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MINNEAPOLIS - Its been a slog at times for Arron Afflalo in his second tour with the Denver Nuggets as he tries to re-acclimate himself to a team in flux.Little by little, its all coming back to him. Just ask the Minnesota Timberwolves.Afflalo scored 34 points and the Nuggets handed the Timberwolves their 12th straight loss with a 110-101 victory on Monday night.J.J. Hickson had 16 points and 11 rebounds and the Nuggets shot 55 per cent to cruise past the Timberwolves. Jusuf Nurkic scored 14 points and Ty Lawson added 12 assists for the Nuggets, whose reserves outscored Minnesotas 47-10.If the Nuggets (15-20) are going to turn things around after a terrible start, Afflalo will likely be a catalyst. Hes averaged 25.3 points on 61 per cent shooting over the last three games.When you go through struggles, which I was going through, I really tried to find myself and find what makes me a better player, a more effective player, Afflalo said. I think Im starting to notice it over the last two or three games, how to be efficient and effective.Gorgui Dieng tied a career high with 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Shabazz Muhammad added 19 points and six boards for the Wolves (5-28), who are now tied with Philadelphia and New York for fewest wins in the league. The Timberwolves shot just 43 per cent and have not won since Dec. 10 while playing without Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin.Weve just got to dig through these dog days, said Wolves assistant Sam Mitchell, who filled in when Flip Saunders couldnt make it to the arena because of an illness.Nuggets coach Brian Shaw recently switched up the teams game-day schedule, eliminating the time-honoured morning shootaround in favour of a light workout later in the afternoon. Shaw believes starting later in the day gives his players more continuous sleep and has them operating when their bodies are used to exerting their most effort.The approach was successful on Saturday when the Nuggets thumped the Grizzlies 114-85 and Shaw said before the game on Monday the plan was to employ it the rest of the season to get a large sample size and make a determination going forward about the long-term future.The Nuggets looked energetic and well-rested again Monday night, though playing against the woeful Timberwolves might have had something to do with it. They outscored the Wolves 19-10 in transition and 56-38 in the paint.The Wolves allowed the Nuggets to shoot 61 per cent in the first half. They turned the ball over eight times and were outscored 13-3 in transition and trailed by 24 points midway through the second quarter.The veteran Afflalo took it to No. 1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins, making him work for his 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting while Afflalo was 11 for 18 — including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.I think I couldve done better, a lot better, Wiggins said. I dont think it was one of my best defensive performances.TIP-INSNuggets: Nate Robinson, who was questionable with a sprained right wrist, scored 12 points in 21 minutes. ... After scoring 26 points and grabbing 25 rebounds in a win over the Wolves in Denver at the end of December, Kenneth Faried had 15 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes.Timberwolves: Wiggins was named Western Conference rookie of the month for December. Hes won the award in each of the first two months of the season. ... F Chase Budinger missed his second straight game because he was sick and F Robbie Hummel was also out with the same bug.LINEUP SHUFFLEThe Timberwolves tried to change things up by putting veteran Mo Williams in the starting lineup at point guard and moving rookie Zach LaVine to the bench. But it was just more of the same for a struggling group that cant defend, cant hit a 3-point shot consistently and cant stay healthy.Williams scored 17 points in 25 minutes. LaVine managed just five on 2-for-9 shooting in 26 minutes.UP NEXTNuggets: Host Orlando on Wednesday.Timberwolves: Host Phoenix on Wednesday. Jim Kelly Jersey . Jacob Jacques, Andrew Ryan and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Halifax (37-18-3), who outshot the Islanders 40-26. Kevin Darveau stopped 25 shots. Bradley Kennedy had the lone goal for Charlottetown (18-33-5), which has nine losses in its last 10 games. Bruce Smith Jersey . The Nuggets leading scorer, Lawson is characterized as day to day by the team. Hes averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 assists. Lawson suffered the injury late in Denvers win Sunday at Sacramento. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Thurman-Thomas-Bills-Jersey/ . The England international raised his middle finger toward Manchester City supporters during Saturdays game at Etihad Stadium, which Arsenal lost 6-3. The incident was not seen by match officials at the time but the FA charged Wilshere retrospectively after a study of video footage. Andre Reed Jersey .The long-haired pivot, who joined the Alouettes midway through the CFL season and put up a 9-3 record as a starter, will be listed as the top quarterback in training camp next spring.With a full training camp under his belt, the Alouettes will see if he has what it takes to get them back to the Grey Cup game after a four-year absence. Doug Flutie Jersey .com) - Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has been selected as the NHLs Rookie of the Month for December, the league announced Friday. TORONTO -- Scott Milanovich didnt have to look long or far for his new defensive co-ordinator. The Toronto Argonauts head coach needed just one phone call to find a replacement for Chris Jones, who left last month to become the Edmonton Eskimos head coach. On Thursday, the Argos unveiled Tim Burke, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach, as their new defensive co-ordinator. "As soon as Chris left and I knew Tim was available he was the only one I talked to," Milanovich said during a conference call. "I think Tim and I see eye-to-eye on defensive philosophy in the CFL. "It was an easy decision for me. It took about 30 seconds on a phone call to Tim and when he said he was available that was the end of it." Milanovich and Burke certainly have a history together. They won Grey Cup titles with the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 10 as the offensive and defensive co-ordinator, respectively. "Scott and I are real good friends and we bounced a lot of ideas off each other during that time," Burke said. Burke came to the CFL in 2005 as a defensive backs coach with the Calgary Stampeders. He joined the Alouettes as the defensive co-ordinator under head coach Marc Trestman from 08 to 10 before heading to Winnipeg as its defensive co-ordinator in 2011. After helping Winnipeg reach the Grey Cup in 11, Burke was named interim Bombers head coach in August 2012 after Paul LaPolice was fired before becoming the full-time coach after the season. Burke was fired following the 2013 campaign after Winnipeg posted a league-worst 3-15 record. Overall, Burke compiled a 7-21 head-coaching record. The Bombers hired former Argos special-teams coach Mike OShea as Burkes successor on Wednesday. Burke left Winnipeg with time remaining on his contract, but sitting out the 2014 campaign wasnt an option. Burke said his prior experience as a head coach will help him in Toronto. "One thing I learned from other coaches whove been in this situation is they always thought you become a better assistant after youve been a head coach," Burke said. "Youve been in the head coachs chair before so you undersstand where hes coming from all the time.dddddddddddd. "You always understand theres a big picture and its not just about your defence or your position group. The other thing is Im much more aware of gametime decisions and seeing how everything works during the game." Toronto finished atop the East Division standings with an 11-7 record, thanks in large part to its pass-happy offence under the leadership of all-star quarterback Ricky Ray. Defensively, the Argos were a bend-but-dont-break unit, finishing third in fewest points allowed (25.4 points per game) despite being ranked last in yards allowed (390 yards) and passing yards (298.2) and second-last in sacks (38). During his time as a defensive co-ordinator in both Calgary and Toronto, Jones earned a reputation of being unconventional in his schemes and gameplanning. Jones was never afraid to either drop defensive linemen into coverage or bring players from any spot on the field to confuse offences or pressure quarterbacks. While Burke must still spend time evaluating Torontos defensive personnel, he said his defensive approach has some similarities with Jones. "Chriss basic philosophy would be to try and play as much man as possible," Burke said. "In that regard, you have to be able to play man in the CFL to win so that will be the base of our defence. "Chris is very inventive, Id say innovative, in what he does defensively. I tend to be more a guy who believes in a base defence that you have to be able to play when its a clutch situation. Its a defence you really believe in and were very technique oriented and were very fundamentally sound." Milanovich must still find a replacement for OShea, and is bracing for more possible departures as both Jones and OShea look to fill their respective coaching staffs. "Im so happy for Chris and Mike, I expected to lose some of these guys even a year ago," Milanovich said. "I think its a credit to our organization that were hiring the right people and clearly there are other organizations who want what we have and I think we have to take that as a compliment." ' ' '