggins struggled against the Clippers league-best defense on Saturday. He scored 22 points but was constantly harassed and shot just 8 of 24.The Lakers had no trouble shooting Saturday against New Orleans, particularly from Los Angeles guards and bench.Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points and Williams added 21 for the Lakers, who entered the game leading the league with 48.8 points per game from their bench.Me and Lou are going to be real aggressive coming in. Were trying to do a good job of leading this second group, bringing the energy, scoring the ball, pushing the pace, Clarkson told the Associated Press. Coach gave that to us. Thats our role and thats what were going to do.Including starters DeAngelo Russell (22 points) and Nick Young (15), the Lakers backcourt accounted for 81 points on 31-of-51 shooting, including 15 of 25 from 3-point range.We got some great guards -- we got some killers, Russell said. Its up to us to go out there and maintain it and do it every game.Los Angeles rookie Brandon Ingram left Saturdays game with a sprained ankle but told the Associated Press he could have returned if the game was closer.Of course, these are two teams used to integrating high draft picks. Towns was picked No. 1 overall a year ago, one spot ahead of Russell. In 2014, Wiggins was the top pick by Cleveland before being traded to Minnesota. The Lakers took Julius Randle seventh overall.Ingram was this years second pick and the Timberwolves went with Kris Dunn at No. 5. Wholesale College Jerseys . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Fake College Football Jerseys . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. https://www.fakecollegejerseys.com/ .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Fake College Jerseys . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Fake College Basketball Jerseys . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. NEW YORK -- Sidney Crosby created time and space in overtime, and that was all the defending Stanley Cup champions needed to cap a bounce-back victory.Crosby faked a slap shot and deked around a defender to set up Kris Letangs goal 1:24 into OT, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 to rebound from a blowout loss.Crosby sidestepped Brock Nelson at the right point and inched closer to the net before dishing to Letang, who swooped around the cage and one-timed it from the left side.Its an elite play by an elite player, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.Pittsburgh lost 7-1 to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night, its biggest defeat during Sullivans nearly yearlong tenure.I think all of us want to have a response after were all disappointed in one another, Sullivan said. So, we knew thats not our identity and thats not this team.Matt Murray had 20 saves for the Penguins, who have won eight of 11 and can tie the New York Rangers atop the Metropolitan Division by beating Buffalo on Saturday night.The last-place Islanders dropped their fourth straight and are mired in a 1-3-4 stretch. Jaroslav Halak withstood a barrage of chances in the third period and stopped 32 shots while making his seventh straight start.We took a good team to overtime, New York coach Jack Capuano said. Unfortunately for our guys, its just one of those things -- 3 on 3.Theres no moral victories in this game, he added. We played a tough opponent and they played well.Capuano shuffled his lines to get Ryan Strome with first-unit center John Tavares, but the offense came from elsewhere. Nelson scored on a power play early in the second period, and rookie Anthony Beauvillier got his second goal 42 seconds later.The Penguins had lost two of three and hobbled into New York with health concerns. Patric Hornqvist has a concussion and did not play, Chris Kunitz was a game-time decision with a lower-body injury and Murray left the loss to the Capitals after being hit in the head in the first period.Kunitz played and assumed Hornqvists role as net-front pest on the Penguins power play, helping Pittsburgh score first during a dominant opening period. With Nelson in the box for charging, Kunitz fed the puck to Letang, then skated toward the slot while Letang shot from the right point.dddddddddddd The rebound skipped to Crosby alone below the right faceoff dot, and with Halak still searching for the puck, Crosby one-timed it in from an odd angle.Pittsburgh outshot New York 16-5 in the first period, but then the defending Stanley Cup champs got sloppy.Evgeni Malkin was called for roughing after the end of the first period, and New York scored on the power play early in the second. Nelson controlled a nice pass from Strome before firing from atop the faceoff circles, beating Murray for his fifth goal 1:51 in.Beauvillier then gave New York the lead after Letang turned the puck over near his own blue line. Beauvillier scooped up the defensemans gift, skated in alone and went around Murray forehand-to-backhand.We let up a little bit there and they got some momentum off that power-play goal, Crosby said. But I thought we handled it well.After an uneasy 10 minutes for Pittsburgh, Malkin forced a turnover that led to the tying goal. The puck ended up behind New Yorks net, and Phil Kessel flicked it back toward center ice amid a scrum. An undefended Trevor Daley one-timed it past Halak with 6:05 left in the second.The Penguins havent lost consecutive games in regulation in nearly a year. Pittsburgh lost its first four games -- all in three periods -- under Sullivan last December, but since then, theyre 12-0-1 following a regulation defeat.Game notes Hornqvist is day to day and did not skate Friday morning. ... Islanders D Dennis Seidenberg has been out since a puck hit him in the jaw Saturday at Florida. He skated Friday while wearing a face guard, but is not close to returning. Capuano said Seidenberg is still having trouble eating. ... Isles D Ryan Pulock, out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, also skated Friday morning but did not play.UP NEXTPenguins: Play at the Sabres on Saturday night, then begin a pivotal home-and-home series with the Rangers in Pittsburgh on Monday.Islanders: Begin a three-game California trip at Anaheim on Tuesday night.---Follow Jake Seiner on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jake-seiner ' ' '