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. ... The Timberwolves are 3-1 on their road trip, which concludes Monday in Denver. Ultra Boost 4.0 Australia . But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club. Ultra Boost 1.0 Australia . -- Jonathan Vilmas season is over and his future on the football field is in doubt. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/nmd-xr1-shoes-australia.html . On Sunday, head coach Patrick Roy said the teams leading scorer will skate at Mondays morning practice and the club will make a decision on his status for Game 6 at that point. Ultra Boost 4.0 Sale Australia .com) - Driphus Jackson had three touchdown passes, including two in a 19-second span in the opening quarter, to guide Rice to a 30-6 rout of Fresno State at the Hawaii Bowl. Adidas Superstar Gold Australia . According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Brodeurs agent Pat Brisson has spoken to six teams so far regarding the veteran goaltender. CURITIBA, Brazil -- Defending champion Spain salvaged some World Cup pride on Monday with a convincing 3-0 victory over Australia in their last match at the tournament. After losing their previous matches in Group B to the Netherlands and Chile, both teams took to Arena da Baixada in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba knowing they could not advance to the second round. David Villa, on his 97th and final appearance put Spain ahead in the 36th minute with his record 59th goal, guiding Juanfran Torres pass into the net with the inside of his right foot. Juanfran had been found by a typically incisive pass by Andres Iniesta. "We stepped up against Australia and won this match, and Im happy to have participated in the first goal," said the 32-year-old Villa, who has called time on his international career. "Its sad because we would have liked to have spent more time here, but thats how it is." Iniesta was at the heart of the second goal too, providing the pass for Fernando Torres to steer the ball past Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan in the 69th minute. Juan Mata, who replaced an emotional Villa early in the second half, added the third in the 82nd from close range, stroking the ball under Ryan after he was found in space by fellow substitute Cesc Fabregas. David Silva, who also came on late, went close in the 89th but his shot from outside the area went just wide. Though nothing, in terms of World Cup progress, rested on the game, Spain showed some of the clever passing football that has seen it dominate the game over the past six years -- winning Euro 2008, its first World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and then Euro 2012. With that domination now at an end, the task facing Spain is to manage the transition from an aging squad that has won everything in the game to a new generation of players waiting to take centre stage. "We went out with dignity," Del Bosque said. &qquot;These have been six years of which we have been first in the FIFA ranking, a generation of players that have taught others, and have shown themselves," he added.dddddddddddd "We bow out with our head high knowing the future of the Spanish team has a good base regardless of who coaches it, with good veterans." In the early minutes of the match, Australia took the game to the champions, but it wasnt long before Spain asserted control and started dominating possession. "We started bright enough but you have to give credit to them, they are a quality team," Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said. "We looked jaded, tired, and gave away the ball too easily, so its disappointing." Australia, which lacked bite up front through the suspension of Tim Cahill, finished with zero points, its worst ever performance in a World Cup. On its 1974 debut, Australia garnered a point. However, the Socceroos were in an extremely tough group and pushed the Netherlands hard during its 3-2 defeat. For its part, Spain avoided the worst World Cup title defence in history. That label remains with the France team of 2002, which only secured one point in its goal-less campaign in the tournament co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. "What happened is in the past now," Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso said. "We tried to face our situation in the best manner possible. This is football, though, and we go home sad." ------ Lineups: Australia: Mat Ryan, Ryan McGowan, Jason Davidson, Matthew Spiranovic, Alex Wilkinson, Matt McKay, Mile Jedinak, Oliver Bozanic (Mark Bresciano, 72), Tommy Oar (James Troisi, 61), Matthew Leckie, Adam Taggart (Ben Halloran, 46). Spain: Pepe Reina, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Jordi Alba, Juanfran Torres, Koke, Xabi Alonso (David Silva, 83), Santi Cazorla (Cesc Fabregas, 68), Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, David Villa (Juan Mata, 56). ' ' '