http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16841117.htm Troy Hudson grew up in Carbondale, Ill., rooting for Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and the Showtime-era Lakers and typically brings his A-game to the court against the purple and gold. Pride and opportunity meet again for Hudson and the Timberolves tonight at Target Center, where Los Angeles has a chance to all but extinguish Minnesota's fading playoff hopes. Hudson, coming off a season-high 26-point, eight-assist performance Sunday in Boston after languishing on the bench for months, will start again at point guard, coach Randy Wittman said Monday. He is the third player to have the job in as many weeks as Wittman, 6-13 since taking over for the fired Dwane Casey on Jan. 23, searches in vain for consistent production from the position. Time is running out to find a solution before Minnesota becomes a permanent afterthought. The Wolves (26-33) are three games behind Denver for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and trail the sixth-seeded Lakers by 6 ½ games. "We're starting to reach the point where our backs are against the wall, and we've got to start doing something about it. We've got to win," Wittman said. Despite losing in double overtime to a Celtics team that has only 17 victories this season, Wittman said he liked the way the Wolves, particularly Hudson, distributed the ball. He did not expect Hudson's production in 46 minutes after such a long layoff. "I wasn't expecting 26 points, but I was not surprised by his court savvy, pushing the ball up the floor, the flow of our offense. He did a great job of that," Wittman said. Hudson replaced rookie Randy Foye, who had taken over the point from veteran Mike James March 11 against Boston. To his credit, Hudson hardly made a peep when he was overlooked and relegated to the back seat most of the season. "I've been in the league 10 years, and I've been at the end of the bench, the sixth man. I've been the starter," he said. "To go back to the end of the bench, it was a humbling experience. I just took it in stride, kept my spirits high and worked through it." Wittman, who has accused his team of playing selfishly at times, lauded Hudson's attitude. "I have used him as an example all year long, of a guy that wants to play, probably should be playing, is not, and is handling it the right way," Wittman said. "He's worked every day. He's really worked with Randy on the side and trying to team him. That's being professional. That's why I think he was ready (Sunday) night." Hudson said he's always ready to play the Lakers. One of the highlights of Hudson's career was the way he almost single-handedly led the Wolves to a first-round victory in the 2003 playoffs, when he averaged 23.5 points and 5.5 assists in a six-game loss to the Lakers. Much has changed for both teams since that postseason and their epic seven-game clash in the 2004 Western Conference playoffs. Hudson, Kevin Garnett, Mark Madsen and Trenton Hassell are the only players left from the Wolves' most successful team. The Lakers bottomed out after recycling future hall of famers Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton and Karl Malone. But they still have Kobe Bryant, the most dominant perimeter player in the NBA, according to assistant Wolves general manager Fred Hoiberg. "They are a team that, every night, it is going to be an electric atmosphere because it's Kobe and the Lakers," Hoiberg said. Injury report: The Wolves likely will be without forward Hassell, who did not practice Monday after spraining his left ankle against the Celtics. His status is day to day. Look for Rashad McCants and Marko Jaric to absorb most of Hassell's minutes against the Lakers. Madsen, out since Feb. 22 with a sprained ankle, participated in limited drills, but Wittman said the forward was a few days away from resuming contact. --

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