Wolves’ Pekovic Has Minutes Restrictions

Playing in his third game after missing 13 with bursitis in his right ankle,(Nikola) Pekovic is on a minute count to ensure he doesn’t strain that ankle too much and put himself in position where he might miss more time. The team is aiming to keep him around the 20-minute mark during this early stretch in his return. He already played 21 minutes by the time the fourth quarter began.

“It’s just tough, you know?” Pekovic said. “But I’ve just got to do whatever they [the medical staff] say. I’m still going over my limit. My limit is 20. … In the third I really felt good. I was getting going, so when coach had to sign on the court, he didn’t want to sub me out. I didn’t want to go out. But that’s the fact. I need to follow the rules now, try to heal things up.”

Pekovic said after practice on Thursday that his ankle isn’t really sore at this point, but it hurts when he’s running and doing basketball movement. But his soreness is minimal after workouts or games, which is a good thing. The important thing is to keep Pekovic in a position where he doesn’t over-exert himself because he feels like the ankle is OK, but in reality he’s pushing his ankle’s limits to the point of re-injuring it further.

via Mark Remme of NBA.com/Timberwolves