Lakers at Timberwolves
Only the Sacramento Kings are keeping the Los Angeles Lakers from the basement in the Western Conference after a terrible month of January. The Lakers will attempt to get off to a better start in February when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. The Timberwolves are going through their own rough patch with back-to-back losses but All-Star forward Kevin Love is doing his best to drag the team to the win column.
Love scored 21 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter of a 120-113 loss at Atlanta on Saturday after putting up 28 points and 16 rebounds in a 94-90 loss to Memphis the previous night. He went for 25 points and 13 boards in a 104-91 loss to the Lakers on Dec. 20 - a victory that evened Los Angeles’ record at 13-13. The Lakers never managed to get over the even mark and have dropped 18 of 21 games since that triumph over the Timberwolves, including the last six in a row.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (23-24): Love is doing a lot of the damage by himself with Nikola Pekovic (ankle bursitis) out of the lineup and Kevin Martin struggling with his shot. Minnesota won two straight to climb above .500 but Pekovic’s absence in the last three games took its toll on the offense and the defense. Love’s fourth-quarter outburst on Saturday could not cover the 72 second-half points the Timberwolves surrendered. “(Giving up) 72 points (in a half) is not going to do it,” coach Rick Adelman told reporters. “The first five minutes set the tone for the whole half.”
ABOUT THE LAKERS (16-31): Los Angeles’ defense has allowed over 100 points in 14 consecutive games and that took another hit when it was announced that center Pau Gasol would miss at least a week with a groin strain. Gasol joins the plethora of Lakers guards on the injury report, though it was encouraging that Steve Nash (back), Jordan Farmar (hamstring) and Steve Blake (elbow) all participated in practice on Thursday before sitting out Friday’s 110-100 home loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Surprisingly point guard has been on of the few bright spots due to the play of Kendall Marshall, who is putting up 10.5 points and 9.6 assists after being picked up in December.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Martin is shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 3-of-13 from 3-point range in the last four games.
2. Nash and Blake are the closest to coming back and could attempt to take the court on Tuesday.
3. Love is averaging 33.7 points and 16.3 rebounds in the last three games with Pekovic sidelined.