Both JJ Barea and Kevin Love chalked up the small confrontation on the bench to frustration from another tough loss for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Per the Star Tribune: “Barea stepped toward Love while the two exchanged words and Love rose from his seat on the bench until Luke Ridnour ushered Barea away and Martell Webster did the same with Love. By then, the Wolves’ third consecutive loss was all but assured, six days after they began this seven-game, 13-day road trip with a victory at Phoenix. […] ‘Part of the game, competitors trying to win,’ Barea said. ‘We’re frustrated that we’re losing, but it happens, every basketball team. We just got into it. It’s all right. He said something I didn’t like, I said it back and we’re all good. Nothing against him.’ Barea shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the locker room toward the waiting team bus bound for Monday night’s game at Golden State while Love sat in full uniform, his feet in a bucket of ice, and stared dejectedly down after addressing media members. ‘It’s nothing personal with J.J.,’ Love said. ‘I think we’re both frustrated and we took it out on each other when we should have taken it out on the other team. That was both of our mistake, both of our bad.'”
