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Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson and Indiana Pacers point guard T. J. Ford each delivered one of their best performances of the season in their most recent games. Neither player, though, could carry his team to a victory.

Jefferson looks to continue his hot streak and help the Timberwolves snap a three-game skid Tuesday night when they visit Ford and the Pacers, hoping to bounce back from their first loss in eight home contests.

Minnesota (16-30) won 10 of its first 12 games in January, showing dramatic improvement after finishing December at 6-25. Jefferson carried the team during its surge, and while he hasn’t let up, the Timberwolves didn’t fare well in a just-completed stretch of three games against contenders.

Minnesota closed January with consecutive home losses to Detroit and the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers before falling 109-101 at Boston on Sunday.

Jefferson took advantage of the absence of Kevin Garnett - for whom he was traded - to record 34 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, connecting on 15 of his 21 field-goal attempts against his former team.

Jefferson has scored more than 30 points six times since Dec. 20 and reached that mark in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Jim O’Brien has 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional level. Most recently, he served as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2004-2005 season. The Philadelphia native guided the 76ers to the playoffs with a 43-39 record, a 10 win improvement from the previous season.

Kevin Mchale, Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Timberwolves took over the reigns as Head Coach for the remainder of the 2004-05 season on February 12, 2005.

Prior to coming to the Timberwolves organization, McHale played 13 seasons as a power forward for the Celtics before retiring in the spring of 1993. A first-round selection (third overall) by Boston in the 1980 NBA Draft, McHale helped lead the Celtics to three NBA championships (1981, 1984 and 1986), five Eastern Conference titles and eight Atlantic Division crowns. He was voted the NBA’s top sixth man twice (1984, 1985) and was selected to the All-NBA First Team in 1987. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times (1986, 1987 and 1988). The 6-10 forward/center averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 971 career regular-season games. He shot 55.4 percent from the floor and 79.8 percent at the free throw line. In 169 postseason contests, McHale increased his averages to 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Al Jefferson left Boston two summers ago a 22-year-old prospect so promising he was the compensating centerpiece in the historic trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics and brought five players and two draft picks to Minnesota.

On Sunday, he returned to the arena where he played his first three NBA seasons. In a 34-point performance that wasn’t enough, he demonstrated to the fans who cheered and to the man who once coached him that he’s deserving of an All-Star Game appearance that has thus far eluded him.

Doc Rivers huddled with his Celtics coaches Sunday morning to consider the day’s opponent and ended up evaluating Jefferson.

“We were discussing who’s a better post player than Al, and we had zero names,” said Rivers, who coached Jefferson during his first three NBA seasons in Boston. “(Tim) Duncan faces you up a lot. But just low-post, back-to-the-basket scorers? In the league, there’s just not a lot of them.

“If you go by that criteria, you’re probably an All-Star. Not if you can’t come up with more than two or three names, and we didn’t.”

The Pacers’ attempt to move point guard Jamaal Tinsley before the Feb. 19 trade deadline is running out.

They’re still having conversations with teams, as they’ve been doing since last summer, but they’ve yet to generate much interest in the last three-plus months.

Two of the major problems the Pacers face is that Tinsley still has two years left on his contract after this season, and he hasn’t played in a game in more than a year.

Pacers officials continue to say Tinsley is in shape, but that’s somewhat hard to believe considering he had a difficult time staying in shape when he actually played.

Tinsley hasn’t been around the team since last April, and he had his stuff sent to him in Atlanta during the summer. He’s not in the team’s media guide even though he’s technically still on the roster.

The Pacers will be starting over in their attempt to trade Tinsley next summer if they can’t find a taker by the deadline.

Knicks 122, Pacers 113: The Knicks used the 3-point shot to put an end to the Pacers’ seven-game home winning streak. New York was 15 of 34 from long distance. The Pacers didn’t have much offense outside of point guard T.J. Ford. Ford, who recently moved back into the starting lineup, scored a career-high 36 points to go with his five assists and four rebounds. Forward Danny Granger added 19 points, but he went just 6-for-17 from the field.

cdash wrote:TJ, you little choking piece of crap. Jesus Christ. Not only the free throws, but he should have made that shot he got fouled on. Weak TJ, very weak.

Miller4ever wrote:The first one wasn't his. The second one was, but then he ruined an opportunity.

TJFordisGod wrote:

Miller4ever wrote:The first one wasn't his. The second one was, but then he ruined an opportunity.

First one, got the steal went 1 for 2, then stole the ball again hit first missed 2nd cutting the 3 point lead to one giving the pacers a chance to tie the game after the bucks hit 2 free throws.

If it were Granger that stole the ball twice but split the pair at the free throw line, everyone would shrug it off and say nice effort.

cdash wrote:

TJFordisGod wrote:

Miller4ever wrote:The first one wasn't his. The second one was, but then he ruined an opportunity.

First one, got the steal went 1 for 2, then stole the ball again hit first missed 2nd cutting the 3 point lead to one giving the pacers a chance to tie the game after the bucks hit 2 free throws.

If it were Granger that stole the ball twice but split the pair at the free throw line, everyone would shrug it off and say nice effort.

Lets be serious here. Those were steals in the stat book only. Miller fumbled the ball right into his hands on the first one. The second one was the product of a very good trap by two players who were not TJ Ford. He just so happened to be right behind Telfair when the ball went between his legs. He choked on the free throws, he got away with punting the ball out of bounds on the one play, and he should have made that lay up when Telfair fouled him. Very poor performance.