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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.Nike Air Max Tn Outlet . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Air Max Plus Ingrosso . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. http://www.airmaxitaliascarpe.it/ . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. Air Max Italia Scarpe . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Air Max 720 Scontate Uomo .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit.One team is coming off a lost weekend. The other is coming off a lost homestand.So things could be salty Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena as the Colorado Avalanche start a four-game road trip against the Nashville Predators in their third meeting in five weeks.While Colorado (9-13-1) finished an 0-4-1 homestand Saturday night with a 3-0 loss to Dallas, Nashville (11-9-4) ate a 4-2 defeat Sunday to Philadelphia, wrapping up an 0-1-1 weekend. Making that more galling was that the Predators blew a 4-1 third-period lead Saturday against New Jersey, losing 5-4 in overtime.A couple of mistakes and two or three minutes cost us (Saturday), Nashville defenseman Roman Josi said. I thought we played a pretty good game and deserved to win (Sunday). Our special teams have got to be better -- on the penalty kill and the power play.The Predators penalty kill, which was flawless at home until giving up the game-tying goal Saturday, coughed up two markers to the Flyers Wayne Simmonds on Sunday. Nashville also failed on two power-play opportunities in the first period and didnt receive another one for the games remainder.It was a 180-degree turnaround from the way most of the season has gone at home, where the Predators were 8-1-1 and outscoring the opposition 39-14 before the third period on Saturday.Everyone needs the points, no matter where you are in the standings, left winger Filip Forsberg said. The inspiration level needs to be higher from the start, and even in the last periods.The Avalanches arrival in town could be the elixir Nashville needs. The PPredators beat Colorado 5-1 and 5-3 last month, which constitute two-thirds of their victories away from Nashville.dddddddddddd.While the Avalanche are 5-5-0 on the road, their upcoming trip might not provide much reason for optimism. Their other stops are Boston, Montreal and Toronto.Just playing horrible hockey, center Nathan MacKinnon said. It starts with us key guys. All of us need to be better.Adding injury to repeated insult, defenseman Erik Johnson suffered a broken fibula after blocking a shot in the second period Saturday night and will miss 6-8 weeks. To replace Johnson, Colorado called up defenseman Cody Goloubef from its AHL affiliate in San Antonio.Whats more, the Avalanche remain without captain Gabriel Landeskog (lower-body injury), who skated at practice Monday and will make the trip but will miss his ninth straight game Tuesday night. Colorado has managed just 49 goals in 22 matches and is putting only 29.2 shots on net per game.We all want to make a difference, but unfortunately were not getting it done, forward Jarome Iginla said.Semyon Varlamov (5-11-0, 3.02) will get the start in net for the Avalanche, while Pekka Rinne (10-5-4, 2.18) figures to get the call for Nashville. Rinne was the NHLs First Star for November but allowed five goals on just 22 shots against New Jersey.This is the last game of a three-game homestand for the Predators, who head to Dallas on Thursday and Arizona on Saturday. ' ' '