Hawks-Timberwolves Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Jan 08 2013 5:46PM

Losing Kevin Love to injury leaves a huge hole in the Minnesota Timberwolves' lineup, but coach Rick Adelman can't afford for his team to wait for the All-Star forward to return.

Now, it's uncertain when Adelman will be back.

Though Adelman won't be with the team Tuesday night, point guard Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic will be available as the host Timberwolves try to end an 11-game losing streak to the Atlanta Hawks.

A statement released by the team Tuesday said Adelman was not with Minnesota (15-14) for this game due to personal reasons. It's uncertain if Adelman, who also missed practice Monday, would accompany the team for the start of its road trip Wednesday at Oklahoma City.

Love missed the first three weeks of the season with a broken right hand, and re-fractured that hand in Thursday's 101-97 victory at Denver. Love, averaging 18.3 points and 14.0 rebounds, will visit a hand specialist in New York City this week to learn if he'll need surgery.

"The league doesn't stop for you, there's nobody coming over the mountain for us, it's who we've got right now," Adelman said after Saturday's 102-97 home loss to Portland. "And that's what we have to do, and everybody has to step up."

Without Love, Pekovic - along with Dante Cunningham and Derrick Williams - becomes an even more critical part to the Timberwolves' inside game. It was unclear if the third-year center, averaging career highs with 15.9 points and 8.3 boards, would play this game after missing Monday's practice due to a hip strain suffered Saturday.

However, the team said Tuesday that Pekovic will be able to play, as will Rubio after missing the past four games. The Spanish playmaker has been battling back spasms that Adelman said could be the result of overcompensating for a knee injury that caused Rubio to miss the first 20 games this season and the final 25 of 2011-12.

The Timberwolves, who open a four-game trip on Wednesday against Oklahoma City, will try to build some momentum for that stretch with their first victory over Atlanta since an 84-83 home win on April 9, 2006.

While the Hawks (20-12) have won five in a row at Minnesota since that defeat, coach Larry Drew isn't feeling confident about his team's play after it was outscored 33-9 in the third quarter of Saturday's 89-81 loss to Boston.

Atlanta led by as many as 19 in the second period before suffering its third setback in four games.

"When you play against teams that do smack you, you have to respond. It's just the way it is. Everybody has to do it. Every team is the league has to do it," said Drew, whose team rallied from an 18-point third-quarter deficit to defeat visiting Minnesota 93-91 on Jan. 14. "And when you don't do it, you get labeled, you get a tag on you. And that's the last thing I want to happen to my ball club."

The possible return of Anthony Morrow (strained right hip) and Devin Harris (sore left foot) from injury could help Drew's club. Morrow, who has missed the last five games, and Harris, who has been sidelined for the last 10, will travel with the team as it also plays Cleveland on Wednesday night.

Pekovic powers Wolves over slumping Hawks, 108-103

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Posted Jan 09 2013 12:40AM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Nikola Pekovic is bulldozing the paint and Ricky Rubio is ready to start ramping up his minutes, giving the Minnesota Timberwolves hope that they can withstand another long stretch without All-Star forward Kevin Love.

Larry Drew's Atlanta Hawks have hit the skids after a superb start to the season, prompting the coach to label them "soft," which never sits very well with professional athletes.

Pekovic had 25 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko added 21 points and the Timberwolves beat the Hawks 108-103 on Tuesday night.

Derrick Williams scored 17 points and Alexey Shved had 15 for the Timberwolves, who were missing coach Rick Adelman due to personal reasons and will be without Love for the foreseeable future while he deals with a broken right hand for the second time this season. Terry Porter filled in as coach and led the Wolves to their first victory over Atlanta since 2006, snapping an 11-game skid.

"We were really motivated," said Pekovic, who has eight double-doubles in his last 13 games. "I think everybody was motivated with all that's happening with all our players. I think everybody wants to step up and show more."

Josh Smith had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Al Horford had 19 points and 11 boards for the Hawks, who have lost three straight and four of their last five. They lost for the first time this year when Smith and Horford each get a double-double.

"There's some guys in there that are going to have to be held accountable," Drew said. "As we move forward, if this doesn't change, there's going to have to be some changes. That's plain and simple. I'm not going to sit back and watch our guys come out and not be energized to play. That's totally unacceptable."

Rubio had eight assists, four steals and four points in 18 minutes in his first game back after missing the previous four with back spasms. He returned from a torn left ACL in the middle of last month and has had to deal with groin and back problems during his comeback. But he said he's eager to see how his body responds on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City when he plays in games on consecutive days for the first time since his knee injury.

"I think it's going to be a good test," Rubio said.

Lou Williams finished with 21 points and eight assists for the Hawks, who trailed by 14 to start the fourth but had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds.

Dante Cunningham then stole the inbounds pass and Luke Ridnour knocked down two free throws to seal the win.

The Wolves have been the worst 3-point shooting team in the league virtually all season, but they hit 8 of 15 against the Hawks to get a big win before a four-game road trip.

While the Heat and Knicks grabbed all the headlines in the first two months of the season, the Hawks quietly put together a solid start that kept them right on their heels. They won 19 of their first 28 games, beating the likes of Oklahoma City, Indiana (twice), the Clippers and Memphis along the way. But they lost at Detroit and home against Boston in a back-to-back last weekend, scoring just nine points in the third quarter against the Celtics.

"We waited way too long to start playing," Drew said. "The first half we were soft, soft. We did not guard very well. I thought physically they did just about anything they wanted to."

The Hawks had a team meeting after being blitzed by the Celtics in the second half, and Smith bristled at being called soft.

"I'm not rolling with the soft part," Smith said. "We didn't come out with the energy. Soft is not how we play."

NOTES: Porter interviewed for an assistant position on Drew's staff when he was hired in Atlanta. How'd that go? "I didn't get it," Porter said with a chuckle. ... The Timberwolves played host to 16-year-old Cody Metz as part of the Make-A-Wish program. Metz is a devoted fan who has suffered from numerous complications following surgery on a brain tumor five years ago. Metz watched the game from a suite and planned to accompany the team on a road trip to Oklahoma City. "This definitely gives me something to look forward to," Metz said. "I'm really excited."

Notebook: Timberwolves 108, Hawks 103

Phil Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:21 AM - Updated Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:21 AM

THE FACTS: Four Timberwolves starters scored in double figures Tuesday night, but it was the fifth starter, Dante Cunningham, who made the critical plays that helped the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Atlanta Hawks for the first time since 2006, 108-103 in Target Center. Cunningham nailed a 20-foot jumper to give the Wolves, who had lost 11 straight games to Atlanta, a three-point lead with 15.9 seconds to play, then stole the ensuing inbounds pass to kill the Hawks' hopes of a rally. Nikola Pekovic scored 25 points and added a career-high 18 rebounds to lead the Wolves, who improved to 8-0 when scoring 100 points or more this year, while Andrei Kirilenko added 21 points, six rebounds, and the 2,000th assist of his career. Josh Smith and Lou Williams led Atlanta, which fell behind by 17 in the first half and never quite caught up, with 21 points apiece, while Al Horford added 19 points.

QUOTABLE: "The first half, we were soft. Soft. ... We cannot wait for a half before we start playing. There's some guys in there that are going to have to be held accountable. If this doesn't change, there's going to have to be some changes, that's plain and simple. I'm not going to sit back and watch our guys come out and not be energized to play. That's totally unacceptable."
-- Hawks coach Larry Drew, after Minnesota built a 17-point first-half lead

THE STAT: 0 -- Field goals attempted by Wolves guard Ricky Rubio, who demonstrated he could have a decisive effect on a game despite not looking for his shot. With eight assists, four steals and 4-of-6 free throws, Rubio finished with a plus/minus of +10, highest of any player in the game.

TURNING POINT: Atlanta rode a 14-4 run over three minutes to pull within a point, 104-103, with 36 seconds to play when the Wolves ran their offense looking for a high-percentage shot. Guard Alexey Shved drove toward the basket as the shot clock clicked under 10, but found two Hawks in his way, so he swung a pass outside to Cunningham, standing 20 feet from the basket. Cunningham didn't hesitate, nailing a long jumper to put the Wolves back up by three -- and after a timeout, he stepped in front of Hawks forward Josh Smith to intercept Atlanta's inbounds pass, clinching Minnesota's victory.

QUOTABLE II: "Trust me, I've lost games for Rick before. It was harder then."

-- Wolves assistant coach Terry Porter, who filled in for coach Rick Adelman on Tuesday, when asked whether it would have been difficult to face Adelman had Minnesota's big lead slip away. Porter was a point guard for Adelman's Portland teams from 1989-94.

HOT: Pekovic had been hobbled in Minnesota's last two games by a sore left hip, but the injury has apparently healed. Pekovic countered Atlanta's big frontcourt almost by himself with a dominating performance, scoring 25 points on nothing but layups, and grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds.

NOT: Atlanta guard Jeff Teague may be showing signs of overuse in the absence of injured point guard Devin Harris. The fourth-year guard played 22 minutes without an assist or steal on Tuesday, was just 2-for-6 from the field, and committed five fouls. Teague is 17-for-54 (.315) from the field over his last five games.

GOOD MOVE: With 15.9 seconds remaining in the game and Minnesota leading by three, Cunningham circled around a backscreen along the baseline, came up behind Hawks forward Josh Smith, and prepared to stop, planting himself between Smith and the basket as Horford inbounded the ball. But he suddenly changed his mind. "Normally, I just get in defensive position," Cunningham said. "But I saw (the inbounds pass) kind of floating there, so I jumped for it." Cunningham intercepted the pass, ending Atlanta's hopes of a rally.

BAD MOVE: The Hawks held a team meeting on Sunday, a day after being humiliated in the second half by Boston, and vowed to refocus themselves against Minnesota. Instead, Atlanta came out with a lackluster first quarter, making only 7-of-19 shots and being outrebounded 16-9, as the Hawks fell behind by 10 points.

ROOKIE WATCH: With Kevin Love sidelined for several weeks, Alexey Shved is gaining the confidence necessary to step forward and take a larger role in the Wolves' offense. The rookie from Russia continually drove the lane or spotted up for open 3-pointers Tuesday, finishing with 15 points, seven assists and two steals.

NOTABLE: Kirilenko threaded a pass through the lane to Cunningham for a dunk just two minutes into the game, giving Kirikenko 2,000 assists during his 10-year NBA career. He added four more assists during the game. ... Minnesota played without head coach Rick Adelman, who is away from the team for undisclosed "personal reasons." Terry Porter, who last served as head coach with Phoenix in 2009, handled the team in Adelman's absence; Porter said he did not know if Adelman will rejoin the team in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. ... Love will miss "a number of weeks" with a new fracture in his right hand, Minnesota general manager David Kahn said, and the All-Star forward hopes to learn how many weeks he'll be sidelined on Wednesday. Love will fly to New York in the morning to meet with hand specialist Dr. Andy Weiland, who will examine the fifth-year forward's fractured bone and determine whether surgery will be necessary to help his shooting hand heal. Surgery or not, the Wolves hope to set a course of treatment for Love after the consultation. ... Forward Lazar Hayward, cut by the Wolves over the weekend to avoid having his contract becoming guaranteed, cleared waivers Tuesday afternoon and immediately signed a 10-day contract with the team. He dressed but did not play Tuesday. ... Atlanta guard Anthony Morrow's right hip is improving, but he experienced a stiff back on Tuesday and sat out for a sixth straight game. The Hawks were also without point guard Devin Harris, who has now sat out 11 games with a sore left foot, though coach Larry Drew said Harris could return Wednesday at Cleveland.

UP NEXT: For the Hawks, Wednesday @ Cleveland, Friday vs. Utah, Saturday @ Washington. For the Timberwolves, Wednesday @ Oklahoma City, Friday @ New Orleans, Sunday @ San Antonio.

• Hawks: Petro
• Timberwolves: Budinger, Roy

• Hawks: --
• Timberwolves: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #36 David Jones, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #72 JT Orr
• Attendance: 15988
• Duration: 2:11