Howlin' T-Wolf A Fresh Perspective and Completely Biased Blog About Everything Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves: 14-48

Rockets: 30-30

Everything’s bigger in Texas, as well as the level of competition. The Wolves lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and come home to the Target Center to face the Houston Rockets. Houston has had success at the Target Center winning four games in a row the past two seasons. In complete irony, the Wolves have struggled at the Target Center this year with a puny record of 9-21. Is it possible for an away team to have the advantage at the opposition’s arena? We’ll see about that. As for the players, the Rockets are coming in with a new shooting guard in Kevin Martin, who’s averaging 25 points a game in the past five contests with his new squad. His opposition, Corey Brewer, has slowed down a bit as of late but only in terms field goal percentage. I’m sensing a sense urgency from Brewer — he’s trying to make plays because, well, no one else is — which has brought his field goal percentage down a little bit. Al Jefferson will be sitting on the bench tonight, as he serves the final game of his two game suspension for his DUI charge. In his wake, Darko will get his second start as he and Ryan Hollins will be facing the shorter frontcourt, Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes, of the Rockets. That may be a key tonight: Get the ball down low to the big fellas. I’m looking for a spectacular performance tonight out of Kevin Love, a.k.a. Senor Amor. He’ll be able to take advantage of a shorter Luis Scola and probably get some good production underneath the hoop tonight. One quick note, Trevor Ariza is listed as Day-to-Day for the game tonight, so he is questionable to play tonight.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Aaron Brooks

A match-up of two very similar guards, Flynn and Brooks will have fun flying all over the court with each other tonight. Recently, Brooks has scored a lot of points, nearly 25 in the past five games, but it takes him a lot of shots to get that many points. Brooks shoots the ball nearly 25 times per game. So, if you think about it, he gets one point for every shot he throws up, technically speaking of course. If Flynn can get Brooks agitated enough to throw up aimless three-pointers and play more consistent and conservative on the offensive end, then Flynn may just have the advantage tonight.

Advantage: Minnesota

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Kevin Martin

Martin has been on a tear since being traded to Houston. He is thriving in a faster paced offense as well as playing with the little bullet, Aaron Brooks. Brewer’s “hot-hand” has slowed down but his streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer lives on. This match-up will probably be the most important one of the night. Brewer will need to hold Martin to 20 points or less while posting 15-plus points of his own. If he proves unsuccessful, Martin’s difference in points may just be the difference in the game overall.

Advantage: Houston

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Shane Battier

This match-up is a bit of a wash but I like Gomes’ range better than that of Battier’s. Although Battier can be a stud on the defensive end — he had seven blocks in their last game against the Sacramento Kings, Gomes I think should have a good game nevertheless. Not to mention, Damien Wilkins has molded into his role as a role-player off the bench and this gives the Wolves some consistency off the bench.

Advantage: Minnesota

Power Forward:

Ryan Hollins vs. Luis Scola

Neither Hollins nor Scola are defensive experts, or even second-raters for that matter. Scola is very slick on the offensive side and a very good rebounder as well. Hollins, not so much, but he can do damage at times. The difference here is the bench play; Kevin Love and Jared Jeffries. Love is the best player out of all four of these and this could pose as potential problems for the Rockets. They’ll need to find an equilibrium for Senor Amor. Period. Oh, and good luck!

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Darko Milicic vs. Chuck Hayes

Hayes is just about the biggest bruiser in the NBA. Only problem is he stands a mere 6′6″. Does he stand a chance against the 7-foot mammoth with lanky limbs and an improving game? Not so sure, but it will be interesting to watch nonetheless.

Advantage: Minnesota

Timberwolves: 14-47

Mavericks: 40-21

The last time these two teams met, believe it or not, the Wolves took one away from the Mavs on Feb. 5 in Dallas. With a completely new and revamped looking Mavs squad, the Wolves could be in for quite the game and the outlook could be different than the last game’s as well. The Wolves ended the month of February with a rough going against the Portland Trailblazers and will be looking to start March with a fresh new start. While the Wolves struggled in February, the fresh faces of the Mavs have helped them win eight straight games, even while missing Caron Butler for a few games due to an illness to a medication. He will be back tonight, as he played against Charlotte on Monday, but the Mavs will be missing Erick Dampier, whom is recovering from surgery, but Brendan Haywood has stepped in nicely since the trade with the Washington Wizards, averaging 10.8 points and almost 10 rebounds a game with his new squad. The Wolves don’t have much to brag about statistically wise but are coming off a three day break which may help them get their mind-sets right before tonight’s game. In order to be successful, the Wolves will need to slow down the production of Jason Kidd, give Jonny Flynn and Corey Brewer open looks from outside and feed the ball underneath to Love and Darko. The Wolves will miss Al Jefferson’s presence under the hoop tonight, as he will begin his 2-game suspension starting tonight as penalty for his DUI offense.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd posted one of the season’s best performances on Saturday night versus the Atlanta Hawks by posting 19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds. Could Jonny Flynn ever post those kind of numbers. Simple answer, “Hell-to-the-No!” Sure, Kidd has struggled the two games after that but he can carve our porous defense easily like he’s cutting swiss cheese with a Cutco knife, all night long.

Advantage: Dallas

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Caron Butler

Brewer has slowed  down considerably as of late but his streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer still lives on. Brewer will need to do more tonight if he plans on matching the numbers of his counterpart, Butler. Butler put up 22 against the Bobcats, a very good defensive squad, on Monday and has played well with Dallas thus far. Butler may just prove to be too explosive on the offensive end for Brewer to handle tonight.

Advantage: Dallas

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion is not what he used to be but he still is a “Wolf-Killer” and probably always will be. Gomes lacks the defensive chops to stop Marion. He might be able to hang with him offensively, as he’s slowly improved and climbed his way out of a February funk. But even then, I think Marion will still be too much for Gomes, similar to the situation of Brewer-Butler.

Advantage: Dallas

Power Forward:

Kevin Love vs. Dirk Nowitzki

There is a large possibility that Darko Milicic will start here, as coach Rambis hinted in yesterday’s practice, and switch from power forward to center throughout the game. Even if Darko starts, Love should get the majority of minutes and that should make this an intriguing match-up for the night. Both players have similar types of game-style but Dirk has the size and is more explosive, especially down the stretch, compared to Love. If Jefferson were playing and Love were coming off the bench like usual, the Wolves may actually have the advantage here tonight, but without the big fella, forget about it.

Advantage: Dallas

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Brendan Haywood

More than likely, Haywood will throw Hollins around like a rag-doll tonight, and it won’t be pretty. It’ll kind of be like that older brother who takes his sister’s dolls, then breaks all of their limbs off just because he can. Haywood will have less success with “breaking off” Darko’s limbs but he still will put up good numbers no matter who defends him.

Advantage: Dallas

Timberwolves: 14-45

Thunder: 33-23

Kevin Durant’s impressive scoring streak of 29 games with 25 or more points is now kaput and his Oklahoma City Thunder are now on a losing streak. Before this current funk, the Thunder were on a nine game winning streak, which included a win over Minnesota just last Sunday. The Wolves will definitely be looking for some revenge tonight in Oklahoma City’s Ford Center. But just because “Durantulla’s” scoring streak is now over, doesn’t mean the Wolves have eliminated one of the league’s best players by no means. I mean, his streak ended on a game where he still scored an honorable 21 points. The man has the ability to turn up the heat and melt opposing defenses with a sweet shooting stroke, not to mention some thunderous dunks. I will say that the Wolves are coming into tonight’s game in a good position though. Not only did we beat Miami on Tuesday night but we put up one heck of a fight against a considerably better team in the Atlanta Hawks. Kevin Love has been on a hot streak of his own and will try to continue that play tonight.The key for tonight, though, will be consistency. We’ve gotten a little better in most aspects of the game lately but now we need to hold some sense of consistency to make it all work. I’m getting ready to dub Jonny Flynn as “Mr. Inconsistent” because, well, I think it explains itself. Facing a tough counterpart in Russell Westbrook — whom many people think Flynn can duplicate with some hard work and a consistent game – Flynn will need to show that lock down defense he’s been thought to have. And it would be a miracle to see him shoot over, or even just around, 50% for the night.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Russell Westbrook

This will be the key match up tonight. On Sunday night, Westbrook put up a triple-double with a staggering 14 assists against the Wolves. Westbrook has now launched himself among the league’s top point guards and the irony in that is that he still has a streaky jump shot, just like Flynn. Flynn needs to learn from Westbrook and find something he can excel in. I read in John Hollinger’s chat with Sportsnation that Flynn is just mediocre in everything he does. Well for tonight, I would like to see Flynn pick up his defense and rise above mediocrity.

Advantage: Oklahoma City

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Thabo Sefolosha

Putting Thabo aside, the guy to watch for tonight is James Harden. He has been quiet scoring as of late and it wouldn’t be favorable for the Wolves if he heats back up tonight. Brewer had a tough going Wednesday night. He started slow and it stayed that way until about midway through the 4th quarter — he had only three points going into that quarter but finished with 10. Brewer will need a more consistent shooting stroke tonight if he wants to outplay both Sefolosha and Harden.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Kevin Durant

I’m hoping that Durant will be so traumatized by being stuffed by Manu Ginobili on an attempted fast break throw down, that he may be too distraught to find any part of his game whatsoever tonight. Then, and only then, would Gomes/Wilkins ever have an advantage over Durant.

Advantage: Oklahoma City

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Jeff Green

Jefferson has still been struggling as of late. He’s scored only 10 points in four straight games and only recorded double digit rebounds once in the past five games. The case of Jeff Green is quite the contrary. He is averaging 17 points and over eight rebounds a game for the past five games. The only difference maker here could be Kevin Love, but it’s never known whether Love can come off the bench and put up 20 points when needed. And that may very well be needed tonight.

Advantage: Oklahoma City

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Nenad Kristic

Hollins had a surprisingly good game on Wednesday, considering how awful he’s played for almost two weeks now. The resurgence of Darko Milicic though is what has gotten this team back into fighting shape. Who would’ve thought that a legit 7-footer would improve the play of a team, most notably Kevin Love? Oh, and as for Kristic, he’s simply an afterthought.

Advantage: Minnesota

Timberwolves: 14-44

Hawks: 35-20

The Wolves are packing their bags and continuing on with the road trip and a stop in Atlanta tonight. The Hawks are one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, so the Wolves will have their hands full tonight. After a big win in Miami last night, I’m looking to see if the Wolves can capture and harness that momentum while going into Atlanta.

Kevin Love stepped up big last night — nothing new there — and he will be needed tonight as well. His rebounding will be critical and covering an athletic Josh Smith is no easy feat.

Flynn was VERY inconsistent last night. Everything I’ve read up to now is seriously questioning whether or not this guy can play point guard in the NBA. His one, solo assist last night won’t cut it, unless you’re shooting the lights out. Oh, wait. He didn’t do that either. Well, let’s see if he can elevate his play to face a solid guard in Mike Bibby.

Darko looked good last night, again, and played even more minutes, 25, than he did in his debut. His line wasn’t as solid last night but he did all the little things right — set solid picks, cleared the lane for Love to crash the boards and posed as a defensive tower in the middle of the paint. I’m beginning to like this experiment already!

Anyways, consistency will be the key tonight. Again, the momentum can be key tonight, especially if they can jump out of the gates and keep Atlanta’s crowd out of the game. Even then it will still be a challenge. I say challenge because it sure is one. Atlanta is a better team than the Miami Heat are, even with Dwayne Wade. So, this should be a good one tonight and I look to see the Wolves take advantage of the opportunity of playing their one game in Atlanta this season.

Timberwolves: 13-44

Heat: 29-28

The Wolves are storming South Beach, Florida tonight to take on a Wade-less Heat team. Dwayne Wade has sat two games thus far while nursing a strained left calf. Well, this gives the Wolves a good opportunity to start this road trip out right and stop this current six game funk. The Heat still have plenty of talent in the absence of Wade, so the Wolves will still need to fight hard in order to boost their horrocious road record of 4-24. The keys for tonight will be the play of our backcourt against theirs. Flynn had a nice game Sunday but needs to show some consistency, especially in this second half of the season. It’ll be fun to watch Darko Milicic get out there tonight and see what he has to offer in act 2. Again, I’m expecting around only 15 minutes for him but lets see if he can make them count for something. I really want to see if Jefferson can be the Jefferson of old tonight. His play has looked sloppy the past few games and the team struggles with him on the floor. We need to see if he can be our horse that we can ride to the finish line, like we used to do last season. Here are tonight’s matchups:

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Carlos Arroyo

Arroyo has played well starting over Chalmers but may struggle with Flynn tonight. Flynn is both quicker and stronger than Arroyo. Arroyo is a good pass-first point guard who play good defense, but Flynn’s skill set may out match him. We need to see consistency out of Flynn tonight. He played great on Sunday, so I want to see him string together a couple great games. This matchup also has a lot to do with depth — Chalmers for the Heat, Sessions for the Wolves — so, whichever bench plays well may have the advantage.

Advantage: Minnesota

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Quentin Richardson

The former T-Wolf of only a few days will have some trouble with Brewer tonight. Brewer has found his stroke and hits the open freebies he gets from the wing. His play has been solid and his defense has looked good as well.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Dorrell Wright

Wright is a bigger 3 who can play a stretch 4, just like Gomes, in a smaller set. He’s not much of a scorer but will demand a little more attention around the basket than what Gomes probably likes to deal with. Gomes’ shot has been off the past few games and, just like Flynn, he needs to find some consistency. I’m giving the Wolves the advantage here though because Damien Wilkins played a terrific game Sunday putting up 18 points and is a lot better than Miami’s reserve, James Jones.

Advantage: Minnesota

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Michael Beasley

I am a huge Beasley fan, so its hard to watch him struggle to be who he is supposed to become. He was supposed to be a stud for the Heat but instead is just a good power forward on a good team. Sad. Anyways, as I said earlier, we will need to find out if the Wolves can ride Jefferson to the end of the game like we’ve done in the past. He hasn’t been that guy for us and that’s what might need to happen if we want to get out of this losing funk. Kevin Love’s play off the bench has been stupendous and he is what gives the Wolves the advantage here.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Jermaine O’Neal

Every Wolves fan is excited to see what Darko will do for his follow up act tonight. Well keep in mind that Hollins actually played a good game as well on Sunday by putting up eight points of his own, so don’t just count him out. But either way, O’Neal is a great player in this league and the Heat have depth in Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony to help O’Neal out. O’Neal will probably have a good game tonight unless Darko can show some intimidation under the hoop but even then O’Neal will probably go right around him to the rim.

Advantage: Miami

Timberwolves: 13-42

Bulls: 27-26

Bulls will travel to wolf territory tonight to take on a not-so vicious Wolves team. The Wolves seem like they have been struggling to find any intensity whatsoever on the court. Maybe it was the looming trade deadline that got into their heads, but with that long gone, the Wolves will need to focus ahead on a newer looking Bulls squad. The Bulls were busy during the rumor crazy week, sending John Salmons to Milwaukee and Tyrus Thomas to Charlotte. The Bulls really were setting themselves up for this summer’s hot commodities in free agency and they may have sacrificed some of this season’s success to do so. Bulls’ center Joakim Noah will be on the bench tonight nursing a left foot injury. With the potentially gaping hole in the paint, the Wolves will need to get Al Jefferson going and get him going early. Also, the play from point guard Jonny Flynn will be crucial tonight, as he’s struggled in the past few games.

Match-ups

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Derrick Rose

Rose is one of the most stunning players to watch in the NBA today, and, well, Flynn is not. His shooting has been very inconsistent as of late — 16-46, a whopping 35% to be exact (Actually that is rounded up)– but it’s not just his shooting that’s been off either. He’s only averaging 3.6 assists a game for the past five games. That’s not acceptable from our so-called future point guard.

Advantage: Bulls

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Kirk Hinrich

Brewer has continued his hot streak and his 3-point streak dating back to January 6th is still intact. Hinrich won’t pose a threat to him defensively, considering Brewer has about 4-5 inches on him in height. Hinrich is still a good guard though and helps Rose run things from the top of the key. The Wolves will need to be sure they don’t leave him open on the perimeter when they have to collapse down on Rose when he drives the lane.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Taj Gibson

This match-up is a wash. I have not been impressed by Gomes lately, although he did have a good night in Washington. I think my expectations are a little high for him and since I don’t see it yet, so I’ve grown unhappy with him. Gibson is a good player but was exploited in the Rookie challenge, proving he needs to bulk up and work on his game before he becomes anything special in this league. But based on depth and a good game from Gomes on Wednesday, Minnesota has the advantage here.

Advantage: Minnesota

Power Forward

Al Jefferson vs. Luol Deng

Deng will be playing out of position tonight but this could pose a threat for Jefferson. Depending on who warms up first, they will have the advantage. Jefferson will have trouble guarding a stretch 4 who can post up and stretch his range. While Deng will have problems defending Jefferson on the block. I’m giving the advantage to the Wolves though based on the lack of depth upfront for Chicago. Even if newly acquired Hakim Warrick plays, either forward will have trouble defending Love and Jefferson.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Brad Miller

Again, I have nothing good to say about Ryan Hollins and my momma said that when I have nothing good to say about someone, don’t say it at all.

Advantage: Chicago

Timberwolves: 13-40

Pistons: 18-33

Wolves finally get back to basketball as the start of the second half of the season is here but unfortunately it starts with a familiar streak — a losing one. It also doesn’t help that the Wolves have lost 10 of their last 11 games on the road. But we can’t fret. The Pistons have struggled at home this year including a recent streak of six out of their last seven in the Palace. Both teams are very different in their approach to the game. The Pistons slow down the game whereas the young Wolves enjoy getting out and running the court into the ground. The key for the Wolves tonight will be: A) Running this Pistons team into the ground, B) Let the big fellas work their magic underneath against a lame frontcourt that the Pistons have (Minus “Big Ben” Wallace), C) Guard Rodney Stuckey and not allow him to take over. If he does, it could spell havoc for the Wolves and notch another “L” into their losing streak. He is they key to their offense, so Flynn and Sessions can’t let him get into a groove, especially early in the game. I’m interested to see what Brewer will look like, coming out of the All-Star break. Before the break, he has been tearing it up and has it a trey in every game dating back to January 6th. Hopefully he will continue his hot streak and not grow rusty from the break. We will need him down the stretch, if we don’t want to lose as many games as we did in the first half.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Rodney Stucky

Flynn put forth a good performance in the Rookie Challenge and won bragging rights over Kevin Love in the process. I hope Jonny comes in with a cool and relaxed head on his shoulders, which will allow him to do his thing and make plays against Stuckey. Stuckey is what makes this Pistons offense work and they are better off when he scores and scores a lot. Flynn will need to shut him down and I think he will be able to do that tonight.

Advantage: Minnesota

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Richard “Rip” Hamilton

This will be a key match up tonight. Brewer is playing at the top of his game right now and Hamilton has been one of the best Pistons in the past decade. He helped lead them to an NBA Championship in 2004. Rip’s numbers have declined slightly this season, probably due to his older age. But don’t let him fool you. The man still has the tools to lead the Pistons to a win any night, any game. On the other hand, Brewer has the tools to stop Rip from going off and I think he will also play well on the offensive end of the court.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Tayshaun Prince

Gomes has been a bit inconsistent this season and the same goes for Prince. Prince was a part of that title team in 2004 and still proves to be a solid aspect to this Pistons lineup. His last outing had a line like this: 23 points on 11-15 shooting, five rebounds, and an assist and a block. Not too bad by my measures. The depth behind Gomes, Wilkins and Pavlovic, doesn’t help the matter of inconsistency either so I think Prince may have a good night. But we’ll see for sure.

Advantage: Detroit

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Jonas Jerekbo

Listen, Jerekbo is a great rookie on a bad team. I truly do like him and I think he could develop into a good forward in this league. But to think he even has a shot against Jefferson’s strength down in the post is preposterous.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Ben Wallace

Coach Rambis may switch up the lineup tonight and if he does, this will be the first match-up to change. Hollins has played utterly crappy in the past few games and its really too bad, especially after that great boost he gave the starters when he first jumped in the starting lineup. Wallace will be too strong for him to do anything underneath on offense and defense. Wallace won’t be a game-changer due to his lack of ability on offense but his defense will pose as a threat to what we can do on offense in the paint. Not to mention, Wallace will be stealing rebounds from Jefferson and Love all game long.

Advantage: Detroit

Timberwolves: 13-39

Bobcats: 25-25

The Wolves return home tonight with no five game win streak to speak of but rather a familiar streak we’ve grown accustomed to this year, a losing one. On the contrary, the Bobcats are coming to Minneapolis having snapped a three game skid they fell into until defeating the Wizards last night 94-92. The Bobcats play a gamestyle that is completely opposite that of the Wolves — they run a slow paced offense with good efficiency and have one of the league’s top defenses. The Bobcats rank 5th in the league in defensive efficiency and that doesn’t bode well for the Wolves. Seeing that these two teams play a game of basketball completely different, the Wolves will need to tempt the Bobcats into playing an up-tempo style. We should make them run with us by forcing turnovers and using pressure to not allow them to set up a half-court offense. I’d rather see us running the entire game as opposed to trying to beat them with our own half-court sets, which probably won’t work. I’d like to see Ellington get some good time tonight — maybe a Flynn-Ellington-Brewer back court at times? Ellington is producing right now and getting him good experience against a good team will only better his already improving game. Throw him onto Stephen Jackson and let’s see what he can do!

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Raymond Felton

Felton has developed into a solid PG for the Bobcats. He plays hard defensively and will slowly sneak points out from underneath your nose if you’re not careful. Flynn had five turnovers yesterday and only shot 4-10 from the field. He will need to improve his performance if he plans on out-playing Felton tonight. Right now, I’m not so convinced he will, but we’ll see.

Advantage: Charlotte

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Stephen Jackson

Jackson has scored 20+ points in four straight games and is averaging 20.7 on the season. The guy was an absolute steal for the Bobcats and they should be lucky to have him. Brewer matches up well against Jackson but Jackson does have the ability to post up if needed and his advantage in strength over Brewer helps his chances. Brewer has played great for the past month, so I don’t think he will do poorly tonight but Jackson may be a little too much to handle on defense.

Advantage: Charlotte

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Boris Diaw

Diaw had a great game last night against Washington. Gomes had an okay game last night against Philadelphia. This is a very even match-up in my opinion but given that Diaw is more involved in the Bobcat’s offense and plays way more minutes, he owns a very slight edge over Gomes.

Advantage: Charlotte

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Gerald Wallace

A terrific match-up if they actually guard each other, Wallace will be stealing rebounds from Jefferson and Love all game long. All three of these players are atop the league in rebounding and know how to play under the hoop. Wallace has the advantage over Jefferson because he can stretch his range beyond the three point line but Love can do the same with Wallace. This match-up is back and forth so let’s consider them on defense. Ok, maybe we shouldn’t, especially after seeing Elton Brand go for 21 last night against our porous post-defense. Not to mention, Wallace is one of 11 players this season averaging a double-double (19.1/10.9).

Advantage: Charlotte

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Nazr Mohammed

I’m not sure what happened to Hollins’ play but in two games it sort of disappeared. Magic? Perhaps, but an aura of inconsistency seems to be lingering. Sure, having him in the lineup may give up an advantage down low with Jefferson but when facing a team with a solid front court at both positions, it doesn’t do much. Mohammed is a solid true center in the NBA only averaging 8.3 points a game with 5 boards but he plays good defense and does what he can on the offensive side. We’ll see which “Hollins” comes out to play but until I see it, Mohammed gets the nod.

Advantage: Charlotte

Sad, a clean sweep. Should I re-do this or just become a Bobcats fan? Geez! Sorry Wolves.

Timberwolves : 13-38

76ers: 19-31

The last time these two teams got together, the 76ers would be embarrassed to remember the fact, the Wolves were down by as many as 20 but stormed all the way back to take the victory in extra minutes. It left the 76ers with a sour taste in their mouth indeed. And that game happened before the Wolves caught fire with their four game winning streak, which will make it tough for any sort of revenge for the 76ers. But the 76ers have their own four game win streak on the line, so one team will have to budge. Rebounding will be a key tonight, as the Wolves continue to be near the top of the league in that category (76ers rank 16th; Wolves are ranked 3rd). The second chance opportunities will give our shooters, especially Corey Brewer, enough time to find an open spot on the floor for a shot. Another key will be he bench play. It has been nothing short of fantastic and we will need that again tonight. The 76ers have a good bench as well with guys like Thaddeus Young and Rodney Carney. We will need to outplay their bench if we want to come out with a victory in this one. Overall, this should be a good, even match-up between two teams who are churning to push their team’s winning streaks to five games.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Jrue Holiday

Flynn’s play has been terrific throughout this winning streak. He’s averaging 12 points, 6.2 assists and only 2.4 turnovers a game (he had eight against New York; the rest were all under two a game) in the past five contests. Jrue Holiday is still a player looking for his way in the NBA. It’ll take a little bit longer for him to put it together, therefore Flynn has the advantage tonight.

Advantage: Minnesota

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Willie Green

Green has supplied nice numbers after filling in for the missing Allen Iverson but Corey Brewer is still showing the league what he can do. He had 17 against Memphis on Saturday and has nailed a trey in 15 straight games. Brewer might be a little too much for Green to handle tonight.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Andre Iguodala

Gomes had a strong night on Saturday with 25 points and led us to victory over a good Memphis squad. Igoudala has been shaky as of late and has struggled to find a consistent shooting stroke. He’s shooting nearly 46% from the field and only 27% from the charity stripe. Now the Wolves know who to put on the line when the game is on the line. Despite Igoudala’s shaky shooting, he’s still a top player in this league and can’t doubt his ability.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Elton Brand

Brand has never lived up to that contract he signed with the 76ers and this year is no different. He’s scoring five points below his career average this season and has shown signs of wear and tear on his body. Jefferson is quite the contrare. He is slowly starting to establish his dominance in the middle once again and will have fun going against Brand’s lack of defensive abilities. Watch out for Dalembert coming from the other side though.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Samuel Dalembert

Hollins’ fairy tale run came to an end Saturday but still made an impact. He only had four points but still showed that he is in the right spot in the starting lineup by posing a problem for opposing frontcourts. Dalembert is a solid starting NBA center; a true center if I might add. He will pose a problem for the Hollins’ weakness, as the 76ers could attack him in the post all game long.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Timberwolves: 12-38

Grizzlies: 26-23

The Wolves showed up to play last night in Dallas and came out with another win under our belts. Tonight, the Wolves are heading back home for a match-up with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Last time we played the Grizzlies, they were white-hot shooting an astounding 58% putting up 135 on the board. The Wolves’ defense has greatly improved since then and Rudy Gay has slowed his production. The new starting lineup of the Wolves will be a better fit against this Grizzlies team. Our team is taller and will match their strong frontcourt nicely. Despite the Grizzlies strong frontcourt, the key tonight will be stopping Rudy Gay and to not allow him to heat up at any point in the game. As I said, he’s had some bad scoring games lately (9, 10 and 11 in three of the past five games) so it can be done. The Wolves’ offense has looked great as of late, so that won’t be a problem tonight. The Grizzlies are athletic on defense but aren’t the best in the league in that category either. Our deep bench will be another key tonight. Even with Kevin Love aside, they put up 25 points last night and look like they are starting to gel quite nicely with each other. Having a solid rotation has given this team a foundation to rely on and ultimately get wins out of the deal as well.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Mike Conley

Conley blew up in the last meeting putting up 18 points and 8 assists. I can safely say that won’t happen again. Flynn’s defense is more stifling as of late, so Conley will have trouble putting up that kind of line again. Flynn’s lines have been solid and consistent — he only had one turnover last night.

Advantage: Minnesota

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. O.J. Mayo

Brewer is on fire right now. He is arguably the Wolves’ best player on the floor and will be a handful for Mayo. He’s hitting open shots and showing that his game is full of raw potential. He’s finally starting to prove to this team and its fans that he’s something special.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Rudy Gay

Gay lit the Wolves up last game but his production has slowed down as of late. Gomes has been a solid player lately scoring in double digits for five straight games. Still, you can’t deny the talent and ability of Gay, as he has the chance to take over any game at any given time.

Advantage: Memphis

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Zach Randolph

Jefferson still hasn’t returned to that dominant play we’ve been used to seeing but it has improved since his lackluster play a few weeks ago. Nonetheless, Randolph is an All-Star and is arguably having his best season of his career. Love off the bench, once again, will pose as an issue for the Grizzlies but I think Randolph will be too much to handle.

Advantage: Memphis

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Marc Gasol

Gasol hasn’t been talked about too much lately but Hollins is quite the opposite. Hollins has posted great lines and is averaging over 16 points a game since entering the starting lineup and has really boosted this team’s morale giving them three wins in the process.

Advantage: Minnesota