Timberwolves-Magic Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 12 2012 3:00PM

All eyes were on the perimeter in the Minnesota Timberwolves' last game, but the focus will turn to the paint when they take the court in Orlando.

In a matchup of the league's top rebounders, Dwight Howard's Magic look to send Kevin Love and the Timberwolves to a fourth straight defeat Monday night.

The physical Howard is one of the league's most intimidating big men and is coveted by several teams as the six-time All-Star pursues a trade from Orlando (17-11). He is the three-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year and had won three straight rebounding titles until Love supplanted him last season.

Love, selected to his second All-Star game on Thursday, had a league-high 15.2 rebounds per game last season - 1.1 more than Howard. The Magic center seems eager to reclaim the title this season, averaging an NBA-best 15.5 per game, while Love ranks second with 13.9.

Orlando has won all six matchups against the Timberwolves since Love entered the league. The big men finished with very similar stat lines in the 2010-11 contests, as Howard combined for 34 points and 25 rebounds while Love totaled 33 points and 24 boards.

Love has become more of a scoring threat this season, ranking fourth in the league at 25.6 points per game to help Minnesota (13-15) emerge as a playoff contender. He is coming off his league-leading 24th double-double - two more than Howard - after finishing with 32 points and 21 rebounds Saturday against New York, but the Timberwolves blew a late seven-point lead in a 100-98 loss, their third straight.

In a game featuring dynamic young point guards Jeremy Lin and Ricky Rubio, it was Lin who hit the tiebreaking free throw with 4.9 seconds left. That came after Rubio turned the ball over - one of his two in the last 26 seconds.

"I just made two huge mistakes," Rubio said of his only giveaways of the game. "I have to learn from that."

Rubio's mistakes weren't the only reasons Minnesota lost. The Timberwolves finished with 11 fourth-quarter points - their lowest total for any period this season - while missing 16 of 19 shots.

"We're used to executing down the stretch, getting stops and winning basketball games," said Love, who has recorded back-to-back 32-point games. "Obviously we're still a young team and we just need to continue to grow and grow as a unit."

While Minnesota coughed up a fourth-quarter lead, Orlando rallied from a 10-point deficit with less than five minutes to play in its 99-94 victory in Milwaukee on Saturday.

Jason Richardson ignited the comeback, hitting four 3-pointers in less than two minutes to cap a 16-0 run and put the Magic up 94-88. He scored 28 of his season-high 31 points in the second half and said his performance was motivated by a heckler seated behind Orlando's bench.

"People think that once you turn a certain age, you don't have it anymore. You don't have the certain style of play you used to play," said Richardson, who finished 9 for 11 from 3-point range. "I'm still young, so I had to show the guy I still had energy."

Richardson's phenomenal shooting display helped offset a subpar evening by Howard.

Howard, who averages 20.6 points, was hounded by Milwaukee's collapsing defense and missed 10 of 15 shots to finish with 11 points - tied for his third-lowest output of the season.

Richardson averaged 25.0 points in last season's wins against Minnesota.

Big 2nd half leads Magic past Timberwolves 102-89

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Posted Feb 13 2012 11:09PM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Mired in a season-high losing streak, their offense struggling and shooting guard Jason Richardson slowed by a bruised knee, the Orlando Magic coaching staff made a tactical decision late last month when they decided a little rest might do their 31-year-old starter some good.

It seems they were right.

Jason Richardson scored 17 points, and Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu each added 14 as the Orlando Magic used a big second half to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-89 on Monday night.

Richardson, coming off a season-high 31 points in the Magic's win at Milwaukee on Saturday, did all his damage in the first three quarters against Minnesota before sitting out the fourth. He said afterward he was not hurting, but simply deferred to teammate J.J. Redick.

Redick had seven points in the final period, and led all bench scorers with 14 of his own.

"J.J. had it going and they just let him play it out, and he did a great job and hit some shots," Richardson said. "He had it going, so I didn't mind sitting out the fourth quarter."

Richardson said the two games he sat out Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 have reenergized him unlike a previous three-game stretch he sat out in mid-January with a bone bruise on his knee.

He is averaging 18 points per game in his seven games since then, up from the 9.9 he was averaging for his latest respite. The Magic are 5-2 since his return.

"It feels good," he said. "I wasn't healthy when I came back from the first time. I still had the bone bruise, but the competitive side wanted me to be out there and play. That's just how I am, I hate sitting down. Once I got those two days off, I really got the rest I needed."

While Richardson has voiced repeatedly his willingness to be the person the Magic count on late in close games, they didn't need him down the stretch Monday, hitting 12 of 30 3-pointers for the game and with all five starters reaching double figures. They also had just nine turnovers - only three in the second half - which kept Minnesota from offering any real threat in the second half.

Orlando has now won two of its last three games and earned its seventh straight victory over the Timberwolves.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy still saw things that continue to concern him

"We're making 3-point shots, enough of them, but we're not making 2-point shots and it's a real struggle right now," he said. "But when you only turn it over nine times, it gives you a chance. Twenty assists and nine turnovers - that'll work."

Kevin Love led Minnesota with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Timberwolves turned it over 18 times, which led to 17 Magic points.

Minnesota lost its fourth straight game, with its next opportunity to stop the skid coming Wednesday when it hosts Charlotte.

"You've got to go out and play," coach Rick Adelman said. "They're not going to stop this season because we've lost four in a row. We've been in games, but we just haven't been able to put one away."

Magic center Dwight Howard picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter and could only watch as his team's 20-point third-quarter lead was cut to 90-82 with less than six minutes to play on a pair of free throws by Derrick Williams.

Orlando was able to bounce right back without their big man, though, thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers by Redick and Nelson.

Turkoglu then took a miss by J.J. Berea coast to coast on the next possession and swished a jumper from the wing that made it 98-82.

The Timberwolves never threatened the rest of the way.

"We just have to stay together and really have a sense of urgency to win," Love said. "We have to continue to build as a team and right now we're not doing that. Everybody, including myself needs to step up. Coach Adelman and the coaching staff can only do so much. It's really on us to break the barrier and have a breakthrough with this team."

Howard drew headlines Saturday after a comment following the Milwaukee win Saturday that alluded to a desire to want the ball more late in games. He continued to defend that stance Monday after a foul-riddled night in which he finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

It only adds more intrigue to the daily soap opera that has followed him since a preseason trade request that continues to be on the table with the All-Star break and the March 15 trade deadline looming.

"My point is I want to be the guy to carry the team," Howard said. "I don't think that's bad. That's something I want to be. I want to be the guy in the fourth quarter who carries the team. Not just score the ball, but make great plays."

He insists that the comment is not a knock on his current teammates, though, and that he's happy with their latest resurgence.

"You look at the Lakers, Kobe (Bryant) is that guy," he said. "Carmelo is that guy for the Knicks. And Jordan was that guy for the Bulls. And that's what I want to be. I want to be great. Great players want to take that lead. ... That's what I want to do for this team. That's it."

Notes: Timberwolves C Darko Milicic was active Monday after missing four straight games with a sprained right ankle. ... G Luke Ridnour sat out dealing with what coach Rick Adelman said was a family matter. ... Richardson's streak of six games with at least three 3-pointers was snapped.

Notebook: Magic 102, Timberwolves 89

Posted Monday February 13, 2012 10:57PM

By Dick Scanlon, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Jason Richardson led six Orlando players in double figures and the Magic led the Minnesota Timberwloves almost all the way in a 102-89 victory.

Kevin Love (19 points, 15 rebounds) and Nikola Pekovic (16 points, 13 rebounds) led the Timberwlves, who lost their fourth straight.

QUOTABLE: "We are not being as aggressive as we were. We expect things to come, and we have to fight for them. We're waiting for the last quarteer; we have to punch first."
-- Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio.

THE STAT: J.J. Redick made both of his free throws for the Magic, stretching his streak to 33 and raising his league-leading percentage to .959, which would rank second all-time if the season ended today.

TURNING POINT: The Timberwolves had trimmed a 20-point down to eight in the middle of the fourth quarter when Redick and Jameer Nelson hit back-to-to-back 3-pointers.

HOT: After missing big shots toward the end of both Magic overtime losses last week, Richardson has led the Magic in scoring in two straight games.

QUOTABLE II: "I know that I missed two shots and that cost my teammates, but I'm going to continue to be ready when my number's called toward the end of the game. I'll continue to take those shots and I'm not afraid to fail."
-- Magic guard Jason Richardson.

NOT: Slumping Glen "Big Baby" Davis shot 1-for-10 and was greeted by boos from the hometown fans.

QUOTABLE III: "I'm not usually the most empathetic guy in the world, as I'm told often by my family. But in this case, the guy deserves to have people back off him a little bit and give him a break right now."
-- Magic coach Stan Van Gundy

ROOKIE WATCH: Rubio had 11 points and a game-high eight assists, and Derrick Williams came off the Wolves' bench for five points and six rebounds in 20 minutes.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Magic center Dwight Howard had 11 points and seven rebounds in 28 foul-plagued minutes, marking only the fifth time this season he has failed to collect 10 rebounds in a game.

NOTABLE: Luke Ridnour, who started 27 of Minnesota's first 28 games, left the team Monday for family reasons. ...The Magic have won seven straight against Minnesota. ... The Wolves' Darko Milicic returned from an ankle injusry, playing four scoreless minutes with three fouls. ... After the first quarter, Minnesota had eight assists and 16 turnovers.

NEXT UP: For the Timberwolves, Wednesday vs. Charlotte, Friday @ Houston, Sunday vs. Philadelphia. For the Magic, Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, Friday vs. Milwaukee, Sunday @ Miami.

• Timberwolves: Lee, Ridnour
• Magic: Liggins, Orton

• Timberwolves: --
• Magic: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #78 Scott Bolnick, #36 David Jones
• Attendance: 18846
• Duration: 2:02