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Minnesota will play at Portland on Saturday night.
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.
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.
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.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been hovering at, above and around .500 for the last week or two, but two straight losses -- including the Wolves' own travels into the annals of LINSANITY -- have launched them back down to 13-15. They will have four games in the upcoming week to boost themselves back up, fortunately including no back to backs.
The week starts on Monday for Minnesota as they head to Florida to face the Orlando Magic. The Magic at 17-11 are having a good season led of course by Dwight Howard, and the incessant trade rumors for Howard that were everywhere at the start of the season finally seem to have died down recently, giving the Magic more time to just focus on their basketball. Well, their basketball and of course their shoes.
Wednesday the Wolves go back home to meet the Charlotte Bobcats. The Cats are not having a good year and might just be the worst team in the NBA right now at 3-24. Putting up scoring numbers like 64 and 86 aren't helping their cause any, and they've been absolutely awful on the road.
The weekend brings a Friday tie against the Houston Rockets and a Sunday match against the Philadelphia 76ers, the first of a rare Sunday/Monday back to back.
Naturally, having Kevin Love back in the lineup full time is sure to help out after a two game suspension kept him out of the lineup for two recent games.
For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, head to Canis Hoopus.
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Timberwolves Schedule 2012: Minnesota Travels To Portland Saturday
As of Friday afternoon, the Minnesota Timberwolves stood a game and a half back of the Denver Nuggets for the final Western Conference playoff spot, with one team sandwiched in between the two of them: the Portland Trail Blazers.
Well, the 'Wolves will have a chance to hop over the Blazers in the standings when they travel to Portland for a Saturday night match-up. It won't be easy, of course, as Portland is a strong home team, and it's also happened to have won 16 straight games against Minnesota. Both teams have Friday night off, so fatigue shouldn't be an issue for either.
Speculation will also continue surrounding the future of Michael Beasley over the weekend, as the mercurial forward is seen by many as a potential trade target. Recent talk has surrounded around both Boston and New Jersey as potential landing spots for Beasley, who is viewed as expendable because of Minnesota's depth at the small and power forward spots. While it's unlikely he'll be moved this weekend, it's worth keeping an eye on his situation as the March 15th trade deadline approaches.
For all of the latest Timberwolves news and information, head on over to Canis Hoopus, and for all of the latest NBA information, head over to SB Nation's NBA home.
Mar 02 2:33p by Field Yates