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Brooklyn Nets (3-8) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (7-6)

Target Center 8:00

TV: YES – RADIO: WFAN 660 AM/101.9FM[/box]

[quote_simple]NETS STARTERS

The starting lineup will once again be shaken up with Shaun Livingston playing alongside Joe Johnson in the backcourt with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and the man in the middle Reggie Evans up front.

The injuries continue to mount for Brooklyn as they still cannot gain any type of consistency with the changing of lineups every day.

Tonight two Nets starters, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, will not play and two keys reserves also will not play in Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko so the bench will once again be tested against a good Timberwolves team that is playing some pretty good basketball.

WOLVES STARTERS

The Wolves starting lineup will be Ricky Rubio and Kevin Martin in the backcourt with Corey Brewer, Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic playing in the frontcourt.

Love is among the league leaders with 25.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game and is currently in the MVP race for Minnesota after a strong start.  He is coming off a bad game at Washington on Tuesday where he scored 10 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out eight assists in the loss.

Martin is right behind Love with 23.6 points per game and we all know how Rubio can change a game.

The Nets must be on their toes right from the start to stop the 3-point shooting of the Timberwolves or it could be a long night for Brooklyn.

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[quote_simple][box]Game Notes:

The Nets and Timberwolves split two meetings during the 2012-13 season.

A win tonight will even Brooklyn’s record at 3-3 against Western Conference opponents this season.

The Nets have not won two straight in Minnesota 1/18/92 and 12/30/92.

[box]WHAT TO LOOK FOR

PROTECT THE PAINT

In the eight games Brook Lopez has played this season, the Nets are +3.3 points in the paint per game and in the three games he’s missed, they’re -14.7 points.

The Nets are 2-1 this season ( Utah and Phoenix and a loss to Sacramento) in games in which they’ve outscored their opponent in points in the paint.

The debacle that occurred last game in the paint cannot be tolerated and someone needs to put a player on their butt to make sure they don’t think they have a red carpet directly to the hoop.

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[box]INJURY REPORT

NETS

Andrei Kirilenko – OUT (back spasms)

Deron Williams – OUT (sprained left ankle)

Brook Lopez – OUT (sprained left ankle)

Jason Terry – OUT (briused left knee)

WOLVES

Chase Budinger  – OUT (left knee)

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