(SportsNetwork.com) - Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets will continue their stretch of road games Monday against Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.
Monday's game features two of the more talented big men in the NBA with Howard and Love. Howard is posting an average of 21.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in his last 13 games, and has 10 double-doubles over that stretch.
Love, meanwhile, has missed two of the last three games because of injury and hopes to get back on the floor Monday. Love is averaging 25.8 points and 14.1 rebounds in the past 12 games and is second in the NBA in rebounds (13.3). He is listed as questionable versus Houston.
The Rockets began a stretch of seven of eight games on the road with Saturday's 101-95 win at Milwaukee, as Howard led the charge with 27 points and 13 rebounds. James Harden added 22 points, Jeremy Lin 18 and Patrick Beverly scored 15 for the Rockets, who shot 48.8 percent for the game.
"Just glad we got that win. That was not our best game. We had a lot of possessions offensively where we didn't move the ball and defensively they kind of got what they wanted for a while," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale.
Houston has won five in a row, eight of 10 and 13 of its last 17 games, and improved to 13-10 away from Space City.
The Rockets will return home to face Washington on Wednesday before starting a five-game trek at the Lakers, Warriors, Suns, Kings and Clippers.
Minnesota opened a four-game homestand on a sour note, dropping a 117-110 decision Saturday to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Love missed the game because of a bruised quadriceps, while Corey Brewer picked up the scoring slack with 26 points. Ricky Rubio scored 25 points and handed out nine assists for the Timberwolves, losers in three straight and five of the last six games.
Chase Budinger chipped in 19 points and Dante Cunningham tallied 14 to go along with 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which fell to 14-10 at home and shot just 41.2 percent for the game. The T'Wolves were also without Nikola Pekovic (ankle) and Kevin Martin (thumb) due to injuries.
"It doesn't matter who's out, the next guy steps up," Minnesota head coach Rick Adelman said. "That's the way you have to approach it. You can't worry about who's not playing."
Martin is out indefinitely and is averaging 19.0 ppg this season. Pekovic is expected to miss some time and has posted 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds.
The Wolves will also host Denver and Indiana on the homestand and lost the first of four meetings with the Rockets on Nov. 23 in a 112-101 loss at the Toyota Center. Harden did not play in that game because of a sore foot.
Minnesota and Houston are slated to meet again on March 20 and April 11, while the Rockets have won 18 of the last 23 matchups between the teams. Houston has won nine of its last 11 trips to the Target Center.
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