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It was early in the first quarter on Saturday night when a referee whistled Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio for a kicked-ball violation—an easily overlooked play in an otherwise meaningless game.

But this stoppage was historic in a strange way. It meant the Timberwolves had more kicked balls than any team since at least 2003. It also meant that Minnesota had likely set the NBA record for most kicked balls in a season.