Timberwolves try for rare win over Hawks
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The Minnesota Timberwolves will carry on without All-Star power forward Kevin Love on Tuesday night when they host the Atlanta Hawks at the Target Center.
Love re-broke the third metacarpal in his right hand against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. He will out an extended period of time after missing a chunk of the beginning of the season with the same injury.
Love will consult with a hand specialist in New York, but he will be gone for several weeks.
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"We don't have anything definitive yet. He'll still confer with the doctor in New York, but we don't have a game plan," said Wolves General Manager David Kahn.
In the first full game without Love, the T-Wolves fell, at home, to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, 102-97. Not only was Love on the sidelines, but Ricky Rubio missed his fourth straight game with back spasms.
Rubio practiced on Monday, but his return Tuesday night is questionable.
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"I feel good, a little tired," Rubio said after practice Monday. "A week without practicing, but I don't have pain in the back or pain in the knee. So I feel good."
Six Wolves scored in double-digits against the Blazers, led by Nikola Pekovic. He had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Dante Cunningham, who started in Love's place, also registered a double-double.
There was a Derrick Williams sighting Saturday. The second pick in the 2011 NBA Draft netted 18 points in just under 18 minutes.
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Times will remain tough for the Wolves. The Hawks have won 11 straight against Minnesota, but are coming in to Tuesday night's contest on the ropes a bit.
The Hawks have lost two in a row and three of their last four.
Their most recent setback came at home on Saturday night to the Boston Celtics, 89-81. The Hawks shot 41 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the 3-point line. Atlanta was sloppy with the ball, turning it over 21 times.
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The poor play prompted a team meeting on Monday.
"I didn't feel good going into the meeting, particularly because we lost the game, but after the meeting I felt so, so much better than I did after the game," said head coach Larry Drew. "It was a very productive meeting. We were able to talk about some things."
Including Tuesday, the Hawks play five of their next seven on the road.
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The Hawks haven't lost to the Timberwolves since Apr. 9, 2006.