Mike D’Antoni didn’t like the way his Lakers started against the Timberwolves. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Minnesota Timberwolves scored a season-high 47 points in the first quarter on their way to easy 113-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday night.

The Timberwolves made 76.3% of their field goals in the first quarter. They were on fire and it seemed like all their 3-pointers were falling in the basket. For the game, they converted 50% (10-of-20) of their 3-pointers. In contrast, the Lakers made just 38.5% (10-of-26).

“We came out soft,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said during his postgame press conference. “They made tough shots, there wasn’t enough intensity on defense. Sometimes, we don’t have enough speed on the floor.”

Steve Blake led the Lakers with 19 points (7-of-11 shooting) and seven assists.

“They made a number of shots with guys in their face,” he told Time Warner Cable SportsNet’s John Ireland, “so you have to give them some credit.”

Kevin Martin scored a game-high 27 points; Kevin Love added 25 points and 13 rebounds; Corey Brewer scored 17 points, swiped four steals and blocked two shots; Nikola Pekoic poured in 14 points and snagged 10 rebounds, and Ricky Rubio had an amazing game with 12 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds and five steals.

Jodie Meeks added 16 points (6-of-10 shooting) and Pau Gasol chipped in with 11 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and four assists. Steve Nash played just 13 minutes before leaving with a back injury.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @djroxalot.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio

A season that started with high expectations quickly unraveled for the Minnesota Timberwolves thanks to a bevy of injuries. They are 7-25 since Kevin Love broke his right hand for the second time on Jan. 8. One of the few bright spots during this awful stretch has been Ricky Rubio’s gradual return from a torn knee ligament last March.

Rubio had his first career triple-double on Tuesday with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, leading the Timberwolves to a 107-83 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. He made 9 of 17 shots and grabbed his 10th board with 9:14 to play in the game, earning a standing ovation from the long-suffering Wolves fans. Alexey Shved broke out of a big slump to score 16 points and Barea had 17 for the Wolves, who hit 12 3-pointers.

”I just try to be aggressive all the time,” Rubio told the Associated Press. ”Stats are the last thing I try to watch. The victory is the most important thing.”

Rubio really turned it on over the last month, and he put an exclamation point on his return against the Spurs. He punctuated the night with a behind-the-back dribble and layup in the fourth, bringing Wolves fans to their feet.

But one Spur wasn’t impressed.

”He alright,” San Antonio forward Stephen Jackson said. ”You know, I mean, I’m into winning championships. I’m not into guys playing alright, averaging 30 and 20 on sorry teams. I’m into winning championships. He got some upside, I’ll say that. But it’s all about winning to me. It’s not about what you do on your personal stats.”

Watch Rubio’s double behind-the-back play:

Rookie point guard Ricky Rubio has is becoming a cult hero in Minnesota. (GETTY IMAGES)

Prince is without a doubt Minnesota’s favorite son. But Ricky Rubio is fast becoming Minnesota’s favorite adopted son.

Timberwolves All-Star forward Kevin Love – now in his fourth year in the NBA – says there is an electric atmosphere around the Target Center this season. Minnesota, which had been in the dark ages the past four years after Kevin Garnett left for Beantown, now has something to get excited about with the arrival of Ricky Rubio. Wolves fans are going absolutely crazy for the Spanish sensation, much like the way the world was going gaga over Prince when he unleashed “Purple Rain.”

The Timberwolves selected Rubio with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, and basketball pundits thought general manager David Kahn and the Wolves front office were crazy for drafting a guy who wanted to play two more years in Europe. Well, two years later, it was definitely worth the wait. Who’s going crazy now?

The 21-year-old Rubio has injected a ton of energy into the listless franchise with his brilliant play-making ability, even though the T-Wolves have managed just one win in their first four games. But all three losses were by four points or less and they could easily be 4-0.

In his NBA debut, Rubio had six points, five rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes off the bench. The stats were pedestrian but it was the way he delivered the passes that drew “ooohs!” and “aaahs!” from the Target Center crowd. And it wasn’t just T-Wolves fans who were brought out of their seats by Rubio’s no-look bounce passes. Miami Heat star LeBron James posted on Twitter: “Rubio can pass that rock!”

LeBron and Co. got a firsthand look at Rubio’s passing skills on Dec. 30 when the Heat visited the Target Center. Rubio was on target that night, finishing with 12 assists and 12 points. Miami is a proud defensive team, and Rubio was able to dissect Erik Spoelstra’s well-constructed scheme like a seasoned pro. After the game Heat star Dwyane Wade said the future looks bright for Minnesota with Rubio and Love at the helm, and the Heat were lucky to come out with a 103-101 win.

Whenever Rubio enters the game, he sparks his team and ignites the crowd. That was evident on New Year’s Day against defending champion Dallas when Rubio helped engineer a Tebow-esque second-half surge that led to Minnesota’s first win of the 66-game season.

“I’ve played a lot of games at Target Center, but this is the most electric it has been. We have a pretty electric group that’s playing together, whether it’s Ricky [Rubio] or Derrick [Williams] or the new guys,” said Love, who was equally spectacular against the Mavericks with 25 points, 17 rebounds and 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point line.

As good as Love was the Wolves couldn’t have pulled out the win over Dallas if not for the steady hand of Rubio, who scored 12 of Minnesota’s 15 points during a critical five-minute stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters. The scouting report on Rubio is that he can’t shoot a lick, but he dismissed that by draining two 3-pointers. He also scored on a pair of dribble drives, the last one giving the T-Wolves an 82-72 lead at the nine-minute mark that essential put the game away.

“He has meant a lot,” Love said about Rubio. “Obviously he comes here with a lot of notoriety coming from Spain. He brings a big following. He’s fun to watch, fun to play with and a pleasure to be around because he enjoys the game so much. Even in practice he brings it.”

Even though Rubio is classified as an NBA rookie he’s technically a seven-year veteran, having signed his first pro basketball contract in Europe when he was 14 years old. He has played in the Olympics, European finals and FIBA world championships so he’s not afraid of the big stage. Minnesota coach Rick Adelman has been using Rubio off the bench, but if the Timberwolves are going to move forward Adelman needs to scrap the Luke Ridnour timeshare, start The Kid and let him go crazy.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Longtime Laker Kurt Rambis recently signed a four-year contract to coach the Minnesota Timberwolves. (LAKERS.COM)

Newly hired Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis says he will install some form of Tex Winter’s triangle offense in the T-Wolves offensive game plan.

That’s fine and dandy for post-up guys like Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, but good luck getting perimeter players Jonny Flynn, Rodney Carney and Corey Brewer to buy into. That is the danger you’ll encounter when you don’t have a coach or a system in place before you start drafting and signing players to fill a roster.

Carney and Brewer are not what you call stand-still shooters. They’re considered “slashers” and are most effective when they play above the rim. That would work on back cuts and alley-oops, but once Rambis gives the triangle sign and gets his team organized for their half-court set, those slashers will be reduced to playing above the 3-point line or stand in the corner and wait for kick-0uts.

You see, the triangle offense worked to perfection in L.A. because the players filled their respective roles. Guys like John Paxson, Steve Kerr, B.J. Armstrong, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Trevor Ariza didn’t mind staying out in the perimeter while Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol occupied the paint and created shots for everybody.

A team does not need a true point guard to run the triangle offense. Fisher, Horry, Paxson and Kerr thrived in the triangle because they can space the floor with their shooting range.

But it is not for everybody. Gary Payton and Jason Kidd both hated the triangle offense.

Because the offense revolved around pinch post and the low block, The Glove was reduced to being The Mitten and had to taper his game so much that there were stretches during a game where he wouln’t even see a shot come his way.

Longtime Phil Jackson assistant Jim Cleamons tried and failed with the triangle offense when he was the coach of the Dallas Mavericks in the mid-1990s, a team that had Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Jim Jackson.

Kidd was not a big fan of the offense because the read-and-react offense was not built to showcase his playmaking skills.

Flynn, the T-Wolves’ first-round draft choice in June, will quickly find out what Payton and Kidd experienced.

As soon as he crosses halfcourt and the fastbreak is not there, Flynn will need to get the ball to the high post or low block and then find an open spot. He will not get to dominate the ball like he did at Syracuse. And since he does not have the range of a Fisher or  a Paxson, it eliminates the threat of an outstide shot from his side of the floor.

On the other hand, Minnesota’s other rookie, Wayne Ellington, should thrive in the offense because he can make shots from beyond 22 feet. At 6-5 or 6-6, Ellington also has the perfect size to play the wing in the triangle.

So, before T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor and general manager David Kahn buy into what Rambis was selling during the press conference, they should both check the players they have on their roster and re-evaluate the system they’re about to apply.