Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love drives against Dallas Mavericks forward Brian Cardinal (L) during the first half of their NBA basketball game in the Target Center in Minneapolis, March 7, 2011. REUTERS

MINNEAPOLIS - With more than 15,000 fans standing and cheering, Kevin Love went to the free-throw line in the second quarter and knocked down the shot that gave him 10 points and 10 rebounds for the game.

The Timberwolves faithful, so desperate for anything positive in another dreary season, erupted. Minnesota's all-star forward, who has been asked endlessly about his double-double streak for the past month, exhaled.

Love recorded his 52nd double-double in a row to pass Moses Malone for the longest such streak since the ABA and NBA merged in 1976, and the Timberwolves beat the free-falling Indiana Pacers 101-75 on Wednesday night.

The remarkable consistency Love has shown has garnered him plenty of attention, but few victories. The Timberwolves (16-50) have lost more games than any team in the Western Conference and have won just 12 times since the streak began on Nov 22 against Oklahoma City.

There have been times when Love has felt that too much was being made out of an arbitrary achievement. But there is also no doubt he is proud about what he has been able to do in his third season in the league.

"In some ways I wish it would've ended. In some ways I'd like to keep it going," said Love, who finished with 16 points and 21 boards in three quarters of work on a sore left knee. "Maybe it'll die down a little bit and I can just go out there and do my job. Nothing's really changed about how I feel about the double-double streak or the situation. I just go out there and play hard."

It's been difficult to get a handle on what exactly Love has accomplished. It's certainly nowhere near the magic of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak or the gravitas of Brett Favre's 297 straight games started.

Is it even a record at all? Not really, because the NBA doesn't keep double-doubles as an official record and several players had longer streaks before the merger. Elvin Hayes had 55 in a row in 1973-74 and Wilt Chamberlain had at least 227 straight double-doubles at one point during his dominant career, though the exact number has been difficult for researchers to pin down.

Associated Press