(My Sportsbook) - The Minnesota Timberwolves received the worst possible news this week when it was confirmed that star center Al Jefferson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will likely miss the rest of the season.

An injury of this magnitude usually takes six to eight months to recover.

Jefferson, the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics, went down with the injury in Sunday's 101-97 loss to the New Orleans Hornets and an MRI revealed the magnitude of the problem.

"This is an unfortunate situation for Al and we wish him a quick recovery," Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale said in a statement. "Al has been playing at an All-Star level all season and has been our go-to-guy on the court. Knowing Al, he will work hard in his rehab efforts to get back on the court as soon as possible. In the interim, I'm confident that the other players on our roster will step up and meet this challenge."

Rookie Kevin Love and veteran Jason Collins could see more action for Minnesota, which is pretty much out of contention anyway with a lowly 17-33 record. There is no doubt, though, Jefferson will be missed after he was enjoying such a prosperous 2008-09 campaign, his second full season with Minnesota. Jefferson leads the team in points (23.1), rebounds (11.0), field goal percentage (49.7) and blocks (1.7). He has recorded six straight double- doubles and ended with 25 points and 14 boards in the loss to New Orleans.

Jefferson has started all 50 games this season and owns 30 double-doubles, keeping pace with some of the NBA's best big men such as Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan and Garnett.

Meanwhile, Love has the best chance to see more action since he is a rookie and has been playing rather well this season. Love, who has started the past three games, owns three double-doubles over his last four games and is averaging 9.3 points and 8.7 boards in 50 contests for the T'Wolves.

Minnesota has lost three straight and six of its last seven games, and will host the Toronto Raptors Tuesday night at the Target Center. The Timberwolves are just 8-16 as the host this season.

THUNDER MAKING SOME NOISE

The Oklahoma City Thunder are bad this season. Plain and simple. But there has been a hint of optimism over the past week, as the Thunder are on a two-game winning streak and have scored more than 100 points four straight times.

There's no surprise Thunder icon Kevin Durant has been behind the curtain pulling the strings with four consecutive outings with 30 or more points. He is averaging 32.0 points per game over the past 11 contests for Oklahoma City, which has shot 50 percent from the field over the past three games.

Durant is coming off Sunday's 116-113 victory versus Sacramento in which he recorded 39 points on 16-of-25 shooting. The effort pushed Durant to sixth in the NBA in scoring at a 25.5 ppg clip and helped the Thunder to a 10-9 record since opening the inaugural campaign at 3-29.

The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year will lead Oklahoma City (13-38) on its brief two- game road trip, starting with Tuesday's tilt against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. The Thunder will also visit Portland on the swing and have lost three straight away from the Ford Center. They are 3-20 as the guest this season.

In other team news, rookie Russell Westbrook has scored in double figures in each of the past 10 games and is averaging 14.9 points this season.He is third among rookies in scoring behind O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose.

JAZZ SET FOR ROUGH HOMESTAND

The Utah Jazz have missed the playoffs just three times since the 1983-84 campaign and will most likely make another run at the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy this summer.

They have reached the postseason in each of the past two seasons and will face a true test on the upcoming residency in Salt Lake City. Utah (29-23) is a well-tested bunch but life will be more hectic with the Lakers, Grizzlies, Celtics, Hornets and Hawks heading to EnergySolutions Arena. Memphis may be the easiest of the five for the Jazz, who are 20-6 as the host in 2008-09.

Home has always been a safe haven for Jerry Sloan's squad, which has been led by the dynamic duo of Paul Millsap and Deron Williams. Sloan will need his top two players in solid form this week and Williams has been getting the job done. After posting 31 points and 10 rebounds at Golden State on Sunday, Williams is now averaging 31.6 points and 8.6 assists over his last five games.

Millsap, meanwhile, once had a 19-game double-double streak going and owns just five in the previous 16 contests. He still leads the Jazz in points (14.9), rebounds (9.3), field goal percentage (55.0) and blocks (1.0).

ODEN BLAZIN' UP IN ROSE CITY

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden may look as if he is in his 40s, but his game is nothing near geriatric status. Oden isn't putting up NASA-like numbers with 8.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Blazers, who are 12-3 this season when Oden records a double-double.

Oden, who has led Portland in rebounding 20 times this season, has registered a team-high and NBA rookie-leading 15 double-doubles in 2008-09. The lanky Ohio State product and former No. 1 overall pick in 2007 ranks among rookie leaders in field goal shooting (55.5), rebounds (7.1) and blocks (1.14). In a 109-108 win versus New York on Sunday, Oden led the way with 17 points and 12 boards.

The Blazers (31-19) are 2 1/2 games behind Denver in the Northwest and are currently playing five of their six games at the Rose Garden, where they own a 19-5 mark this season. After beating the Knicks, Portland will also host Oklahoma City, Memphis, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Guard Sergio Rodriguez netted a season-high 16 points on a career-high four three-pointers against the Knicks, and is averaging 7.5 points and 4.7 assists in 11 games as a starter this season. Portland is 7-4 in those games.

In other team news, guard Rudy Fernandez has knocked down at least one three- pointer in 28 consecutive games, one shy of the NBA record for a rookie (Kirk Hinrich, 29).

ANDERSON HAS BECOME NUGGETS' SWAT EXPERT

If Denver Nuggets forward/center Chris Anderson played during the 1980s, he would definitely be in a segment involving shot blockers on the NBA's Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers video.

Former league stars Alvin Robertson was known as Sergeant Stuff, Michael Cooper was pegged as Mr. Rejection, Charles Barkley was The Hit Man, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was labeled as The Captain and Hakeem Olajuwon played himself on the classic movie.

Anderson, who leads the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets in blocks and is fourth in the NBA in that category with 2.1, has registered a block in five straight and nine of his last 10 games. The spiked-haired, tattoo-laden Anderson is averaging 2.9 swats per game over the last 10 contests.

Denver could always use a little help on the defensive side of the ball, especially since it's currently in the midst of an eight-game road trip. It 2-1 so far on the road swing and will also visit the Heat, Magic, Sixers, Bulls and Bucks. The Nuggets (34-17) are 14-11 away from the Rocky Mountains this season.