The Timberwolves once signed Kilpatrick in part because they were so short-handed they needed another player just to meet NBA rules of having eight in unif

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Cam Newton threw for 162 yards and led scoring drives on two of his four series Saturday and the Carolina Panthers defeated the Tennessee Titans 26-16 in a preseason game.The game was delayed about 30 minutes because of lightning late in the third quarter.Newton went 8 of 12 before leaving midway through the second quarter. He opened the game by leading a 93-yard drive that included a 61-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr.Ginn caught Newtons pass about 10 yards downfield. Antwon Blake missed a tackle as soon as the catch was made, then the 31-year-old Ginn outraced the other Titans to the end zone.Hes probably one of the fastest guys in the NFL, Newton said. Thats not a reach. He is. Of course they will (mention) his age, but this is what I say. .... I feel as if when Ted comes to Carolina, this is only team that probably used him in the receiver position the way he wants to and is supposed to.I think so much of his career hes been labeled a return specialist, and in the return game, you may have one or maybe two opportunities to prove yourself, so that leaves a lot of tread on the tires for him.This was the second straight week the Titans have allowed an opponent to score a long touchdown on its opening series.We take pride in trying to make sure we make stops and put our offense in the best situation, Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey said.To put them behind like (that) to start the game was very unacceptable for us as a defense. We pride ourselves on trying to be the No. 1 defense in the league, and to be that we cant allow things like that to happen.That opening series also featured two completions to Kelvin Benjamin, who missed the 2015 season with a torn left anterior cruciate ligament after a big rookie year. Benjamin caught a 16-yard pass on the games first play from scrimmage and had a 13-yard reception on a third-and-7.Newton also led a 49-yard drive that ended with Graham Ganos 41-yard field goal.Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota directed three series and went 9 of 10 for 104 yards with one touchdown and an interception. On his final pass, Mariota rolled right and found Harry Douglas in the right corner of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown.Mariota is 14 of 15 through two preseason games.POSITION BATTLESPanthers: Carolinas listed first-team cornerbacks on the depth chart were rookies James Bradberry and Daryl Worley, but two other cornerbacks (Bene Benwikere and Zack Sanchez) intercepted passes Saturday. Benwikere started Saturdays game at nickel. The Panthers are retooling the cornerback position after All-Pro Josh Norman signed with the Washington Redskins and Charles Tillman retired.Titans: Wide receiver Tajae Sharpe strengthened his bid for a starting spot, as the fifth-round pick from Massachusetts had six catches for 68 yards while Mariota was in the game. He made some bigger catches today, some big catches we havent had here in a while, Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. The Titans shook up their receiving group Tuesday by trading 2015 second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham to the Philadelphia Eagles for offensive lineman Dennis Kelly.INJURY UPDATESPanthers: Tight end Greg Olsen didnt play because of back spasms. Tight end Ed Dickson also didnt play. ... Safety Travell Dixon injured his chest in the first quarter. ... Safety Trenton Robinson injured his shoulder in the first half. ... Wide receiver LaRon Byrd was being evaluated for a concussion in the second half.Titans: Cornerbacks Jason McCourty (hip flexor) and Perrish Cox (ankle), wide receiver Kendall Wright (hamstring), and outside linebackers Kevin Dodd (foot) and Aaron Wallace (ankle) didnt play.ROOKIE WATCHPanthers: The playing time earned by Bradberry, Worley and Sanchez suggests all three will have featured roles at cornerback this season. Bradberry is a second-round pick from Samford, Worley a third-rounder from West Virginia and Sanchez a fifth-round selection from Oklahoma. ... Jalen Simmons, a free agent from South Carolina State, caught a 6-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.Titans: Derrick Henry, a second-round selection from Alabama, had five carries for 31 yards. ... Third-round draft pick Kevin Byard of Middle Tennessee fumbled a punt return, though the Titans recovered. ... Alex Ellis, a free agent from Tennessee, had a 9-yard touchdown catch with 1:55 left.QUOTABLEPanthers: I think we started pretty fast, and thats what you want to do -- start fast and finish fast, too, Newton said.Titans: Weve got to do something about the first drive, Mularkey said. Its two weeks in a row. Its more than two weeks. Its (happened to us) in the past as well.---Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap Vapormax Plus . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Vapormax Mens Clearance . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/cheap-vapormax-95-clearance.html . 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The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer.NEW YORK -- No matter how much Tom Thibodeau screamed, his Minnesota Timberwolves clearly arent hearing his message about defense.Kenny Atkinson sure liked what he saw from his offense.Brook Lopez scored 26 points, and the Brooklyn Nets kept the Timberwolves winless on the road with a 119-110 victory Tuesday night.The Nets shot 55.3 percent from the field and had eight players with at least nine points, the kind of movement and involvement that Atkinson wanted to bring to Brooklyn from his time as an Atlanta assistant.Were sharing the wealth a little more and in the perfect Utopian motion system, thats what it should look like, where its really everybodys touching it, Atkinson said.It led to a surprisingly easy offensive performance against a young Wolves team that clearly hasnt yet grasped Thibodeaus defensive schemes.Thibodeau, whose teams in Chicago were among the NBAs strongest defensively, said 110 points is more than enough to win.Unless we correct the defensive end, its going to be a struggle, he said. That has to become a priority by everyone, otherwise nothing positive is going to happen.Trevor Booker added 15 points and Sean Kilpatrick had 14 for the Nets.Andrew Wiggins scored a career-high 36 points for the Wolves, making a career-best six 3-pointers. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, but scoring wasnt the problem for Minnesota.The Wolves are 0-4 on the road and just 1-5 overall.We keep hearing were young, thats why were playing the way we play, Towns said. Thats not the reason. Were just not executing.It was close most of the way, neither team having much luck stopping the other, and the Nets lead was just two after Wiggins jumper with 56 seconds left. Bojan Bogdanovic then made a 3-pointer with 37 seconds to go for a 115-110 lead, and Isaiah Whitehead and Bogdanovic closed it out with free throws.Without injured point guards Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) and Greivis Vasquez (sore right ankle), the Nets got a scare in the first quarter when starter Whiteheadd had to leave the game after he fell onto the court and Gorgui Dieng accidentally stepped on his face.ddddddddddddBut the second-round draft pick from Brooklyn was able to return shortly after and had six points, seven rebounds and seven assists.Thats the toughness we need and thats the definition of Brooklyn grit right there, Lopez said.The Nets shot 62 percent in the first half and led 66-65 despite 19 points from Towns.TIP-INSTimberwolves: The Timberwolves lost for just the fifth time in the last 15 meetings. ... Wiggins previous career-bests were 35 points and four 3-pointers.Nets: Randy Foye made his Nets debut after beginning the season with a strained right hamstring, scoring three points. ... Bogdanovic and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson each had 13 points.EAST MEETS WESTThe Nets were playing their first Western Conference opponent in their seventh game, the longest they had gone into a season since moving to Brooklyn in 2012. The Wolves were playing their first East team.SKILLED KILPATRICKThe Timberwolves once signed Kilpatrick in part because they were so short-handed they needed another player just to meet NBA rules of having eight in uniform, and he was playing in the NBA Development League close enough to arrive on time. Now he entered the game as the NBAs highest-scoring reserve with 17 points per game.Hes still the guy that would get in a car and go to any game at any place, Atkinson said. That guy, hes just a competitor. Hes grinded through some tough times to get where he is and then he just keeps blossoming and were giving him a lot of responsibility and hes answering the bell.UP NEXTTimberwolves: Visit Magic on Wednesday to complete three-game trip. The Wolves have lost eight straight in Orlando.Nets: Visit Knicks on Wednesday, the first matchup this season between New Yorks teams. Its a short journey for the opener of a five-game trip. ' ' '