MINNEAPOLIS - Austin Daye had played a grand total of 6 minutes, 43 seconds in the previous nine games when the San Antonio forward found out 20 minutes before the game against Minnesota that he would be in the starting lineup. Alexandre Lacazette Jersey .Like a pitcher with good numbers against a particular hitter in baseball, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich went with a guy who has played his best against the Timberwolves. Then again, with the Wolves riding a losing streak that has lasted for a full month now, thats not saying a whole lot.Daye scored a season-high 22 points and had 10 rebounds to help the Spurs hand the Timberwolves their 15th straight loss, 108-93 on Saturday night.Pop believes in all his players and you know hell throw you into weird situations at any time, said Daye, who has scored 35 of his 96 total points this season in two games against Minnesota. So you just got to be ready.Patty Mills scored 19 points and Tim Duncan added 13 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes for the Spurs (23-15), who were missing Manu Ginobili and Marco Belinelli with injuries.Gorgui Dieng had 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Timberwolves (5-31), who were missing Shabazz Muhammad with an abdominal injury in addition to the long-term absences of Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin. Minnesota hasnt won since Dec. 10 and is tied with New York for the longest active losing streak in the NBA.Andrew Wiggins finished with 18 points for the Wolves. That snapped a streak of six 20-point games for the No. 1 overall pick.Its time we all need to realize that we need to take this very personal, Dieng said. We just need to play harder to win games.Ginobili was out with back spasms and Belinelli had a groin injury. But playing a man or two down has never bothered them and they certainly werent going to worry about it against a young, defensively inept Timberwolves team.And the Spurs dont have time to take it easy on anyone. They entered the night seventh in the Western Conference and just havent really been able to get going yet after winning the franchises fifth championship in June. Theyve mostly traded wins and losses for the last month and havent won more than two in a row since an eight-game winning streak ended on Dec. 3.Thats not going to cut it out West, but the Spurs have been together long enough to know when they need to put their feet on the gas. They are awaiting the return of Kawhi Leonard, who hasnt played since Dec. 17 because of an injured right hand and Tony Parker is still getting up to speed while being bothered by a gimpy hamstring.Were disappointed were in the position we are, said Popovich, whose Spurs are in seventh in the West thanks to an 8-10 December. We lost some games we could have won. And we were just injured at the wrong time. December was a heck of a month for us schedule-wise, and being injured at that time was tough. So now we have to suck it up and try to catch up with some guys.They had more than enough against the undermanned Wolves, who are three losses away from tying the franchise record for longest losing skid.The Spurs closed the first quarter on a 15-4 run and never looked back, carving up Minnesotas woeful defence with cuts to the basket and curls around screens to generate wide open jumpers.Daye hit 4 of 8 3-pointers and Cory Joseph added 12 points and five assists off the bench.TIP-INSSpurs: The Spurs used their 21st starting lineup of the season. Thats the most in the NBA. ... It was the fifth time this season the Spurs held a team under 40 per cent shooting.Timberwolves: One night after missing the loss in Milwaukee with a sprained right ankle, PG Mo Williams had 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting. ... The Wolves set a franchise record by going 26 for 26 on free throws.POP BEING POPPopovich was at his sarcastic best on Saturday night.Q: Would you like to see Daye play like that more often?A: No I hope he plays like crap.Q: How much energy did he give?A: I think 44.5-foot pounds of; exactly, I dont have the same formula.UP NEXTSpurs: Visit Washington on Tuesday night.Timberwolves: Visit Indiana on Tuesday night. Arsenal Jerseys . The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who lose three straight finals in Monte Carlo to Rafael Nadal from 2006-08, has not played in the tournament since 2011, when he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals. Petr Cech Arsenal Jersey . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie.TORONTO -- When basketballs best young players were in Brooklyn, N.Y., waiting to hear their name called in the NBA draft Thursday night, Bruno Caboclo was in a taxi. Caboclo had been training just outside Houston, and he and his personal advisor Eduardo Resende had hopped in a cab when somebody from Brazil tweeted "Oh my god, Bruno at 20." "The taxi driver didnt understand what was going on, we were screaming back there. It was crazy," said Resende. "He was jumping out of the roof (figuratively), he was very excited. Its a dream come true for a young Brazilian player that only can see (the NBA) on TV, and then all of a sudden hes part of it." The 18-year-old Caboclo was a virtual unknown when he became the Raptors surprise 20th pick in Thursday nights draft -- a selection that general manager Masai Ujiri admitted was an "outright gamble." Ujiri had another player in mind for the 20th pick, and had planned to take the Brazilian at No. 37, but when he lost out on the first player, he wasnt taking any chances on Caboclo. The young Brazilian arrived in Toronto on Friday night -- and upon finding out he had the practice gym at the Air Canada Centre at his disposal, headed there at 11 p.m. to shoot. The Raptors staff put him through his first official workout Saturday morning. He then met with a curious Toronto media contingent that numbered in double digits, an immediate measure of how much his life has changed in two days. "His Twitter two days ago had 19 followers (hes now at over 5,000)," said Resende, who also acting as Caboclos translator in Toronto -- the youngster speaks only a few words of English. "You become like a public person. The biggest change for him is this (press) conference here. I dont think he would ever imagine he would be here one day." Caboclo grew up Pirapora do Bom Jesus, a tiny town outside of Sao Paolo. He comes from a "difficult family, financially," according to Resende. "Even at his age he support his family." Ujiri wouldnt reveal much about Caboclos upbringing except "He grew up tough. I dont want to say too much about his family, and some of the things we know. He grew up in a not-so-great environment. Basketball was his love." He has two sisters, aged 22 and 26, who play volleyball. He played soccer as a child, but said he was only "so-so" at it, and switched to basketball at age 13, when he was already five foot 10. Within a year, he could dunk the ball. The Raptors had tracked Caboclo since he was named most valuable player of the Basketball Without Borders tournament last summer, first sending a team of scouts to watch the six-foot-nine player with the eye-popping seven-foot-six wingspan. Rob Holding Arsenal Jersey. "We felt like he was somebody we needed to follow. Our scouts did a phenomenal job of going and seeing him and gathering information," Ujiri said after presenting Caboclo with his jersey. The Raptors GM took some heat after Thursdays selection, from fans and the media, but shrugged it off Saturday morning. "Honestly I dont do it for reactions of anybody. I dont care. Were in a business where I cant react to anything, I just have to do my job, and you hope the best comes out of it," Ujiri said. "Is it a gamble? Yes. But do we remember who the 20th picks of the last 10 drafts are?" Ujiri sat courtside at the ACC as Caboclo practised. Resende helped translate the instructions. He dunked the ball with ease, shot well from long range, and was fluid as he moved around the court despite his long limbs. "We thought from the little information we have, hes young, hes long, hes tall, hes skinny, he likes to play basketball, hes got a little bit of skill, he can shoot a little bit, maybe theres something we can mould there," Ujiri said. Ujiri expects Caboclo to be a solid defender because of his length. "He moves his feet pretty good, hes got a touch, he likes to shoot it, so if he can be a two-way player where he can shoot the ball a little bit and he can defend. . . We picked him because we feel theres some good upside there, it will take time, and were ready to be patient for him," Ujiri said. "Hes a great kid, but loves basketball, he wants to be in the gym every second, which is what you want in an 18-year-old." Caboclo said he tries to model his game after his idol and Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant. He feels they have the same body type. Caboclos strength is among the things hell need to work on during what should be a tough rookie season, between being so far from home, having to learn English, and adapting to the NBA. The Raptors will immediately implement a couple of measures to help him adjust -- a weight training program and his own English teacher, Ujiri said. Hell also fly to Los Angeles on Sunday to work with new teammates DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Amir Johnson, and fellow rookie DeAndre Daniels, taken 37th overall Thursday night. Caboclo will play with the Raptors in the summer league, plus Ujiri expects him to spend some time next season down in the D-League. Resende said the young player knows the road ahead wont be all smooth sailing. "Last night he came to my room and he said Its a great responsibility," Resende said. Because getting there is one thing, now the real work is going to begin now." ' ' '
