Good evening from Target Center where Minnesota tonight goes for win No. 18 on the season. The Hawks are in town with some fresh legs; Atlanta has not played since Saturday. The Wolves, meanwhile, are just back from Indianapolis. They beat the Pacers last night.

Craig Smith will not play tonight for Minnesota. Coach Kevin McHale said Smith has bruised ribs from last night’s game - which Smith exited late in the first quarter. McHale did not give a timetable for Smith’s return. In Smith’s place, rookie Kevin Love will get the nod at power forward. It will be Love’s sixth start of the season, but first under McHale. Love last started Dec. 5 against the Nets - Randy Wittman’s second-to-last game before being fired.

For the Hawks, Al Horford will play tonight after missing the previous 12 games with a knee injury. However, Joe Johnson did not make the trip to Minneapolis. He has an illness

Other nuggets:
Atlanta has won the last four meetings in the series, but the Wolves are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at Target Center
Minnesota is 3-10 on the second night of back to backs this season - all three came last month
Ryan Gomes has hit at least one three-pointer in eight straight games.
Love has made 25 consecutive free throws
The Hawks have tallied 10+ steals in five of the past six games

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