The Wolves take a three-game losing streak — their first of that length since they lost 13 straight in December — into Conseco Fieldhouse tonight.

The Pacers bring the league’s fifth-leading scorer — Danny Granger — into the game. He’s also one of three Eastern Conference All Stars who play on losing teams while the Western doesn’t have one.

There’s still a chance Big Al could be named an injury replacement for the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix, although he says he doesn’t want to make it that way. Looks like Chris Paul could miss the game with a strained groin, but I’d guess David Stern likely would pick another guard if Paul can’t play.

Granger, you might recall, was the 17th player taken in the 2005 draft. That was, you also might recall, three picks after the Wolves took Rashad McCants 14th. McCants is expected to sit on the bench again all night long tonight.

Kevin McHale said he “really liked” Granger in that draft and considered him a unique player, but said he was warned off by doctors who “red-flagged” a knee injury that ended Granger’s final season at New Mexico.

Funny, but doctors’ warning helped scared McHale off both Granger and Brandon Roy and yet the Wolves had three first-round picks in a row — McCants, Randy Foye, now Corey Brewer — who all missed a good chunk of  a season with a knee injury.

BTW, Craig Smith left the late in the first quarter because of bruised ribs and is not expected to return. Kevin Love started for him at the beginning of the second half and Brian Cardinal is seeing some minutes at that powwer forward spot here in the second half.

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