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The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a road loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Nikola Pekovic handled Dwight Howard better than anticipated, but it simply wasn't enough to get the Wolves a win.
Nikola Pekovic definitely isn't the best-known basketball player, but the Minnesota Timberwolves center has been working on changing that since being inserted into the starting lineup. Despite his rough demeanor, however, the Montenegran maintains that he's a pretty good dude.
In fact, according to a feature on Pekovic in Monday's Star Tribune, he's just a big teddy bear.
The Nikola Peković Show returns to televisions everywhere tonight when the Minnesota Timberwolves head to Orlando to play the Magic. Pekovic, who has been on an offensive tear his last six games, will face the stiffest test the NBA has to offer: a matchup with Orlando center Dwight Howard, who has already compiled 22 double-doubles this season.
The 26-year old center put up 21 points and 13 rebounds in Minnesota's last game, though another stellar Jeremy Lin effort overshadowed everything. If Pekovic can again post another solid effort against the greatest defensive big man of the generation, it'll go a long way to proving his production is sustainable.
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, FL.
Date and Time: Monday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.
TV: Locally: FS North. Nationally: NBA TV
For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.
So far as sports parables go, Darko Milicic might be the new Wally Pipp. Milicic has missed the last four games due to a bruised left quadricep and sprained right ankle, but the T-Wolves have only been better in his absence. Backup center Nikola Pekovic is on a tear.
Pekovic is averaging 17.3 points and 9.8 rebounds and shooting 67.6 percent from the floor the past six games. It's been enough to resign Darko to the fact that when he returns, he won't get his starting spot back.
From TwinCities.com:
"He deserves to play," Milicic said. "He's playing in a great rhythm right now. I'm happy for him."
Whether Darko is starting or coming off the bench, Minnesota could use him tonight versus Dwight Howard, who has 22 double-doubles already this season. Only the Timberwolves' Kevin Love, with 24, has more.
For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.
Last we saw the Minnesota Timberwolves, they were the latest victim of "Linsanity". As coach Rick Adelman's crew looks to snap a three-game losing streak tonight against the Orlando Magic, the T-Wolves will find themselves down a sturdy rotation player. Point guard Luke Ridnour is set to miss the game for personal reasons, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune:
Luke Ridnour is not with the team in Orlando for tonight's game vs Magic because of personal reasons
— Jerry Zgoda(@JerryZgoda) February 13, 2012
Ridnour is having another solid season for the T-Wolves, but he hasn't scored more than eight points in his last four games. With Ridnour out, star rookie Ricky Rubio will presumably be asked to carry a bigger load. For Minnesota fans, that could mean good things.
For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have fallen back down below .500, following up a three-game winning streak will three-straight losses. They've dropped games to the Knicks, Mavericks and Grizzlies, following a winning streak against the Kings, Rockets and Nets. They've fallen to 13-15 on the season but still sit with a 6-5 record as the visiting team. It's fortunate for them that their opponents haven't been the model of consistency this season, either.
Though the Orlando Magic have a good record on the season, it's more due to long winning streaks at the start of the season. The Magic lost four-straight games to close out January, but won three-straight to begin February. In their last four outings, they've exchanged wins and losses, including a 99-94 win over Milwaukee in their most recent outing. Both of their two recent losses have been in overtime, and both of them have been at home.
Kevin Love and Dwight Howard comprise the big story here (as they often do) as two of the league's top rebounders. Howard has won the defensive player of the year three times and would have won the rebounding title for the fourth-straight year last season if Love hadn't taken it home. Since Love came into the NBA, the Magic have beat the Timberwolves all six times they've played.
It should be interesting to see who gets the win here in regards to the individual player, because it will likely mean that player's team got the win. There's also the matter of Ricky Rubio, who will be looking to fix his mistakes he made in MInnesota's last outing, giving up tow turnovers in the final 30 seconds as the team lost the game following a tiebreaking free throw. The game is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBA TV.
For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.
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Timberwolves Vs. Magic: Minnesota Gets Shot Down In Orlando
The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to hang with the Orlando Magic off and on during Monday night's game on NBA TV, but Kevin Love and friends were never able to capitalize on the momentum shifts. That led to a road loss, unfortunately, as the Wolves dropped a 102-89 decision to Dwight Howard and Co. at the Amway Center.
Love led the Wolves with 19 points and 15 rebounds, five on the offensive end, but it wasn't enough as the Magic took care of the ball and played the game at the pace they wanted to play. Nikola Pekovic was a bright spot once again, however, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 boards while putting Dwight Howard in foul trouble early.
Howard was still a factor in limited minutes, however, as he grabbed seven rebounds and scored 11 points -- though the majority of his production came against Darko Milicic s opposed to Big Pek.
The Magic turned the ball over nine times compared to the Timberwolves 18 giveaways, but their three-point shooting was key as well. Four of their five starters hit at least two shots from beyond the arc while J.J. Redick had a pair, too -- one of which was a dagger late in the game, ending the Wolves last comeback attempt.
On the downside for Minnesota, J.J. Barea and Ricky Rubio combined to turn the ball over 12 times compared to compiling just nine assists. Michael Beasley couldn't get it going, either, as he shot just 2-of-8 from beyond the arc on his way to 13 points.
For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SB Nation's NBA page.
Feb 13 8:30p by Scott Schroeder