Let's face it, Martell probably wouldn't have made the three-point shot anyway...

Minnesota Timberwolves (16-17) vs. Utah Jazz (15-16) at Target Center

Somehow, even though the Minnesota Timberwolves lost on Monday night to the Denver Nuggets, they managed to climb up the standings and are no longer in the basement of the Northwest division. Sitting in the 10th spot in the Western Conference, the Wolves are still having their best start in the last five seasons.

The Utah Jazz come into town having lost 9 of their last 12 games, including a 102-106 loss to San Antonio in Salt Lake City. Al Jefferson is 4-1 against his former team, including a January 21 home win against the Wolves in which Jefferson had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Kevin Love finished that game with only 15 points and 8 rebounds.

It is the final game before the NBA All-Star break and the Wolves are hoping for some momentum heading into the second half of the season.

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Are there any Wolves fans left who would rather have Wesley Johnson than Corey Brewer?

Minnesota Timberwolves (16-16) vs. Denver Nuggets (17-15) at Pepsi Center

Tonight in Denver, the Timberwolves are trying to win their fourth straight game, a feat the team has not accomplished since February 6th, 2010. After defeating the Philadelphia 76ers last night in Minneapolis, the Wolves have one more win than the entire '09-'10 campaign and are only one win shy of matching last season's win total.

Denver has lost three straight, including an overtime thriller to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. The Nuggets have won the last six contests against Minnesota, but they are dealing with injuries to some key players.

Including tonight's game, there are two remaining before the All-Star break, after which, the Wolves will have a four-game road trip out west to play the Clippers, Lakers, Suns and Blazers. A win tonight in Denver, and a win at home on Wednesday against the Jazz, would provide some great momentum.

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Despite taking major strides this season, the 76ers are still not in the same class as the Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls.

Minnesota Timberwolves (15-16) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (20-11) at Target Center

Tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves have yet another chance to get back to a .500 record. So far this season, the Wolves have played better on the road (7-6) than at home (8-10). The Sixers have won three straight meetings against the Wolves, during which Andre Iguodala is averaging 20.3 points, 8.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds.

In the Sixers last game against the Dallas Mavericks, they only scored 75 points on 33% shooting, with Jrue Holiday, Jodie Meeks and Andre Iguodala shooting a combined 2-of-21 from the floor.

The Wolves defeated the Rockets at Toyota Center thanks to two 30/10 performances - which had never happened before in team history - from Nikola Pekovic (30/12) and Kevin Love (33/17). Love had his seventh straight double-double and has a league-leading 27 this season.

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Do we have to play the Houston Rockets again?

Minnesota Timberwolves (14-16) vs. Houston Rockets (17-13) at Toyota Center

Luis Scola foot stomp.

Kevin McHale.

Jonny Flynn.

Kyle Lowry > Ricky Rubio?

Kevin Martin kills the Wolves. Maybe they'll trade him to us instead?

Hasheem Thabeet...what's up with that guy?

There. Those are the most exciting storylines for tonight's game. I'm tired of writing about the Houston Rockets. This is the fourth game between the two teams in the last 25 days. At least the Wolves have won the last two...

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Be warned: The Target Center may not be able to contain Pek and Biyombo at the same time.

Minnesota Timberwolves (13-16) vs. Charlotte Bobcats (3-25) at Target Center

The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost four games in a row and desperately need a win to get some positive momentum before a tough stretch.

Enter the Charlotte Bobcats.

Losers of fifteen in a row, the Bobcats have not won a game in over a month (Jan 14 against Golden State). They have only won one game on the road this season: an overtime victory in Madison Square Garden in which Jeremy Lin was a DNP The Bobcats have the worst average scoring margin in the league, -14.43, which is more than 6 points worse than the 29th-place Pistons (-8.37).

D.J. Augustin is back for the Bobcats, Gerald Henderson is still out, but let it be know: If the Wolves lose tonight, it might be time to sound the alarms and batten down the hatches. By the way, can someone please find a way to get Nikola Pekovic some shots in the 4th quarter? Anybody? Bueller?

(FYI: The participants for this year's three-point shootout will be Kevin Love, James Jones, Mario Chalmers, Ryan Anderson, Anthony Morrow and Joe Johnson)

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It's a good thing the new CBA prevents NBA stars from holding their teams hostage. Orlando fans and Dwight Howard's Magic teammates must feel so relieved.

Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15) vs. Orlando Magic (17-11) at Amway Center

Superstars forcing trades is nothing new.

In 2004-05, Vince Carter wanted to be traded away from the Toronto Raptors. In order to "assist" in this effort, Carter famously began quitting on the Raptors. If you look at the stats, this quitting bears out on the numbers. He took five fewer shot attempts per game (with a scoring average of 7 points fewer); his rebounding average went from 4.8 to 3.3; his defensive rating went from 102 to 109; and his WS/48 went from .103 to .068.

Funny, after Carter was traded to New Jersey, all of his stats went back up to his career averages (and higher in many cases).

Is Dwight Howard doing the same thing in Orlando?

The stats say no. His production is on-point with his career averages, including his .491 free throw percentages. It's nice to know that while Howard is holding his team hostage by not accepting an extension and by talking about potential trade destinations, he has not stooped to Carter's level.

Howard, while he is still with Orlando, will play the Timberwolves tonight in Florida.

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In the 24-hour sports news cycle, Jeremy Lin is providing the ultimate feel-good story...for the next few days or so.

Minnesota Timberwolves (13-14) vs. New York Knicks (12-15) at Target Center

It's a story that sounds straight out of Hollywood.

Nice kid with a love of basketball. No athletic scholarship offers out of high school. Attended Harvard University. Undrafted out of college. Sent to the D-League. A week away from likely getting cut from by his third NBA team.

Finally, when injury problems arise for the Knicks, he gets an opportunity against the New Jersey Nets. He plays 35 minutes, scores 25 points and dishes out 7 assists in a victory. In the following days, he is awarded his first NBA start against the Utah Jazz and goes for 28 points and 8 assists. Next, he matches up against John Wall and has his first career double-double with 23 and 10.

Last night, he takes on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in front of a packed Madison Square Garden, where he explodes for 38 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

It's almost too good of a story to believe...

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Kevin Love has stopped hanging out in Uptown and is back playing basketball tonight against the Dallas Mavericks.

Minnesota Timberwolves (13-13) vs. Dallas Mavericks (15-11) at Target Center

On Wednesday, a few hours before the Wolves were set to play the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Love decided to give away autographed gear to some fans. Unable to join the team in Tennessee due to his two-game suspension for repeatedly kicking Luis Scola in the face, Love tweeted that he would meet fans on the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis. Love showed up to a group of fans and handed out jerseys, shirts and other autographed merchandise.

It was a nice gesture that was a fun way for him to connect to some fans in the Twin Cities.

Tonight, Love will rejoin the team and take on the Dallas Mavericks for the third time this season. The Wolves have won the first two and can sweep the series with a victory tonight.

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