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CHARLOTTE, N. Air Force 1 Scontate Uomo .C. - Its been a long time since Al Jefferson has come off the bench in an NBA game.The big man didnt seem to mind Monday, however.Jefferson returned from a groin injury, scoring eight points and pulling down five rebounds as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-80. Its the first time since Dec. 4, 2006 — a span of 544 games — that Jefferson didnt start in a game in which he played.Before I started starting all of the time, coming off the bench was fun because you get a chance to see how game was going and because youre playing against the backup centre instead of the starting centre, said Jefferson, who played 25 minutes after missing nine games. So I looked at it like that. It was fun.Gerald Henderson scored 17 points and Brian Roberts added 16 for the Hornets, who have won seven of their last eight games.In all, Charlottes bench outscored Minnesota 52-31, including 28-3 in the pivotal first half. Reserves Gary Neal had 12 points and P.J. Hairston had 11 for Charlotte.Thaddeus Young had 18 points to lead Minnesota, which failed in its quest to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Andrew Wiggins, the top pick in the NBA draft last year, had 12 points on 3 of 13 shooting and was limited to two rebounds for the Timberwolves (7-33).The 6-foot-10, 289-pound Jefferson said he felt great physically, although he did get a little winded late in the second half.He struggled early, missing a couple of easy shots from the low post before starting to regain his old form.The 2014 third-team all-NBA selection used a spin move in the low post and made a teardrop shot to get back on track in the second quarter. In the third, he scored off a pick-and-roll with Lance Stephenson, and in the fourth knocked down a step-back 18-foot jumper.Jefferson said that, in hindsight, sitting out nine games was the right thing to do.There were games where I couldnt jump and I felt like I was hurting my teammates instead of helping them, said Jefferson, who finished 4 of 11 from the field.Hornets coach Steve Clifford said before the game he expected Jefferson to play about 15 minutes. And when Stephenson returned from a pelvic strain, he saw 26 minutes in his third game back.The only way those two guys are going to get in any kind of game condition is if they get to play, Clifford said. That was a perfect opportunity to let them go a little longer.The Hornets jumped out to a 50-33 halftime lead, and the Timberwolves never mounted a challenge after being outscored 27-13 in the second quarter. Charlotte stretched the lead to 30 by the end of the third quarter.They mauled us, really, Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said. Theyre a very good defensive team. We did not react the right way to their physicality.TIP-INSTimberwolves: Wiggins has scored in double figures in 14 straight games. ... The Timberwolves went 2-2 on their current road trip.Hornets: Charlotte went 12 of 22 from 3-point range after making just 2 of 15 attempts Saturday against Indiana.GETTING DEFENSIVECharlotte has forced 37 turnovers and held opponents to a combined 151 points in the last two games.Our defence was really good and we moved the ball, Clifford said.UP NEXTTimberwolves: Host Dallas on Wednesday.Hornets: Host Miami on Wednesday. Air Force 1 Alte Just Do It . -- Jimmie Johnson has a sixth NASCAR championship in hand and two legends within reach. Air Force 1 Sp . James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win. http://www.airforce1outletitalia.it/scontate-sf-air-force-1-mid-desert-ochre.html . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie.MELBOURNE, Australia - The injuries mounted at the Australian Open on Tuesday, although for the most part, players coped with the oppressive heat. No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. Despite temperatures reaching 42 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) during the afternoon and a hot breeze gusting over Melbourne Park for most of the day, none of the withdrawals were apparently linked to the temperatures. Isner retired from his match against Slovakias Martin Klizan with a lingering ankle injury that he said got progressively worse at the Hopman Cup event in Perth and a tournament he won in Auckland, New Zealand, over the past two weeks. "I know movement is not the best part of my game," the 2.08-meter (6-foot-10) American said, "but at a certain point Ive got to be able to move without pain and I wasnt able to do that today." He withdrew before last years Australian Open with an injury, as well. "I thought I had a good shot at playing this match and winning this match and I pulled out," he said. "I could have done the same last year, but I went home." The other seeded player in his section of the draw, Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, withdrew before his scheduled first-round match agaainst Slovenian Aljaz Bedene with a left hamstring injury. Air Force 1 Alte Qs. He was replaced in the draw by Frenchman Stephane Robert, a lucky loser from qualifying, who defeated Bedene to reach the second round. Hometown favourite Bernard Tomic later retired with a left leg injury after losing the first set against top-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-4, much to the astonishment of the Rod Laver Arena crowd, who initially booed him. "It was very difficult for me to say sorry to the crowd," he said. "I dont think they quite knew what was wrong with me." Tomic suffered the injury in training on Monday. Czech veteran Radek Stepanek also retired from his match against Slovenian Blaz Kavcic with a neck injury while leading 7-6 (3), 6-4, 1-6, 0-2 after nearly three hours of play. A few other players struggled in the heat on Tuesday, but finished their matches. Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic said he blacked out during his 7-6 (12), 6-3, 6-4 loss to No. 27-seeded Benoit Paire of France. Dancevic, who required medical attention during the second set, questioned the wisdom of not suspending matches during the torridly hot conditions. "I dont think its fair to anybody, to the players, to the fans, to the sport when you see players pulling out of matches and passing out," he said. "I think its definitely hazardous to be out there. Its dangerous." ' ' '