MINNEAPOLIS -- In the aftermath of another stinging defeat, Timberwolves acting head coach Terry Porter admitted his team is running on mental fumes. That's coming from the perspective of a man who's on the ground level, interacting daily on a personal basis with players.
After practice Tuesday -- less than 24 hours after a 107-89 loss to Houston, their fourth straight and sixth in their past seven outings -- they voiced their agreement.
"I feel like everybody's a little banged up, mentally and physically," small forward Corey Brewer said.
Said point guard Ricky Rubio: "When you're losing games that are close or you're losing a lot of games in a row, it's tough to come back."
And small forward Chase Budinger: "When you start going on some losing streaks, you have a lot of outside influences that try to get in, get in the way, or you kind of go off by yourself. The biggest key for us is to stay together as a team."
As of Tuesday afternoon, that team was without its head coach and two of its top three scorers and staring at an All-Star break deficit that looks insurmountable -- whether Minnesota can vanquish Denver on Wednesday before taking a week off between games or not.
"I think the effort's there," said Porter, who's taken over in Rick Adelman's stead until he returns from dealing with a personal matter. "I think the energy has been there. I think they've competed their butts off, but like anything, when you win, it helps and that's part of the process."
That hasn't happened yet. Not enough, at least, to place the Timberwolves (24-28) in playoff contention.
To make matters worse, center Nikola Pekovic (right-ankle bursitis) and shooting guard Kevin Martin (left-thumb fracture) remain out until further notice, though it'd be surprising if either is inactive for very long after the break.
To snap the franchise's active league-worst nine-year postseason drought, Minnesota likely requires 21 or so victories between now and the end of the season.
It's possible, Brewer said, but he and his teammates need a break first. Tuesday marked their last practice until next week.
"It's coming at a great time," Brewer said of the All-Star rest. "We're banged up, but after All-Star break, we should be back at full strength, just about. It's the only time to pick it up, because (if) we don't get a winning streak together, then we're going home."
Adelman update: Minnesota's head coach wasn't with the team for Monday's game and hadn't returned for practice Tuesday, but Porter said he still expects him back by Wednesday.
Adelman missed 11 games last season to tend to his wife Mary Kay, who suffered a series of seizures, and was away from one practice in December for the birth of his grandson.
No specific reason for his departure has been given, but after Monday's defeat, Rubio hinted at its nature.
"He's coming back soon, but like everything else in this life, family is first," Rubio said.
Back on defense: Minnesota's recent string of injuries would seem to enhance its chances of playing better defense. Scoring-minded Pekovic's absence opens the door for rim protectors Ronny Turiaf and Gorgui Dieng, and with Martin off the floor, Adelman and Porter can turn to guards with a slightly better stop-generating acumen.
Yet during their recent seven-game slide, the Timberwolves have continued to fulfill preseason prophecies about their inability to limit opponents' production.
"I think defense has been a concern of ours from day one," Porter said. "It's not like we were top five in defense coming into this year. I think that's something we've talked about from day one, trying to get better at it."
After holding three straight opponents -- Toronto once and the Jazz twice --each to less than 100 points during mid-January, Minnesota's given up an average of 103.5 points during its past 11 contests (seventh-worst in the NBA during that span). Its opponent field-goal percentage of 46.9 still ranks last among NBA defenses.
Monday against the Rockets, the Timberwolves failed to return to their end of the Target Center floor fast enough. The fast-paced Rockets outscored Minnesota 26-13 on the fast break.
Some nights, it's turnovers that lead to easy buckets at the other end. Others, it's communication. But the Timberwolves haven't been able to defend for the majority of the season.
And that ineptitude is only amplified when Pekovic and Martin's 37 combined points per game are sitting behind the bench with them.
"We've been struggling, but it's tough," Brewer said when asked about the team's defense. "When you don't have your core, a bunch of your guys, it doesn't matter who's out there; it's a struggle."
Bud-ding confidence: Starting the past two games at shooting guard has done some good for still-recuperating Budinger's psyche.
Replacing Martin in the starting lineup, he's scored 19 and 15 points and hit 4 of 9 3-pointers the past two contests. He missed 9 of 14 field-goal attempts Monday but said the tired legs that have plagued him since returning Jan. 8 from left-knee meniscus surgery are starting to feel stronger.
"It's feeling better," said Budinger, who last week expressed frustration with his slower-than-expected progress. "I feel that my legs are starting to come back, wind's getting a little better. I'm just happy that I'm seeing improvements."
In 18 games this season, Budinger is shooting 35.5 percent from the floor and scoring 5.8 points per game. Saturday and Monday marked just his second and third double-digit scoring efforts of the year.
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