MINNEAPOLIS - As the losses have mounted for the Minnesota Timberwolves, injured point guard Ricky Rubio has never been missed more.It has been almost 11 weeks since he went down with a severely sprained left ankle, and the length of his recovery has drawn impatience from a fan base desperate to see Rubio throw lob passes to Andrew Wiggins.But on a night when the Wolves finally got centre Nikola Pekovic back from a 31-game absence, coach Flip Saunders shed some light on the nature of Rubios injury. Saunders said Rubio not only suffered a high ankle sprain against Orlando on Nov. 7, but also damaged some muscles and ligaments that lead from his ankle to his toes, prolonging the recovery process.Its not him not wanting to play or not working, Saunders said before Wednesday nights game against Dallas. Hes doing everything he can. We as an organization and the doctors who are involved have been the ones who have tried to hold him back.The Wolves began the day with a 7-33 record, buried in last place in the Western Conference. Rubio, Pekovic (right ankle) and starting shooting guard Kevin Martin (fractured right wrist) all have missed more than 30 games, gutting the Wolves of three veterans who were being counted upon to lead a young and rebuilding team. In their absence, Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick who headlined the trade that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland, fellow rookie Zach LaVine and second-year players Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad, Robbie Hummel and Anthony Bennett have been left to fend for themselves.Rubio has been forced to watch from the bench, and his pained expressions, frustrated gyrations and willingness to give advice to the youngsters after they exit the game have provided some of the few instances of entertainment in a season that will end without a playoff appearance for the 11th straight year.Saunders said Rubio, who signed a four-year, $55 million contract extension in October that will kick in next season, visited two specialists recently and both cautioned that a return too soon could cause a stress fracture in his leg that would only compound his problems.Its a very unique ankle sprain, Saunders said. They said at the time its going to be worse than a high ankle sprain, and everyone knows those go eight to 12 weeks. So it has nothing to do with him not wanting to play.On the bright side, the Wolves did get their bruising centre back and Martin is moving closer to a return. Pekovic has played in just nine games this season while battling chronic issues in his foot. Saunders said he would come off the bench early on while he worked his way back into game shape.Pekovic has visited doctors at the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester to try to come up with treatments for his ankle. He has three years left on the five-year, $60 million contract he signed before last season.We feel pretty confident that the Mayo Clinic and the medical people have done a great job identifying what his problem was and it more has to do with his joints than it has to do with an injury-type situation, Saunders said. So right now, I think well be able to monitor it as we have been the last month or so after we found out exactly what we were dealing with.The 6-foot-11 Pekovic said he feels confident the new treatments and workouts will help him going forward.Weve finally had to find the real therapy and hopefully everythings going to go well, Pekovic said. Its like half of the season left, and hopefully Ill go through the rest of the season with no major issues. Scarpe Salomon Offerta .com) - Bradley Beals 22 points and seven rebounds helped the Washington Wizards erase a halftime deficit and top the Utah Jazz, 93-84, on Sunday. Scarpe Salomon Outlet Online . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday. http://www.salomonoutlet.it/.500. The Jets have now won nine of their last 11, and five of their last six road games. With the win they moved to within two points of Vancouver in the west, the Canucks holding down the eighth spot. Vancouver lost in Boston, while the other big game saw Dallas win in Phoenix. Salomon Outlet Italia . I kept my eyes focused up on the camera during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video. Scarpe Salomon a Poco Prezzo .? It was his second straight start for the Jets; he suffered a 1-0 loss against Minnesota Monday. So this season Hutchinson has now won games in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He was perfect three- for-three in the shootout to nail down the win.Brendan Rodgers said he had never slept better heading into the heavyweight clash against Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday. Rodgers has spent the best part of three months ducking and diving from the questions about pressure and his sides title bid. Yet, when his team entered the raucous theatre of Anfield to another stunning rendition of Youll Never Walk Alone standing across from his side was the all too familiar opponent of Chelsea. It was Chelsea that had given Liverpool their toughest test in 2005 on the way to them winning a remarkable European Cup. It was Chelsea who was the last team to defeat Liverpool in the Premier League, back in December, and now it was Chelsea standing in front of the gates that guarded the path towards the Premier League trophy. Now, that is pressure. It could not have been scripted more perfectly. A former, true heavyweight in the game, whose level amongst the elite has slipped over the past two decades, now with a clear path towards a shock championship, if only they can get past the powerhouse in blue. It was at Chelsea, of course, where Rodgers worked on his craft under Jose Mourinho and now it had come full circle, a chance for the pupil to defeat the teacher on the grandest of stages. Up until now, even against Manchester City earlier this month, Liverpool had played with a reckless abandon, punching holes in defences and predictions, while gathering more and more believers that they could do what was thought to be impossible just five months ago. Their journey had guided them closer and closer to the pinnacle. With three games left, Liverpool needed just seven points from their last nine to win it all, and with Crystal Palace and Newcastle to come, there was no more hiding from the facts, no matter what Rodgers said. Dont lose to Chelsea and the title should be yours. Despite what Jose would want you to believe, this was no minnow facing up to the Reds as Chelsea picked a team that they had paid over 100 million pounds to assemble. Inside the tight, organised system drawn-up by Mourinho, the visitors were exactly as expected. Liverpools breathless starts had catapulted them to within touching distance of glory but on this bright, sunny afternoon they werent allowed to sprint out of the box. Chelsea sat deep and allowed them to have a lot of the ball but with it the home team suddenly looked a side that carried extra weight. The weight of expectation can get very heavy on a footballers shoulder. With every pass, the Liverpool players had an extra thought. The brilliantly organized visitors closed the space and with it the punches, so ruthlessly delivered in past games by Liverpool, were missing. Raheem Sterling was Liverpools brightest player in the first half. How refreshing it is to see a young Englishman appreciate space as much as he does. Still, Liverpool probed but if Chelsea were on the ropes they were hanging out by them comfortable at taking the punishment. Branislav Ivanovic, back at Anfield after Luis Suarez took Mike Tyson style bite out of him last April, was magnificent leading Chelseas back four. Young Tomas Kalas could not have asked for a better partner to learn from on his Premier League debut. Gary Cahill and John Terry have been excellent this season but the Serbian defender reads the game superbly and, contrary to the English defenders, never loses his cool. Cesar Azpilicuetta, back to his more comfortably right back slot, was excellent and both he and Ashley Cole looked like full backs who had been sent out to do a specific job, narrowing the back four and inviting Liverpool to stretch the field and take the ball where they didnt want to.dddddddddddd It had been over seven months since Liverpool had played 45 Premier League minutes at home without scoring and as the half-time whistle grew nearer, at 0-0, tension started to creep in at Anfield. Then the creeping exploded. When Steven Gerrard received the ball in front of the Kop he made one small mistake, miscontrolling it, then a bigger one, slipping to retrieve it, and then the rope-a-dope was on as Demba Ba sprinted in alone to deliver a knockdown punch. One nil Chelsea. It was a scene from Liverpools not so distant past, one that wouldnt have been out of place last season when many a team would come in and force a maturing Liverpool into a mistake. It was those mistakes that helped Liverpool learn and progress but even they had been stunned with such a rapid climb that had brought them so tantalizingly close where suddenly those mistakes were far more costly than when the likes of Downing, Carroll and Adam were on the payroll. Such progression meant they now had to face up to something they hadnt really seen. Adversity. And it was delivered in the cruelest of manners with Gerrard, the catalyst for so much of their success this season, falling to his knees in the middle of his favourite place on earth. There was a second half still to play but Liverpool never looked the same. They had never been behind for longer than 35 minutes since their last game against Chelsea but once again that total was overtaken against the familiar foe. Suarez had a shot well saved and Joe Allens volley almost went in but Chelsea were resilient throughout, delivering a true knock-out punch just before the final bell when Willian tapped home. An under-the-weather Mourinho sprinted down the touchline again while Rodgers crossed his arms and looked on. Chelsea had done the double on Liverpool when many teams couldnt even beat them once. Liverpools fans headed to the exits heads full of emotions about the title race, knowing the title was still in reach but now out of their hands. They will feel they can get to 86pts with two remaining wins but Man City, all too familiar with winning leagues on goal difference, can now get to that mark as well and should if they can finally get over a huge hurdle for that club and win at Goodison Park next week. Chelsea, still two points behind Liverpool, are likely out of the race but, once again, showed a team what you have to become to be winners. Without Petr Cech, John Terry, Ramires, Eden Hazard, Samuel Etoo and others, they had shown the style and character it takes to succeed in the biggest of games. Liverpool are rightfully anxious to win the league because it has been over two decades since they last did so, but, equally, they should be anxious knowing that a giant powerhouse, supposedly in transition, are getting stronger by the week. This was a weaker Chelsea yet still they set the standard you must match to be champions. They will, likely, spend many more future sunny Sundays in late April wrapping up title bids rather than ripping up those of their opponents. Sleep well, Brendan. You may never have a better chance than right now. Wholesale HoodiesNFL Shirts OutletJerseys NFL WholesaleCheap NFL Jerseys Free ShippingWholesale Jerseys CheapCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '