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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Having played six seasons with the Kings, Kevin Martin is very comfortable at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. He showed it again Saturday night, scoring 26 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves reach .500 with a 108-97 win over the Kings. Returning after missing Minnesotas last seven games with a broken left thumb, Martin fell into a groove from the start, making his first four shots and scoring 19 first-half points. "I feel like basketball is the easy part," said Martin, who is 5-0 in games at Sacramento since being traded to Houston in the 2009-10 season. "I remember getting hurt before and coming right back with good games, so this didnt surprise me." Martin was a late first-round draft pick who blossomed with the Kings. His first head coach was Rick Adelman, now Minnesotas coach. The time spent in Sacramento is something Martin savors. "I take pride in coming back here and trying to play well. Sacramento is like my second home," he said. "The fans here saw me grow from a guy who played 10 minutes a game as a rookie and is now a 10-year veteran." It was the second straight win and fifth in six games for the Timberwolves (29-29). Trailing by three points at the half, Minnesota outscored the Kings 31-17 in the third quarter, opening the frame with nine straight points and never relinquishing the lead. Kevin Love added 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Minnesota, and Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and nine rebounds. Corey Brewer scored 13. DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Kings in his return from a one-game suspension. Rudy Gay had 22 of his 24 points in the opening half and Isaiah Thomas had 22 points and eight assists in Sacramentos third straight loss. The Kings committed 19 turnovers, including six in the third quarter that led to numerous fast-break opportunities for the Timberwolves. "For whatever reason we just continue to beat ourselves," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Nineteen turnovers and 27 points? Good teams dont beat themselves. So its very hard in the same game to beat your opponents and yourself and we did that tonight." It was a rare off night for Love, who averaged 34 points and 14 rebounds in seven February games. He shot 4 of 12, but converted 12 of 14 free throws. But Love received plenty of help from Martin and Pekovic, who sat out the last 13 with a right foot he injured Jan. 27 at Chicago. "It was way more than I expected," Pekovic said of his 28 minutes. "I was trying to be productive and had to push myself. Im told the (ankle) pain will be there all the time." Cousins was suspended one game for punching Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley on Tuesday and fined $20,000 as part of the incident in which he verbally abused official Courtney Kirkland and failed to leave the court in a timely manner. Cousins leads the NBA with 15 technicals this season. One more and he will be suspended for one game under NBA rules. The Kings are winless in the 10 games Cousins has missed this season. "My biggest disappointment is the first quarter and the third quarter," Cousins said. "We let them get a hot start in the first quarter and the same thing with the third. Coming out of that third we had to dig ourselves out of ditch." Thomas made consecutive baskets to get the Kings within 97-95 with 2:09 remaining. But Pekovic converted two free throws and Rubio hit a 3 to give the Timberwolves some breathing room at 102-95 with 53.4 seconds left and Minnesota closed it out from the free throw line. NOTES: Kings reserve forward Carl Landry missed his second straight game with a sore right knee. ... Sacramento shot 70 per cent in the first quarter and led 31-30. ... Adelman was head coach for eight seasons with the Kings and his teams made the playoffs every year. Sacramento hasnt made the playoffs since Adelman was fired following the 2005-06 season. ... 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RALEIGH, N.C. -- Ryan Kesler shut off the Carolina Hurricanes onslaught after an early second-period surge and put the Vancouver Canucks back in control. They maintained it for much of the final 40 minutes and skated off with a 3-2 road win on Sunday. Kesler capped a frenetic 37-second stretch early in the second period by scoring his second goal of the game that turned out to be the winner. The Hurricanes scored a pair of goals 10 seconds apart in the first 49 seconds of the second to tie the game. Kesler put the Canucks in front for good at 1:16. "We wanted to gain the momentum back, and theres no better way than scoring a goal," Kesler said. "Im happy that we got one there." Tom Sestito also scored for the Canucks, and Jason Garrison had two assists. Backup goalie Eddie Lack made 29 saves in place of Roberto Luongo to help Vancouver earn just its third win in 11 games. Keslers goal, scored 27 seconds after Carolina tied it, was set up after the Canucks won a number of scrums behind the net. Chris Higgins eventually emerged with the puck, and he shovelled it into the crease. Jannik Hansen deflected it to Kesler, who knocked it just across the goal line. It was only the third time in 11 games that Vancouver scored at least three goals. Jordan Staal and Nathan Gerbe had goals for Carolina. Cam Ward made 27 saves. The Hurricanes, who failed to score on six power plays against the NHLs best penalty-killing unit, have lost six of eight. "When you get a chance, the guys who are out there have to execute," Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. "If they cant execute, I guess weve got to start looking for other guys in our lineup and give them the opportunity. "Everyone runs the same plays. Its a matter of getting the job done, and do it at a higher tempo. . I dont know -- maybe some of our guys cant make the plays." One day after giving up two power-play goals in a 5-2 loss to the Rangers in New York, Vancouver was pleased with its penalty killers. During one stretch Sundaay, Carolina had 5:33 of consecutive time on the power play, including 27 seconds of a two-man advantage.dddddddddddd "It was God awful yesterday afternoon, and really one of the few times it has been this year," Vancouver coach John Tortorella said. "But tonight it was outstanding." Vancouver rebounded and controlled much of the early play against the Hurricanes. The Canucks scored twice in the first period to build a 2-0 lead. The first goal came after Carolinas Drayson Bowman (boarding) and Mike Komisarek (delay of game) took penalties. Just 11 seconds after Vancouver went on a two-man advantage, Kesler converted on a rebound to Wards right at 3:24. With 4:12 left in the first, Garrison took a shot that Sestito deflected in off the post. Staal started the Hurricanes second-period comeback when he skated into the Vancouver zone and sent a wrist shot that hit Lack in the mask. Several Vancouver and Carolina players converged on the crease, and Staal followed up his rebound and poked the puck into the net at 39 seconds. After the Hurricanes won the ensuing faceoff, Justin Faulk connected with Eric Staal with a nice stretch pass. Lack stopped Staals one-handed backhand attempt, but Gerbe gathered the rebound and slapped the puck under Lack as the goalie fell into the net. It was the first time the Carolina franchise scored two goals in the first minute of a period since Nov. 1, 1987 when they were the Hartford Whalers. Lack relieved Luongo 17 seconds into the second period on Saturday, after Luongo allowed three Rangers goals on only 10 shots, and stopped 12 of 14 New York attempts. NOTES: Hansen left the game in the first period with an apparent right shoulder injury, but he returned in the second period. ... It was the first time Vancouvers Alex Edler and Carolinas Eric Staal played against each other since Edler hurt Staal in the world championships last summer with a knee-on-knee hit. ... Carolina defenceman Andrej Sekera missed the game because of an upper body injury. ' ' '