MINNEAPOLIS -- New Minnesota Timberwolves brass Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden sat on the sideline through the first two days of free agency as the big money players flew off the market. They dipped their toes into the waters on Day 3 by making a value play for hometown boy Cole Aldrich.The Timberwolves agreed to a three-year, $22 million contract with Aldrich, a native of the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract cannot be signed until Thursday.Aldrich was a high school star in Bloomington before attending college at Kansas. He was the 11th overall pick in 2010 and has played for Oklahoma City, Houston, Sacramento, New York and the Clippers.The journeyman is coming off his best season as a pro, when he was a valuable defensive presence off the bench for the Clippers.He will slide into the big-man rotation in Minnesota with Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng.The Timberwolves were in search of a backup big man with Nikola Pekovics foot issues derailing his career and Kevin Garnetts future still up in the air.After other teams splurged on the likes of Bismack Biyombo, Ian Mahinmi and Timofey Mozgov, the Wolves went for a value play with Aldrich.The 7-foot Aldrich will give the Wolves some muscle, defense and rebounding, which is exactly what Thibodeau was looking for as he starts to install a culture built on defense and toughness in Minnesota.The Timberwolves also were in talks with Pau Gasol, but signing Aldrich as another big could have an affect on that prospect. Gasol was also talking to San Antonio, Portland and Toronto, among other suitors.The Wolves also started free agency looking for shooting and could still address that need, perhaps with a backup to shooting guard Zach LaVine, in the coming days. Pervis Atkins . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Charley Brock . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/nate-hawkins-jersey-for-sale/ . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. Charles Mann . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Jason Buck . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. SAN FRANCISCO -- Ronnie Boyce scored a career-high 28 points, Remu Raitanen made a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left, and San Francisco held on to beat Illinois-Chicago 82-80 on Friday night.Boyce was 11 of 19 from the field and made four 3-pointers. Nate Renfro had 12 points, and Chase Foster chipped in eight points and grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds.Dikembe Dixson had 15 points to lead UIC. Godwin Boahen and Tai Odiase added 12 points apiece.The Dons hadd a seven-point lead with about four minutes left.dddddddddddd UIC used a 13-6 run, capped by Dixsons 3-pointer, to tie it 80-80 with 56 seconds remaining. After Raitanens free throws, the Flames missed three shots on their next possession.Renfro missed a pair of free throws with four seconds left, and Boahen missed a layup at the buzzer. ' ' '