MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota is the NBAs youngest team, averaging 23.6 years of age, yet the youthful Timberwolves entered the season with the hope of finally breaking the franchises long playoff drought.The Wolves, however, arent jelling quickly under new coach Tom Thibodeau, and a Tuesday home loss to the Charlotte Hornets didnt sit well. They will try to turn it around Thursday when they play host to the Philadelphia 76ers.Minnesota (3-7) had won two of three games before Tuesday, and the offenses performance was among the best in the league. Then the Hornets pulled away with a big second half to beat Minnesota, leaving the Timberwolves development as a postgame topic.We could use youth as an excuse forever; your opponent doesnt care that youre young, Thibodeau said. Weve got guys whove been in the league for a while now, were making mistakes that never should be made -- from fouling jump shooters, reckless passes, turnovers -- its all decision-making.The 76ers (2-9) know youthful mistakes, too. Philadelphia, the fourth-youngest team in the league, opened the season with seven straight losses. On Wednesday, the 76ers won for the second time in four games as they held onto a big lead at home to beat the Washington Wizards 109-102.Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said there was just a poise level that was fantastic.The 76ers shot 54.5 percent and had 30 assists (on 42 field goals), both season highs.Just resilient, forward Richaun Holmes said. Just determined to do anything we had to do to get a win, and we are able to stick it out to the end against a tough Washington team. Were getting better.Holmes knocked down a 3-pointer in the final minutes to help finish off the Wizards on Wednesday. Jahlil Okafor scored a season-high 19 points before fouling out. Philadelphia rested rookie center Joel Embiid, its leading scorer and rebounder who missed the past two seasons following a pair of foot surgeries.Embiid is expected to play Thursday. Brown will have both of his young centers at his disposal. Okafor is expected to play and be limited to 16 to 20 minutes.It was my teammates talking to me, Coach Brown challenging me before the game to attack, be aggressive, make good decisions; and it really benefited me, Okafor said.Embiids absence for the home game before leaving for a road trip caught some by surprise.Its just the rhythm that the medical staff has put him on, Brown said. And I think you look back -- back-to-back-type games and those types of things, with the time in between, they felt like ... if we had a choice, this game was going to be it. So I follow the marching orders of smarter people than myself.Embiid will be needed on the road at Minnesota. The 76ers have lost 20 straight games on the road, equaling the second-longest road slump in team history.Okafor should match up occasionally with Minnesotas Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns was drafted No. 1 overall by Minnesota last year, with Okafor picked third by Philadelphia. Towns has lived up to the top-draft status and is averaging 22 points and eight rebounds per game this season.However, Towns took Tuesdays loss to Charlotte particularly tough.I just have to play better, Towns said. All these losses, they fall on me. Its something Ive got to control. Its something that Ive got to be able to help us as much as possible. Third quarter, Im just not doing enough for us, and Ive got to do better.Minnesota is the leagues top-scoring team in the first quarter but the worst in the third period. The Timberwolves were outscored 36-17 in the third by the Hornets.Thibodeau was asked if Tuesdays loss was a step back for his young team.Its the commitment to improve and to learn, to not repeat the same mistakes over and over again, Thibodeau said. A big part of learning is trial and error, so when you go through something and it doesnt work, you should learn from it; the second time around, it shouldnt be the same way. That has to change. That has to change, and it has to change fast. Yeezy Boost Baratas . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. Yeezy Baratas España . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. http://www.yeezyespana.com/ . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Yeezy 700 V2 Comprar . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Yeezy Baratas . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. TORONTO -- If there was a built-in disadvantage for Team North America, one of the World Cups Frankenteams, it was that chemistry may not come quickly.And so far, that challenge is most apparent at the top of the Team North America lineup with the players surrounding No. 1 center Connor McDavid.On Friday during practice, Team North America coach Todd McLellan unveiled his newest top line -- McDavid centering Mark Scheifele and No. 1 overall pick Auston Matthews.Three exhibitions, three different top lines. Now a fourth one for the opening of group play on Sunday against Finland.But boy, did McLellan work his hardest to stop this from becoming a thing after practice ended. The comparisons are already being made between McDavid and Sidney Crosby, who? faces his own challenge of finding the right linemates when he competes for Team Canada.McLellan was quick to shoot down any idea that this was an issue at all for his young team.Every time I watch Sidney Crosby, he seems to be getting a Stanley Cup, a gold medal, or a world championship ring, or world junior. So someones been able to find wings for Sidney Crosby, and done a pretty good job, McLellan said. Theres a lot of players who can play with Connor, both here and in Edmonton. He welcomes any kind of linemate or teammate. He feels its his responsibility a lot of times to make them better, and thats just a good sign of leadership. He puts a lot of pressure on himself.It hasnt been a total shuffle of the deck at the top. It does appear that McDavid and Scheifele are becoming a pair and for good reason. Like Crosby, the ideal for McDavid is to have a linemate who thinks the game at his level, who shares his hockey IQ, and Scheifele definitely fits. Hes also a big body who likes to shoot the puck and is comfortable allowing McDavid to be the puck transporter on the line.One of thee constants during Team North Americas camp has been McLellans call for more second and third scoring opportunities through strong efforts near the opposing goalie.dddddddddddd When the staff went back and broke down secondary chances in exhibition game No. 3 against the Czech Republic, Scheifele was one of only four or five players around the crease on a consistent basis. That earns you time with McDavid.So does being one of the best young players in the world, and Auston Matthews has quickly established himself on that level.He entered training camp as a 13th forward and now is playing on the top line, impressing coaches with a willingness to play hard on both sides of the puck, with strength and versatility.Nobodys stock has shot up faster on this roster than Matthews, a kid who nearly didnt make the team.Hes proven over the last few games that hes for real and he can help me play at this level, McDavid said. Im definitely excited about this.The challenge of playing with McDavid is that he can surprise teammates on the ice at times. He thinks the game at such a high level and works best with teammates who instinctively go to the space on the ice McDavid knows will be there.You can watch McDavid enter the zone, draw three defenders to him, delay a moment and then make a perfect pass to a teammate -- and sometimes that teammate isnt ready.Matthews seems to understand this and certainly has the skill level to make it work.Hes a special player so you can do things out there at a certain pace that not [many] people can do, Matthews said. With him, you give him his space, you get open and move the puck well. Hopefully we can definitely take control in the offensive zone and create some opportunities. ' ' '