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Rockets-Timberwolves Preview

Mar 5, 2010 - 6:04 PM By JUSTIN EINHORN STATS Senior Editor

Houston (30-30) at Minnesota (14-48), 8:00 p.m. EDT

While the Houston Rockets are likely to be without two key players, the Minnesota Timberwolves missing one could make the bigger difference Saturday night.

Though the Rockets are banged up and the deal for Kevin Martin hasn't worked out well, they have a good shot at winning their 11th straight over the Timberwolves considering Al Jefferson won't take the court.

The only time Houston (30-30) has been below .500 came after an opening-night loss, but it will happen again Saturday if the Rockets fall for the ninth time in 12 games.

They've dropped five of seven since acquiring Martin from Sacramento even though he's averaged 21.9 points following the trade. Maybe playing a bigger role in Houston's downfall is the absences of Trevor Ariza and Kyle Lowry.

That duo has accounted for 24.2 points, 8.3 assists and 9.6 rebounds per game. Ariza has missed the last five with a hip pointer, Lowry has sat out 10 straight with a sprained ankle and coach Rick Adelman doesn't expect either player to return until next week.

"Just before the trade, we lost Trevor and we lost Kyle, two important people to us, and that made for long minutes for a number of guys and that's starting to show," Adelman said.

He also mentioned Lowry's absence has limited the rest given to starting point guard Aaron Brooks, something that could be a problem if this game is anything like the last one between these teams.

Minnesota's Corey Brewer tied the game with a half-court shot at the buzzer in regulation, and Houston needed three overtimes to win 120-114 on Jan. 13.

Jefferson had a franchise-record 26 rebounds and scored 26 points, but he won't play Saturday as he completes a two-game suspension for his arrest on suspicion of DWI.

The problem for the Timberwolves (14-48), though, is they haven't beaten the Rockets since Jan. 7, 2007, even with Jefferson often having big games. He averaged 28.6 points and 16.2 rebounds in his last six matchups against them.

Martin had one of the highest-scoring games of his career versus the Timberwolves with 48 points in Sacramento's 111-103 loss March 7, 2008. He's averaged 28.4 in his last five games against Minnesota.

Martin, though, is coming off a 3-of-13 shooting performance in an 84-81 home loss to the Kings on Wednesday. That defeat came two nights after a 24-point win over Toronto.

"We've just been so up and down," Adelman said. "It's hard to figure out why we're that way. ... Somehow you gotta put a streak together."

The Timberwolves are riding a four-game losing streak and have dropped 10 of 11, but they gave a good effort Wednesday at Dallas in a 112-109 loss to the Southwest Division leader.

Darko Milicic got his first start in a Minnesota uniform to replace Jefferson but ran into foul trouble and finished with six points and two rebounds.

Minnesota committed at least 20 turnovers for a second straight game and leads the league with 16.2 per contest.

"We turned the ball over too much. It's a recurring theme for us," rookie Jonny Flynn said. "What we've got to get better at is finishing off games."