TIMBERWOLVES 88, BOBCATS 83: Kevin Love continued his string of dominating performances with 40 points and 19 rebounds as Minnesota bounced back to within two games of .500.

Luke Ridnour scored 15 points and handed the majority of his 14 assists off to Love, who scored more than the rest of the Timberwolves’ starting five combined.

Minnesota has dealt with a number of crushing injuries in the last few weeks, with Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic, J.J. Barea and now Michael Beasley all sitting out. Love has carried the load to the tune of 33.7 points and 15.5 rebounds over the last six games.

Love took over in the second half on Wednesday, scoring 12 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves took the lead. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the fourth, pushing the lead to 74-65. The Bobcats made a move to cut it to 74-71 but Love scored eight points during a 14-6 burst to put the game away.

Corey Maggette scored 22 points to lead the Bobcats, who have dropped five straight.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Charlotte shot 37 percent in the second half. … Minnesota F Anthony Tolliver recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. … After hosting Boston on Friday, the Timberwolves get five straight non-playoffs teams to try to get back into the race.