Timberwolves’ Love re-fractures right hand

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The injury-riddled Minnesota Timberwolves lost star forward Kevin Love to a broken right hand for the second time this season when an MRI confirmed the injury.

Love re-fractured his third metacarpal in the hand, and the team said it expects to know more about a timetable for his return after he is examined by a hand specialist in New York.

The original injury, which occurred on Oct. 17, sidelined Love for the first three weeks of the season and has hampered his shooting for much of the campaign.

“He’s a huge part of what we were hoping to do and now we have to find other ways to do it,” coach Rick Adelman said before Saturday night’s game against Portland. “Even in the game in Denver, people talk about his shooting, but he had 13 rebounds at halftime and 13 points. That’s two big numbers. We have to find a way to manufacture those numbers and find a different way to play.”

Love is averaging a team-best 18.3 points and 14.0 rebounds in 18 games.

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