Dominic Thiem. He defeated Roger Federer and looked set to make a breakthrough at the Rome Masters, but the occasion got to him in the quarter-final and he was bea

NEW YORK -- No matter how much Tom Thibodeau screamed, his Minnesota Timberwolves clearly arent hearing his message about defense.Kenny Atkinson sure liked what he saw from his offense.Brook Lopez scored 26 points, and the Brooklyn Nets kept the Timberwolves winless on the road with a 119-110 victory Tuesday night.The Nets shot 55.3 percent from the field and had eight players with at least nine points, the kind of movement and involvement that Atkinson wanted to bring to Brooklyn from his time as an Atlanta assistant.Were sharing the wealth a little more and in the perfect Utopian motion system, thats what it should look like, where its really everybodys touching it, Atkinson said.It led to a surprisingly easy offensive performance against a young Wolves team that clearly hasnt yet grasped Thibodeaus defensive schemes.Thibodeau, whose teams in Chicago were among the NBAs strongest defensively, said 110 points is more than enough to win.Unless we correct the defensive end, its going to be a struggle, he said. That has to become a priority by everyone, otherwise nothing positive is going to happen.Trevor Booker added 15 points and Sean Kilpatrick had 14 for the Nets.Andrew Wiggins scored a career-high 36 points for the Wolves, making a career-best six 3-pointers. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, but scoring wasnt the problem for Minnesota.The Wolves are 0-4 on the road and just 1-5 overall.We keep hearing were young, thats why were playing the way we play, Towns said. Thats not the reason. Were just not executing.It was close most of the way, neither team having much luck stopping the other, and the Nets lead was just two after Wiggins jumper with 56 seconds left. Bojan Bogdanovic then made a 3-pointer with 37 seconds to go for a 115-110 lead, and Isaiah Whitehead and Bogdanovic closed it out with free throws.Without injured point guards Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) and Greivis Vasquez (sore right ankle), the Nets got a scare in the first quarter when starter Whitehead had to leave the game after he fell onto the court and Gorgui Dieng accidentally stepped on his face. But the second-round draft pick from Brooklyn was able to return shortly after and had six points, seven rebounds and seven assists.Thats the toughness we need and thats the definition of Brooklyn grit right there, Lopez said.The Nets shot 62 percent in the first half and led 66-65 despite 19 points from Towns.TIP-INSTimberwolves: The Timberwolves lost for just the fifth time in the last 15 meetings. ... Wiggins previous career-bests were 35 points and four 3-pointers.Nets: Randy Foye made his Nets debut after beginning the season with a strained right hamstring, scoring three points. ... Bogdanovic and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson each had 13 points.EAST MEETS WESTThe Nets were playing their first Western Conference opponent in their seventh game, the longest they had gone into a season since moving to Brooklyn in 2012. The Wolves were playing their first East team.SKILLED KILPATRICKThe Timberwolves once signed Kilpatrick in part because they were so short-handed they needed another player just to meet NBA rules of having eight in uniform, and he was playing in the NBA Development League close enough to arrive on time. Now he entered the game as the NBAs highest-scoring reserve with 17 points per game.Hes still the guy that would get in a car and go to any game at any place, Atkinson said. That guy, hes just a competitor. Hes grinded through some tough times to get where he is and then he just keeps blossoming and were giving him a lot of responsibility and hes answering the bell.UP NEXTTimberwolves: Visit Magic on Wednesday to complete three-game trip. The Wolves have lost eight straight in Orlando.Nets: Visit Knicks on Wednesday, the first matchup this season between New Yorks teams. Its a short journey for the opener of a five-game trip.Mike Matheny Cardinals Jersey . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Tommy Edman Cardinals Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/2274t-willie-mcgee-jersey-cardinals.html . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Bruce Sutter Cardinals Jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Bobby Tolan Cardinals Jersey . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars.Ahead of the French Open, we asked Sky Sports expert Barry Cowan to answer five key questions about this years tournament at Roland Garros.World No 1 Novak Djokovic resumes his pursuit for that elusive first Grand Slam title as part of a fiercely competitive draw in Paris, including Britains Andy Murray, nine-time winner Rafael Nadal, and defending champion Stan Wawrinka.Barry Cowan answers the big talking points... Murrays Roland Garros record A look at how the British number one has fared in Paris Will Andy Murray be happy with the draw?The key was always going to be where Rafa was. Its great news for Andy that Rafa will not be in his side of the draw, but I think its also great news for Djokovic that Nadal will be in his side. Meeting Rafa before the final would work out in his favour, I believe.The rankings dont lie. Andy is the second best player in the world at the moment and hes shown that with his performances on the clay in the past few weeks.Wawrinka is an unknown quantity. We didnt know which Wawrinka would turn up last year - he was in no form going in - and look what happened. I think Rogers days of winning the French are gone. Its a real pity that his run of Grand Slam appearances should end due to injury, but it was going to end at some stage. French Open draw details Stepanek first for Murray Can Murray take positives from recent wins over Djokovic and Nadal?Yes, absolutely. He can obviously draw confidence from last weeks win over Novak in Rome, but could also take huge positives from the way he played Novak in Madrid and Rafa in Monte Carlo. He has consistently played great tennis, but hes going into the French Open having never made the final. It would be an all-new experience, but hes been able to pass new experiences throughout his career. Why not this time? Highlights from the Rome Masters Final as Andy Murray faced Novak Djokovic in a repeat of the Madrid Open final a week earlier Will Novak Djokovic end his wait for a French Open title? Djokovics Missing Major Can Novak finally win at Roland Garros? Yes, it think he can do.dddddddddddd Hes a better player than he was last year, but theres more mental baggage than last year. He had to experience that final defeat to Wawrinka when he was the best player in the world and wasnt able to win it. No matter what sport it is, whenever you go in as favourite and dont get over the finish line, it can get harder.I think its good that he plays Rafa before the final. Playing Rafa in the semis, its playing Rafa with their recent head-to-head record. Playing Rafa in the final, all of a sudden it becomes a huge monster, because youre playing against a guy who has won it nine times and Novak has never won it. Djokovic has yet to win the French OPen title Can Nadal win the tournament for a 10th time? Nadals La Decima Rafa in form as he seeks another French crown You can never overlook a guy who has won it nine times. Hes playing great. I thought that quarter-final against Djokovic in Rome was amazing quality, it was phenomenal. The only difference between the two was Djokovic having won so many big titles in recent years, whereas Rafa hasnt really.His last few appearances at Grand Slam havent been great, so hell be looking to put the record straight on that. But hes in as good shape as hes been in a long time.The weather also could be key as if its quick in the second week, then that will definitely help him.Who could emerge as a surprise contender? Nick Kyrgios is one of the names who could surprise the big guns Two weeks ago, I would have said Dominic Thiem. He defeated Roger Federer and looked set to make a breakthrough at the Rome Masters, but the occasion got to him in the quarter-final and he was beaten easily by Kei Nishikori. Ive got no doubt that he will be a player who reaches the latter stages of a major tournament in the future. There is also Nick Kygrios of course. You cannot rule this guy out and he could break through and win a slam at some stage. Im not going to say its going to be these two weeks, but hes a player who can beat anyone on any given day. Outsiders assessed The surprise names to keep in mindAlso See:Mens first round draw detailsWomens first round drawDjokovics missing majorNadals La Decima ' ' '