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

Timberwolves: 14-60

Kings: 24-51

Could this be the last chance for the Wolves to pick up a victory and stop free-falling into one of the worst losing streaks in NBA history? Possibly. After tonight’s game, the Wolves have seven games left; four of which are against teams contending for, or already have, playoff spots. If this is one of the last chances for the Wolves to break their streak, things don’t look too good. The last time these two teams met, the Kings worked the Wolves over on their way to a 114-100 win. Tyreke Evans was one rebound short of a triple-double that night and there’s no reason to think he couldn’t get one tonight. He out-plays Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions in all aspects of the game, proving that he is the league’s top rookie. Where the game could make or break itself for the Wolves, though, is the guys underneath. Al Jefferson, Kevin Love and Darko Milicic have not gelled well since being paired into a three-headed monster that has to take turns attacking the enemy, as opposed to using team-work to wear down the opposition. They fail at excelling on the court when two of the three on the floor together, thus proving that David Kahn will have some decisions to make this offseason about who will remain a Timberwolf. Well, no matter who is out there tonight, they will have difficulty stopping the Kings’ own three-headed monster: Carl Landry, Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson. Last game they went off for a combined 36 points and 22 rebounds and just seemed to outplay the big men of the Wolves. Match-up problems lie all over the place for the Wolves tonight, so production from any direction will be much needed in this match-up.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Tyreke Evans

Flynn has played better as of late, but still not well enough. His field goal percentage needs to improve until fans can deem him a decent point guard to say the least. On the other hand, Evans is this year’s best rookie and one of the league’s best point guards already. Good luck, Flynn.

Advantage: Sacramento

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Beno Udrih

Udrih doesn’t play a true shooting guard positions and neither does Evans play as a true point. I would classify them both as just guards, or “ball-handlers”. With that said, depending on who is defending Udrih tonight, they will have a difficult time with the quick, little speedster. Udrih has been playing great lately, especially in the absence of a recently injured Evans. He can sneakily score a good amount of points on you and very quick, so don’t let him get off your radar if you’re a Wolf. As for Corey, his game has seen a slight declination ever since the end of his three-pointer streak, but who’s game hasn’t fallen off if you’re a Wolf? Basically due to match-up problems, the Kings just have a better backcourt, period.

Advantage: Sacramento

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Donte Greene

Both Greene and Gomes are good role players for their squads but the advantage goes to Minnesota here because the Kings are a little down on depth at the position.

Advantage: Minnesota

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Carl Landry

Who will you play tonight, coach Rambis? You know what Al can do when given the opportunities at a constant rate and you know what Love can do when given the proper amount of minutes. The frontcourt is such a crap shoot for the Wolves right now, so I’d go with the solid combo of Landry-Thompson any day.

Advantage: Sacramento

Center:

Darko Milicic vs. Spencer Hawes

I like Darko, I truly do. But did you know the Wolves are now 1-17 with him on the squad thus far? Yikes. Makes you think twice about this whole possibility of re-signing him thing…

Advantage: Sacramento

Timberwolves: 14-57

Bobcats: 36-34

The Wolves hit the road again for a small two-game trip that starts in the Tar Heel state tonight. No matter where they’re playing, the Wolves’ woes continue to strangle coaches, players and fans alike. The losing streak has now hit 13 after the loss to the Raptors on Monday. The Wolves haven’t lost 14 straight games since a 16-game skid in 1994 and 1993. On the other hand, the Bobcats are gearing up with a new owner to head into the franchise’s first postseason appearance. The pieces do seem to be fitting into place with the likes of Stephen Jackson on offense and a stout defense led by Raymond Felton, Tyrus Thomas and, of course, Gerald Wallace, who has returned from an injury that set him back for a few games. The Wolves will need to play physical tonight in order to squeak out a win. In order to do that, we need good help defense from everyone on the floor. Darko Milicic will need to pose as a Godzilla like creature inside, swatting basketballs as if they were pesky, little fighter planes down to the ground. The offense has looked good, but defense, not so much and that’s where it starts tonight. No improvement on defense equals 14-game losing streak.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Raymond Felton

Flynn has had two games in a row in which coach Rambis has allowed him to create off the dribble and, frankly, its working well. Only problem now is to make sure he can shoot more efficiently while adding this slashing dimension to his game. Felton is a very good lock-down defender, so Flynn could have trouble blasting by him tonight.

Advantage: Charlotte

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Stephen Jackson

Jackson can be a bonafied stud, on a good night that is. His offensive numbers rely on how well he can create a shot and take advantage of it. Brewer does a good job of playing the pest and keeping his counterpart from getting easy shots off. As for offense, Brewer, despite breaking his long consecutive three-pointer streak, is still shooting and playing well. I like his chances tonight. Not to mention he’s due for a big game. Another reason Minnesota gets the advantage, two words: Wayne Ellington.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Gerald Wallace

Wallace has returned from a minor injury only to elevate his already high-passion way of playing the game. He plays hard on both ends of the court, especially when on defense. Gomes has done well in the month of March but Wallace’s defensive prowess and overall strength may have him beat tonight.

Advantage: Charlotte

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Boris Diaw

The power forward play of the Wolves has been good but only in certain stretches of the game. Usually, the start of the game is Jefferson’s limelight, where he goes 4-4 to start the game and ends the first quarter with around 8-10 points. Problem is that the Wolves then stop feeding it to him in the post and we run into lapses on offense. As for Kevin Love’s time, usually he comes in during the first, sucks, then hits the bench. Then his second time on the floor, he kills it. That just seems to be the trend I’ve been noticing as of late. If we can get a consistent performance from both of these guys tonight, Diaw, and many other power forwards in the NBA, don’t have a great advantage here.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Darko Milicic vs. Theo Ratliff

The soon to be starting center of the Wolves for the ‘10-’11 season has been dominating lately. Passing, shooting, rebounding and best of all a defensive threat in the paint, have all added a certain dynamic the Wolves have been missing before the trade for the seven-footer. The Bobcats are a little light at the center position, as noted by their starter. Tyson Chandler provides solid minutes off the bench but doesn’t provide the type of production they need.

Advantage: Minnesota

Timberwolves: 14-55

Lakers: 50-18

I'm goin' goin', back back, to cali cali

Best meets worst in tonight’s match-up in L.A. at the Staples Center. The Wolves have lost 17 of their last 18 including an 11 game losing streak. Another streak against the Wolves’ favor, L.A. is riding a current nine game win streak over the Wolves and look to make it 10 straight tonight with a win. One advantage for the Wolves tonight is that Pau Gasol may not be a go due to tonsillitis. Even then, they’ll just stick Lamar Odom in his place and have as much production — if not more — with Gasol in the lineup. The Wolves, both as a team and individually, look tired and defeated. It looks as if they want this season to just come to an end so they can hit the links and get a head start on their golf games. Even Kevin Love, arguably one of our best players, looks to be completely checked out, as he’s had two terrible shooting games back-to-back. Two guys that aren’t quite ready to be done playing are Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes. Both players are playing hard, creating their own shots on offense and shooting them well. Only problem for them tonight is they have to face the likes of Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest tonight. It just doesn’t look like our night.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Derek Fisher

Fisher is one of the most professional point guards in the league. He does everything right and is clutch in tight situations. Flynn is neither of those things and can’t shoot a ball into a lake right now.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Kobe Bryant

Brewer is playing well and making a strong case to return as a starter for next season as well as the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. That’s all there is to play for right now if you’re a Wolf. Kobe is Kobe and he’ll do his thing tonight.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Ron Artest

Just like Brewer, Gomes has played well the past few games. Problem is that Artest is one of the league’s best one-on-one defenders, so Gomes will have even more difficulty creating his own shots tonight.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Lamar Odom

From what I’ve heard, Gasol probably won’t play which gives the Wolves the advantage here. Here’s why. Jefferson has played great lately. Only problem is, the Wolves, for some odd reason, stop feeding the ball to the big fella after he gets off to a quick, efficient start in the first quarter. If they can keep feeding him continually tonight, he’ll score 25 on Odom. Odom is a great talent but he lacks the the size and strength to stay with Jefferson and his physical nature all night long. Ground and pound it to the big guy and we could have a shot at this one, well not really but maybe… Ah, it’s no use.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Andrew Bynum

Whether it’s actually Hollins starting or Darko Milicic, neither have a chance at slowing down the big man. Bynum is a freak and he’s still a young guy learning the game. But for tonight, he won’t be the student at all, as he’ll be taking Hollins and Darko to school all night long.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Timberwolves: 14-53

Suns: 41-36

Get ready for a barn burner! When two of the league’s fastest pace teams get together, you can definitely expect some poor defense and lots of run-and-gun game play. I think if both of these teams had the chance to, they would cancel out defense completely from the game of basketball. Sadly for them, they can’t, so basically, whoever can play defense or limit their turnovers best will win this game. Phoenix has the league’s most efficient offense and due largely to the decision of the Suns management to keep forward Amar’e Stoudemire. He’s torn it up the past five games, averaging 31 points and 11 rebounds. He’s tallied over 30 points in four of the past five games and scored 29 in the other against the Los Angeles Lakers. Who knows, maybe all the trade winds lit a fire under Stoudemire, and the management just used them as a motivational tool. With that said, I don’t know if the Wolves will have an answer for Stoudemire tonight. I mean, does anyone really? The Wolves interior defense has been suspect at best lately and offers no counter for the monster Stoudemire. On a positive note, Kevin Love may return tonight, as the Wolves have desperately missed him and the extra depth on the front line. Also, Al Jefferson has played well as of late and will look to continue that against one of the league’s worst defenses. But other than that, this game could get ugly, fast, especially if Jefferson is off and Love sits once again. For the sake of our current 15 out of 16 game losing drought, let’s hope the stars align and the basketball Gods are on our side for the night.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Steve Nash

I’m not happy with Flynn’s play lately. As a matter of fact, I still believe Ramon Sessions ought to play more tonight over Flynn but that ain’t up to me. Anyways, good luck to either of you guarding a wizard of a point guard in Nash.

Advantage: Phoenix

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Jason Richardson

Brewer is continuing to struggle with his shooting and can’t create shots of his own. He may have more — and better – opportunities in a potentially fast-paced game, so that’s something to look forward to. Richardson is surprisingly having a good season. I say surprising because I still only look at him as a fast-break threat who can hit a few threes on a good night. He scored 20 against the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday and I like his role on this Suns team.

Advantage: Phoenix

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Grant Hill

The geriatric Hill doesn’t contribute nearly as much as he used to but has a nice backup to sub in his place. Jared Dudley is a good young player, who can shoot from downtown and subtly make defenses respect his presence. Gomes is having the same trouble as Brewer in creating his own shots. I’d like to see more of a physical game from Gomes tonight. If he can bang Hill and Dudley around in the high post, I could see some good things happening from that.

Advantage: Minnesota

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Amar’e Stoudemire

I said it earlier, Stoudemire is a stud right now and not many defensive prowesses could stop him, let alone Jefferson’s pathetic defensive efforts. Jefferson’s offense is blossoming at a nice time but not nearly to the extent of Stoudemire’s.

Advantage: Phoenix

Center:

Ryan Hollins vs. Robin Lopez

I think Lopez is a bit underrated. Maybe its because he stands as a mere shadow to his All-Star brother from the New Jersey Nets, Brooke, but since he’s in the run-and-gun offense of the Suns, its hard for him to get much recognition for his defensive skills, as well as his so-so post moves. He also has a good backup in Channing Frye, who is shooting 43% from three-point range. I still don’t like Hollins and I hope Darko Milicic comes back tonight to offer so sort of defensive threat in the paint.

Advantage: Phoenix

Timberwolves: 14-52

Kings: 22-44

The Wolves head West in search of their 15th win of the season. If the Wolves plan to scale their way out from this current losing funk, tonight could be the night to do it. The Kings are coming off a shellacking to the hands of the Portland Trailblazers and are a little down in the dumps, like the Wolves, coming in having lost the last four out of five. Many of the Wolves’ players are growing frustrated with the losing and pain, so they should take advantage of getting to play another lottery team that isn’t very good. Tyreke Evans of the Kings will be a handful tonight for Jonny Flynn. He’s big, strong and can score at will. The Kings are also a better team than most expect due to the trade deadline acquisition of Carl Landry. Since joining the Kings, Landry has averaged 17.4 points a game and scores a majority of those from the inside and mid-range jumpers. Sounds very similar to the style of Luis Scola or the Houston Rockets, whom put up 25 points and grabbed 21 rebounds against the Wolves just a few weeks ago. With Kevin Love most likely out for tonight’s game, Al Jefferson will need to step up his defense to keep Landry from scoring and stealing rebounds from him. I don’t want to see any of this standing-around-on-defense non-sense any longer. The Wolves should come out and play some physical basketball by sticking it the the Kings, in hopes of wearing them down so they can steal the win in the end.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Tyreke Evans

I’m a little bit down on Flynn judging the way the he played the other night. On the other hand, Evans is still the lead runner for Rookie of the Year, averaging 20.1 points, 5.5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. Evans’ big and strong nature will give a smaller, weaker Flynn problems all night long, as he probably will go on to have a great game.

Advantage: Sacramento

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Beno Udrih

The dual-point guard backcourt of the Kings could pose a problem for the Wolves. Evans is too big and strong for Flynn to cover and Udrih is too quick and little for Brewer to guard. If you switch it around, it doesn’t get much better, a little but not much. I am looking for a bigger game out of Brewer on the offensive end tonight. With Love probably out, Brewer needs to step up and put up at least 15 tonight. He needs to show everyone that he can be a go-to guy for this team, especially down the stretch of this season.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Donte Greene

Based on their recent trends, Donte Greene will be in the starting lineup over crowd favorite Omar Casspi. Probably the key tonight at this position is keeping Casspi out of rhythm, even though he’s not the starter. When he heats up, usually from outside, the crowd in Sacramento goes nuts for this guy. Its actually fun to see but I’d rather not see it happen against the Wolves tonight. As for Gomes, I noticed he had trouble getting involved in the offense on Friday night and couldn’t create shots of his own. This will need to change if the Wolves want a victory tonight.

Advantage: Sacramento

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Carl Landry

This match-up, in my opinion, is the most important on the floor tonight. Landry has been a great pick up for the Kings and his style of play has left the Wolves scratching their heads to figure out how to defend it. Jefferson needs to step up and contest mid-range jumpers and play physical underneath, not giving Landry any room to work with. On the offensive end, it’d be nice to see Jefferson get in a groove from his favorable high-post position. He could work Landry all night long if he finds a groove.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Darko Milicic vs. Spencer Hawes

Still no word on whether Ryan Hollins or Darko will start tonight, but I think Rambis will give the nod to Darko. It will be nice to have Hollins back because they badly lacked depth on the front line on Friday night. Darko had a terrific game on Friday, scoring a season-high 12 points. Almost all of his points came off smooth skyhooks from the paint and that’s one thing the Wolves are missing from the center position. As for Hawes, he’s a rookie but a sturdy one at that. He can play tough underneath and move his range to the three-point line, so he could pose as a, yet another, match-up problem for the Wolves tonight. But I still think Darko being a true center gives the advantage to the Wolves.

Advantage: Minnesota

Timberwolves: 14-51

Spurs: 37-25

It seems like the Wolves are always playing teams from Texas as of late. Any-who, the Wolves and Spurs are coming into this game with completely different mind-sets; the Wolves are coming in having lost 12 of their last 13 and tensions are rising amongst the players and coaches while the Spurs are coming in off a good victory over the Knicks Wednesday night. ”Losing, it weighs on you,” [Head Coach Kurt] Rambis said. “Everybody is frustrated. This is where you look at people’s character and see what they do. Your options are to roll over or to fight.” Tonight will pose as a serious challenge for our Timber-Puppies. They are going through the growing pains of a rough rebuilding season full of highs and lows, but mostly lows. One thing to look for tonight is the play of Kevin Love. He has been considerably upset about his playing time and role as a player on this team. I’d like to see him get back to fighting shape and post a solid double-double while playing a satisfying amount of minutes. Al Jefferson has played well since returning from his brief two-game suspension. His shooting percentage has increased steadily and he looks like he’s getting back into the groove he had back in December and January. As for the Spurs, Manu Ginobili has filled the void of Tony Parker nicely, including a game high 28-point-effort Wednesday against the Knicks, and will be a tough match-up for Corey Brewer. Stopping him will be key if the Wolves plan to pull themselves out of this funk. The pace of this game will also be important. The Wolves will want to pressure the Spurs early and not allow them to set up their half-spurt sets. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure the Wolves won’t be able to hang with the Spurs in a slower, half-court set type of game, so the Wolves need to get the Spurs running to have a even a fighting chance. But even then, the fact of the matter is that the Wolves have been dominated by the Spurs and have lost 10 straight to them. Will tonight make it 11 straight? We’ll see.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. George Hill

Flynn has played better as of late. He’s still not at the level where most fans and coaches want him to be but he’s slowly improving. Hill is filling in for the injured Tony Parker and has done well himself. This match-up is going to come down to who can shoot the ball better, especially from 3-point territory. And based on numbers alone, Hill has the advantage but watch out for Flynn’s heart and soul, especially if this goes down to the wire.

Advantage: San Antonio

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Manu Ginobili

We’ve all been witness to what Brewer has done these past few months and it truly has been a terrific thing to watch. But truth is, all good things come to an end and Brewer’s hot hand has finally cooled off. His streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer is still alive but his shooting percentages are declining. On the other hand, Ginobili has played outstanding as of late and has provided a solid scoring option for the Spurs in the absence of Tony Parker.

Advantage: San Antonio

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Keith Bogans

Gomes has played very well the past few games. I’ve enjoy watching his play in the high-post particularly. Bogans could have troubles defending Gomes due to his advantage in strength and size. Bogans can provide a spark on offense though, especially if he warms up from beyond the arc but even then, I think Gomes has a good advantage here.

Advantage: Minnesota

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Antonio McDyess

McDyess is a bit over the hill, so Jefferson’s youth and athleticism might bite McDyess in the butt tonight. With that aside, I really want to see what Rambis has planned for Kevin Love tonight. Love’s minutes have declined and Rambis has used Love in some peculiar roles lately. I’d like to see Love get back to his prototypical double-double form again tonight, all while playing just as many minutes as Big Al does.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Darko Milicic vs. Tim Duncan

Duncan is showing signs of wear-and-tear just like McDyess and has yet to post a double-double this month. Well tonight might be the night. Darko has been solid lately, including his most efficient performance Wednesday night against the Nuggets. But Timmy is Timmy and Darko could have trouble with Duncan’s sheer dominating skills.

Advantage: San Antonio

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.