Category: Minnesota Timberwolves

February 7, 2012

Game 25 Preview: Sacramento Kings vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Sacramento Kings (8-15) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (12-12)

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Last game: Minnesota: W, 100-91 vs Houston, Sacramento: 100-92 vs New Orleans

Marcus Thornton has all your malicious intent.

Minnesota finally reached .500 defeating Houston 100-91 on Saturday night, but it came at a hefty price: the loss of Kevin Love for two games after he accidentally/on purpose stepped on Luis Scola’s face and chest. Love had 25 points and 18 rebounds in the Timberwolves victory, while Ricky Rubio contributed 13 points and 11 assists.

The Kings continued their two game winning streak by beating the Hornets yesterday in New Orleans, largely thanks to the beastly contributions of Demarcus Cousins, who scored 28 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the win.

The Key Questions

#1. Umm, how are the Timberwolves supposed to get a win without Kevin Love?

Easy. Derrick Williams/Michael Beasley just need to play good, consistent basketball for four quarters filling in for him. They will need to take good shots, avoid the mid-range game whenever possible, post up when they can, and focus on getting to the hoop and drawing fouls. They will need to take threes only when they are open, get a lot of rebounds, and make great outlet passes.

Yikes.

#2. What will the Pekovic/Cousins matchup look like?

Cousins is considerably more talented than Darko. He is also more talented than Pek, but the biggest difference between Pek and Darko is Pekovic’s sheer, brutish strength down low. Cousins may find himself in more of a matchup struggle tonight. Pekovic’s personal fouls per 36 minutes have also gone down from a whopping 7.3 (meaning Pek would more than foul out in less than an entire game every time he was on the floor…) to a less whopping 4.9. Still a lot of fouls, but definitely a vast improvement.

#3. With Kevin Love out, who will step up for Minnesota?

Last time these two teams met, the Wolves were spurred on by Kevin Love’s 33-11 (not surprising) and Luke Ridnour’s 25 points and 9 assists (really really really surprising). The Wolves backcourt, in comparison to Sacramento’s, is severely undersized, but they came through big back in January. Hopefully we see another big performance.

The Key Matchups

We already discussed Pekovic vs Cousins. One of the biggest advantages Minnesota will have, as usual, is depth. Barea wasn’t playing last time these two met, so his return should help quite a bit.

Derrick Williams could do wonders for himself tonight with a big game. It would probably earn him some more minutes in the rotation, since Kevin Love has been playing almost 40 minutes per game (39.4). Williams could also do wonders for Minnesota if the Wolves are considering him as trade bait by making some real contributions apart from awesome Rubioop highlights.

The Outlook

Even without Love, this is a very winnable game. The Kings have a two game winning streak, but both wins came at the hands of mediocre teams (Golden State and New Orleans). If the Wolves can avoid a slow shooting start, they very well could go OVER .500.

That would be a really weird feeling.

Game starts at 7 on Fox Sports North

February 1, 2012

Game 22: Indiana Pacers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Indiana Pacers (14-6) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (10-11)

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Last game: Minnesota: W, 120-108 vs Houston, Indiana: W, 106-99 vs New Jersey

Surprisingly, the internet isn't full of pictures of the Timberwolves playing the Pacers. The Warriors have similar colors. Just pretend.

The Timberwolves picked up an encouraging road win against a scorching Houston team on Monday. The Wolves used a huge third quarter (42 points, a new franchise record) to blow open a close game, as Michael Beasley scored 34 points off the bench on hyper-efficient 10-14 from the field. Other things that happened on Saturday: the sun rose green and the clouds were purple.

Indiana beat New Jersey last night 106-99. On the one hand, Indiana only beat New Jersey by seven on their home floor, George Hill hurt his ankle and will be out for quite a while, David West only took four shots from the field in 34 minutes of action, it was last night, and tonight is the second night of a back to back on the road. On the other hand, this.

The Key Questions

#1. Holy…can Michael Beasley keep doing that?

Jonah already did a great post on this topic right here, but…

Hey Mike. Tom from Howlin’ T-Wolf here. That was awesome, buddy. Seriously. You were killer against Houston. It was like you were back at K-State overpowering everybody on the offensive end. We were all a little blown away, and we all enjoyed the crap out of it.

But Mike? Please, please pleaseplease don’t let it get out of hand. I know you made 2-3 shots from behind the arc against Houston. But no matter how well it went against the Rockets Mike, you aren’t a three point shooter. We definitely appreciate the threes you have made. But don’t make them a regular part of your arsenal. You need to trust me on this. Keep taking shots close to the basket, keep playing to your strengths.

Thanks man. You are my favorite. I love watching you get minutes, which is why I say all this stuff. Keep up the good work.

-Tom

#2. Are the Pacers for real this season?

That depends on how one defines the phrase “for real.” Are they a playoff team, especially in the Eastern Conference? Most definitely. Could they win a playoff series, given the right match-up? Yeah, probably. Are they ECF contenders? Without everything falling into place (key injuries to opponents, the Celtics/Magic inexplicably knocking off Miami or Chicago, career performances from role players, etc.), it’s pretty hard to project.

Please note: I am absolutely not underestimating the Pacers. They are an excellent team right now, and they have some excellent pieces and a lot of really interesting cap room going into the next two off-seasons. They are extremely well positioned for the future. It’s just hard to see them making it past the second round this season.

#3. Will we finally see Barea return?

Reports indicate…YES!

The Key Matchups

Listen, I love Nikolai Pekovic. He works hard. He gets some rebounds. He can score around the basket. He has a super badass tattoo. But Pek can’t defend a player like Roy Hibbert. You thought the Lakers were long? Try going 40 minutes against a 7’2 super-athlete with long arms and a developing post game. Quite simply put: when Hibbert is in the game, the Wolves will struggle if they go small. Pek isn’t nearly long enough. Darko is closer, and he is supposed to return to action, despite continued dizziness.

David West is a fine basketball player, but he isn’t a truly plus defender, and he isn’t Kevin Love. The Timberwolves will need to win this matchup tonight.

Darren Collison vs Ricky Rubio will be interesting mainly because Collison is the kind of super quick point guard that scouts didn’t believe Rubio could defend coming into the NBA. Rubio, of course, has been using his ridiculous length to his advantage against such point guards and should be able to play Collison well.

If Minnesota’s deep bench can beat Indiana’s relatively deep bench (shallower without George Hill, but still), then Minnesota is probably in good shape, since Indiana’s starters will probably be tired after New Jersey yesterday.

The Outlook

While this projects to be a very good game, I like Minnesota’s chances at home against a weary Pacers squad. Then again, I said the same thing about LA on Sunday, and the Wolves played very poorly. And I didn’t like Minnesota’s chances against Houston, who they handled solidly. So. Minnesota will probably lose by 30. It’s going to be a blowout.

Game starts at 7 on Fox Sports North

January 29, 2012

Game 20: Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Los Angeles Lakers (11-9) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (9-10)

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Last game: Minnesota: W, 87-79 vs San Antonio, Los Angeles: L, 100-89 vs Milwaukee

The Timberwolves beat the Spurs on Friday at the Target Center, winning against Dallas and San Antonio in consecutive games for the second time this season. Minnesota’s balanced scoring attack kept the venerable Spurs at bay. Kevin Love had 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Rubio chipped in 18 points and 10 assists.

The Lakers have been struggling lately, dropping another bad loss yesterday to the Bucks. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, but needed 21 shots to do it. Pau Gasol struggled as well, shooting 6-18 from the field and failing to get to the free throw line. If the playoffs started today, the Lakers would miss them.

The Key Questions

#1. Will the Lakers struggle on the road against Minnesota?

Los Angeles is 1-7 on the road so far this year. Plus, this is the second night of a back to back, and the Lakers lost a demoralizing game to the Bucks last night. Kobe played 42 minutes, Pau played 39, and Andrew Bynum played 36. The Wolves should attempt to push the pace against a Lakers team that is likely to be gassed.

#2. Are the healthy Wolves a dangerous team?

It sure seems that way. As more and more players come back from injuries, the Wolves seem to get more and more dangerous, especially on offense. Martell Webster’s return should add some needed three point shooting. Beasley’s shot creation is now back (as is his inattention on defense, but I’m trying to stay positive). Add that to Pek’s productive minutes (probably not something we can count on every night) and Wes Johnson’s newfound aggression on offense (probably not something we can count on every night, either) and the Wolves…well. The Wolves might be considered a legitimately good team.

#3. When was the last time the Timberwolves were favored over the Lakers?

No, seriously. Look for yourself.

The Key Matchups

Kevin Love and Pau Gasol have battled each other well in the past. But Lamar Odom was the Laker who used to give Love the biggest fits, and he’s gone this year. In his place, the Lakers have a trade exception. The trade exception has been playing well so far (0 ppg in 0 minutes), but there’s little doubt the Lakers miss Odom’s production.

Kobe will get his points, even if he takes 30 shots to do it. It will probably be up to Wes Johnson to make sure that he does. Ruh roh.

Andrew Bynum scares me. He’s huge, he’s volatile (someone hide Barea…), and he’s talented. He’s probably going to give Darko fits, although Darko is the one Timberwolf with enough length to bother the enormous Lakers.

Minnesota’s biggest advantage should be from the bench. The Lakers have several players who can contribute baskets every once in a while (Jason Kapono, Josh McRoberts, etc.) but none aside from the big three who can score regularly. This is a bad offensive team. The Wolves, however, can bring offense off the bench at any time, especially considering the open looks Rubio can create. The Minnesota bench will need to badly outscore the Lakers tonight.

The Outlook

I hate to be a jinx, so start knocking on wood immediately, but I really like Minnesota in this game. The Wolves youth and athleticism should go a long way agains the road-weary Lakers. And for the first time in several years, Los Angeles is having trouble scoring. Their defense has been good (7th in the league in opponents ppg), but teams need to score to win. As long as Kobe doesn’t score 80, I could very well see Minnesota winning this one.

Beat LA.

Game starts at 6 pm on Fox Sports North.

January 28, 2012

Real Confidence: Wolves win 87-79

“We weren’t playing to win the game (last year). This year, we are playing to win the game. We are confident. Real confident.” -Kevin Love

Hey, remember what watching the Wolves was like last year? I…me neither. I have vague recollections, but trying to pinpoint the exact feeling is like trying to remember a nightmare from two nights ago. The general theme is still around, but the details keep slipping through the cracks in your mind, and it’s tough to remember why you were so scared in the first place.

It has become redundant to point out, but with every game it becomes more abundantly clear: the Timberwolves have a totally new mentality. There is no way, absolutely NO WAY, Minnesota would have won that game last year. They wouldn’t have closed out. They would have lost by seven or eight, and we would be talking today about how well they performed for most of the game. Then we would have said something about how “we can’t wait until they learn how to close out games.”

With 3:27 left in the fourth quarter, Gary Neal buried a three on the Wolves, giving San Antonio a two point lead for the first time in quite a while. At that point I was having ‘Nam-like flashbacks, and I thought Minnesota was cooked. Apparently, every lesson the Wolves have taught me about their resiliency has been lost so far. But that shot would have been curtains for last year’s team.

Not this year.

The Wolves came storming back, scoring the last 10 points of the game. Up four, and looking for a dagger with 37.3 seconds left, Love barreled through the lane with very little time left on the shot clock and buried a floating baby hook (perhaps double dribbling on the way? Tough to tell), and it was time to party in Minnesota.

Now, this isn’t Minnesota’s first big win of the season. It isn’t the first time they’ve been a game away from .500. Heck, it isn’t even the first time they’ve beaten the Spurs at the Target Center, and the first time, they won by more. So why am I so excited about this win? Why do I feel like it was so monumental?

Because Minnesota didn’t play exceptionally well. Beasley was inefficient, Ridnour was ineffective, Darko was inactive (actually, that may have helped), Love didn’t make a three, and Ellington was 1-4 in 18 minutes of action. The Wolves didn’t blow San Antonio away by playing at an unsustainable level, like last game. The Wolves shot just 43% from the floor, and the Spurs stayed close throughout.

No, Minnesota won because, last night, they were the better team. They continued to grind and they continued to defend, holding the sixth most offensively efficient team in the NBA to 19 points below their season average, and they made some very clutch shots to come up with a gritty win.

That’s what good, confident basketball teams do, and now Minnesota has done it in consecutive games against playoff-caliber Western Conference opponents. This is something new. It’s something we haven’t seen from the Timberwolves since…well…since KG was traded. Despite his many, many well publicized blunders, David Kahn has built a real basketball team here in Minneapolis, capable of winning real basketball games.

Pinch me, someone. I want to make sure I’m not dreaming.

Bullet points!

For my money, this Rubio-Love alley-oop is the best Timberwolves alley-oop of the year so far, narrowly edging the Rubio-Derrick Williams reverse alley-oop from the last Spurs game. Just gorgeous.
Ever since this minor fiasco a few weeks ago, Anthony Randolph has been comically careful to make sure he passes to his point guard before running down the court. At one point in the first half, he grabbed a rebound and started to dribble before the cogs visibly turned in his brain and he stopped short looking for Luke Ridnour. At least he’s learning!
Martell Webster looked really good in his short return to action. He only made one shot (a three pointer) and missed a dunk that would have blown the lid off the Target Center, but his defense on Richard Jefferson bothered two of Jefferson’s shots badly, and may have helped to prevent him from continuing to torch the Wolves the way he did in the first half.
FSN needs to stop advertising these jerseys because I’m absolutely going to end up buying one. In fact…dammit. I totally am. HOW FREAKING COOL ARE THEY?!
Wes was unmistakably more aggressive tonight. All six of his points came nine feet from the basket and closer, including two very nice dunks. But the best play of Wes’ game came in the fourth, as he was rewarded with some crunch time minutes. Tim Duncan was working on Nikolai Pekovic in the post, and the Wolves were up one. As Duncan put up a shot, Wes came flying out of nowhere, swatted the shot, and came down with the ball himself. Smart, heads up defense from Wes in a big-time moment.
Speaking of Pek, I had several jokes ready to go when I saw him in the starting lineup…but why use them? Pek was (I’m really excited that I get to use this totally appropriate noun to describe him…) a beast. He scored 14 points on efficient 7-13 shooting (!!) and for a four-ish minute window in the third quarter, he was the best player on the floor. Lengthy players like Duncan and Tiago Splitter still give the Wolves fits, but Pek gave Minnesota some really quality minutes.
Hey, good defense Tony.
Take a look at this shot chart and notice the corner threes. Last year, and even earlier this year, Minnesota would have had trouble defending the corner. But last night, they were getting to the spot and contesting really well. A very encouraging sign.
Beasley’s back! Which means overly long bullet points in every one of my recaps analyzing him are back too (I really love me some Beas). So here goes: Beasley was inefficient tonight, which is unsurprising. Again, his best basketball happened when he was working out of the post, which has been a recurring theme. He was out-played by Derrick Williams, who had 12 points on 6-10 shooting. Two things I noticed specifically while watching: first (and really, probably not that important), as the camera panned to the Timberwolves huddle in a timeout, I watched Beasley, who wasn’t going to be in on the next play. I expected to see him staring off into space, singing the words to whatever song was playing on the speakers while Adelman discussed the next play with the team. Nope. Beas was focused, watching what Adelman was drawing up, despite the fact that he wasn’t going to be in. I don’t know what it means (probably nothing), but I liked seeing it anyway. Second: Minnesota’s announcers spent two entire possessions discussing how Beasley is too much of a ball-stopper and how he needs to “pass more on a team with Rubio.” But why? Why would Minnesota want their worst passer passing the ball? Unselfish Beasley turns it over way too much, and we spent the past 11 games pining for Beasley’s return because we missed him as a shot-creator.
Not really a new bullet point, but the last one was getting too long. Beas DID have a really nice give and go pass to Derrick Williams. So that happened too.
I feel like Minnesota’s TV announcers are actually pretty good about being unbiased, and that they occasionally manage to actually teach me something. Can any non-Timberwolves fans confirm/deny this statement?
Last thought: after losing to Houston, I was really discouraged about Minnesota’s prospects of getting back to .500 any time soon, considering that their next three opponents were the Mavericks, Spurs, and Lakers. Two down, one to go…

January 25, 2012

Game 18 Preview: Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Dallas Mavericks (11-7) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (7-10)

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This is still a Picture of the Year candidate to me.

Last game: Minnesota: L, 107-92 vs Houston, Dallas: 97-83 vs Phoenix

Minnesota rallied in the third quarter to tie the game against Houston on Monday, but then hit a brick wall with an injury depleted roster, as Houston put the Wolves away with a flurry of fast breaks and three pointers. Kevin Love was completely dominant, scoring 39 points on supremely efficient 13-19 shooting from the field to go with 12 rebounds, but Ricky Rubio had the type of game that reminds the viewer that he is still adjusting to the NBA game, as he turned the ball over five times, all at very inopportune moments.

Dallas, without Dirk, edged the Suns on Monday, as Shawn Marion (!!!) caught fire from deep, hitting four 3-pointers, and scoring 29 points for the Mavericks, who have won 4 in a row, two in a row without Dirk.

The Key Questions

#1. What difference will injuries make in this game?

Rick Adelman, after Monday’s loss:

I have three guards and no small forward. We tried to adjust, but you’re putting people out of position…We just didn’t have enough answers.

Not exactly a boost of confidence. JJ Barea and Michael Beasley will both miss tonight’s game as well, and I can’t find confirmation anywhere that Wes will return, although one hopes he’d be feeling a bit better today.

The good news for Minnesota, of course, is that they still have their best player, the newly extended Kevin Love (much more on that coming from Jonah later today). The same can’t be said for Dallas, who will be missing Dirk Nowitzki for the fourth consecutive game.

#2. What should we make of Minnesota’s first win against Dallas?

Literally nothing. The Wolves beat a Dallas team that wasn’t mentally ready for the season to start yet. They did it in Minnesota in front of a jazzed crowd, with Beasley and Barea both contributing significantly. And, on the other hand, Dallas had Dirk.

Tonight’s game could go either way, but don’t expect Minnesota to win just because they beat Dallas earlier this season, and don’t expect Dallas to lose just because Dirk is out. Dallas has been excellent at home this season (7-2), and they have been hot lately. This team is more than just Dirk.

#3. How worried should we be about Rubio’s 5 turnover performance against Houston?

For my money? Not worried at all. We have been spoiled watching Rubio play like a point guard well beyond his years so far this season. He has made smart decisions, especially (oddly) shooting the ball, and he has led Minnesota to seven wins so far.

But we can’t expect a point guard experiencing his first year of NBA basketball to be perfect. Rubio is going to make mistakes, he’s going to have bad games, and we are going to have to suffer through them with him. That’s the trade off of getting a flashy player like Rubio. On his off nights, just remember this. It will help with the pain.

The Key Matchups

We saw a preview of Jason Kidd vs Ricky Rubio earlier this year, but now Rubio is in the starting lineup. Of course, he was essentially playing starter’s minutes before, but now he’s playing EXTRA starter’s minutes. So. There’s that.

Elsewhere, Shawn Marion has been playing very well in Dirk’s absence. On Wes Johnson’s DraftExpress profile, it lists his best case scenario as a Shawn Marion-type player. They will probably get some minutes tonight guarding each other, if Wes is back in the lineup. If not, Derrick Williams played a serviceable, if not amazing, game in his first start against Houston, and he’s certainly strong enough to fight Marion off in the post. Whether or not he can get out and defend the three point line against Marion may remain to be seen.

Remember when we were all crowing about how deep Minnesota’s bench ran? That was nice. Now we see Minnesota’s bench going just nine deep. Against Houston, every starter played over 30 minutes save Darko, and Love played over 40, while Wayne Ellington played 34 off the bench. No wonder Wayne needed a cryogenic bath.

The Outlook

I’m hesitant to be too optimistic, since the Wolves are exhausted and undermanned, but it’s tough to be too down about playing the Mavericks when Dirk Nowitzki will spend the evening suited up like Barney Stinson. But it’s a road game against the defending champs. Don’t expect anything easy.

Game starts at 7:30 on Fox Sports North.

January 25, 2012

Jonny Flynn has beef with Ricky Rubio

Ok, so “beef with Rubio” might be sensationalizing a wee bit. But Jonny Flynn definitely doesn’t appreciate the way that Minnesota’s fans turned on him during his time with the team, and after reading what he has to say, it’s a little hard to blame him.

From The Pioneer Press:

Jonny Flynn…said he was disappointed with fan criticism when he was with Minnesota last season and the speculation about Ricky Rubio joining the team.

I let (the Rubio talk) get to me too much,” Flynn said. “Everybody was always talking about Ricky coming here. My two years here was like five years to me.

Flynn said he “tried to stay a professional” about the situation.

“I remember all of that,” Flynn said of the criticism. “It felt like we were playing 82 road games last year when your own crowd was on you. What did I do to deserve that? I never spoke bad about Minnesota or the organization.”

Flynn makes a pretty convincing case. Minnesota’s fans turned on him quickly during his sophomore season when he was struggling to come back from an injury. As he struggled, it was probably natural for fans to pine a little bit for someone else to come along and save the team, but in doing so, it wouldn’t be hard to infer that they helped wreck Flynn’s confidence. Young point guards have to make huge adjustments coming into the league, and it’s incredibly important for any young player to have confidence. Flynn was never given that chance.

Of course, one of the things Flynn failed to mention is that his struggles were probably more due to the system he played in than a lack of fan support. We all knew that Rambis’ triangle offense was a godawful abject failure, but it’s possible it may have ruined the career of Flynn, who never got comfortable shackled within it and consequently lost a lot of playing time.

As someone who has been cheering for Flynn for a couple of years, it definitely stings a little to see that he feels the fans treated him this badly. It also stings to see him badly buried on the depth chart in Houston, barely even getting garbage-time minutes.

I, for one, truly hope he finds a role somewhere in the NBA, far away from Kurt Rambis. Good luck, Jonny.

January 25, 2012

Kevin Love has a contract extension! Unless he doesn't…

We assumed he was celebrating, but now we are reading it as what the hell is happening?! — We assumed he was celebrating, but now we are reading it as "what the hell is happening?!"

So let’s sort through this mess as best we can, with the knowledge that it could very well be entirely different by the time you are reading this Wednesday morning.

The Pioneer Press reported Tuesday that Love and the Timberwolves had agreed to a contract extension of 4 years and $62 million. ESPN, presumably basing their information off the same report, ran a story as well. Kevin Love was staying in Minnesota! Yay! Smiley face!

Then ESPN ran a report that said discussions were “ongoing” and that no agreement had yet been reached. Sad face.

Also, Love himself tweeted a snarky comment about the current state of affairs, with a nice little zinger for internet journalists as well: “If you read it on the internet it must be true right? #sarcasm.” Sarcasm?! PANIC FACE!

Now TwinCities.com has an updated post, as of 12:55 CST on Wednesday, saying that Love IS going to sign the extension today, and that David Kahn has flown down to Dallas to complete the paperwork. Happy…sad…confused….what face?

Fortunately, we here at Howlin’ T-Wolf can exclusively report that Kevin Love is definitely a basketball player who has definitely played the past few seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and we’d really like him to continue to do so.

Whatever is happening, it’s definitely probably not nothing, and we will keep you updated throughout the day.

January 23, 2012

Game 17 Preview: Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Houston Rockets (9-7) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (7-9)

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Last game: Minnesota: L, 108-98 vs Utah, Houston: W, 105-102 vs San Antonio

Jonny Flynn should feel right at home sitting on the bench in his return to the Target Center tonight.

A clearly fatigued Minnesota team lost to the surprising Jazz Saturday night, breaking the Timberwolves three game winning streak. Kevin Love settled for entirely too many jumpers shooting just 5-21 from the field. Utah’s interior size torched Minnesota, as the starting big men Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson combined for 44 points.

The Rockets rallied late against San Antonio on Saturday, going on a 26-18 run to end the game and beat the Spurs 105-102 in Houston. The Rockets improved to 9-7 on the year, but are just 2-6 on the road.

Jonny Flynn and Kevin McHale both make their returns to the Target Center tonight.

The Key Questions

#1. Is this the new Wes Johnson?

In the first 13 games of the season, Wes attempted two free throws. Go ahead, re-read it. Then check my math. It’s the truth. In the past three games, Wes has attempted 8. Not mind numbing numbers by any means, but certainly an improvement. He has also looked more comfortable shooting the ball, shooting 11-18 from the field and 4-7 from three point range.

Listen, I’ve done my fair share of Wes bashing here on Howlin’ T-Wolf, but even I would never deny this: Wes’ athleticism is excellent and his shot is a thing of beauty when it’s falling. If he can continue to show signs of improvement like he has over the past few games, I’ll be very encouraged.

#2. Which is stronger: the Rockets six game winning streak or their bad road record?

As mentioned before, the Rockets are just 2-6 on the road. Part of that stems from their difficult road schedule, and their relatively easy home games. On the road, Houston has faced the Clippers, Grizzlies, Thunder, Spurs, and Magic. At home, they have been matched up against the Pistons, Kings, Hornets, and the struggling Trailblazers.

Of course, the Wolves have challenged teams like the Heat, beat Dallas at home, beat the Clippers on the road, and lost to teams like Toronto, so are the Timberwolves going to be another road test for the Rockets, or an opportunity to improve that 2-6 mark? It’s hard to say.

#3. Oh Barea, where art thou?

JJ Barea is out for yet ANOTHER week with a sprained ankle, as is Beasley with his sprained foot. Rubio has been doing an excellent job creating open shots for his teammates to kickstart an occasionally stagnant offense, and Wayne Ellington continues to make a solid case for himself for minutes. But at some point, the Wolves are going to need a player (or two) who can create for himself, and the two most capable shot creators on this team are both nursing sprains.

The Key Matchups

Kyle Lowry is a beast. Really, I just wanted to start off by saying that. He is incredibly athletic, but more importantly, he makes good basketball decisions. Lowry is averaging 16 points and 8 assists per game. His turnovers are up (3.6) but his usage rate is up 4% as well, so he’s being entrusted with the ball more often. But it’s his style of play that will make tonight’s matchup against Rubio so interesting. Lowry is kind of similar to Westbrook in that he goes crashing to the basket to try to score. It will be fun to see how Rubio is tested defensively tonight after a big night offensively against Utah (17 points, 11 assists).

Love will be matched against Luis Scola, whose range will test Love on defense. Scola, however, is a below average defender, so look for Love to start a new double double streak in impressive fashion tonight.

Derrick Williams showed some really great flashes against Utah. He still took some contested long twos, showing some inner Beasley, but he spent quite a bit more time working his way to the basket and to the free throw line, which was really great to see. It would be nice to see him get some more quality minutes tonight.

The most disappointing thing about tonight’s matchup? Brad Miller is injured and Jonny Flynn doesn’t get any playing time, so there’s very little chance of a Miller/Flynn grudge match. *sad sigh*

The Outlook

I have no idea what to expect from Minnesota anymore. They are capable of beating just about anyone and equally capable of losing to anyone. They had a night off in between games, so hopefully that will give them enough rest time to come out fresh. But honestly? I refuse to guess one way or the other.

Game starts at 7 on Fox Sports North

January 21, 2012

Game 16 Preview: Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Utah Jazz (9-5) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (7-8)

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Last game: Minnesota: W, 101-98 vs Los Angeles Clippers, Utah: 94-91 vs Dallas Mavericks

Do we have to move on already? The Wolves won their third consecutive game in dramatic fashion last night as Kevin Love hit a three at the buzzer. Darko Milicic inexplicably scored 22 points on 10-15 shooting, and the Wolves battled their way back from a double digit third quarter deficit to secure the win.

The Jazz also battled back, but came up just short against the hot Mavericks, falling 94-91. Former Timberwolf Al Jefferson led the way for the Jazz with 22 points, and Utah fell to 9-5 on the season.

Injury report: Minnesota: Barea out (ankle), Beasley out (foot) plus the usual suspects. Utah: Josh Howard out (quad)

The Key Questions

#1. Will there be hangover from last night for the Timberwolves?

You may have heard that Minnesota had a pretty dramatic game last night. In the second biggest city in the nation, against one of the most hyped teams in the NBA, on ESPN for the first time in years, the Wolves spent the entire game battling back before Love hit his shot. It would be understandable if the Wolves came out a little flat against the Jazz.

But this is the NBA, and more importantly, this is the NBA in 2012. The games are packed together, and after every big win, there’s another big game lurking around the corner. Minnesota will need to shake off the afterglow (but not the confidence gained) from such a big win, turn around, and try to knock off a surprisingly good Jazz team who are currently in 5th in the Western Conference.

Speaking of which…

#2. How are the Jazz so good this year?

Utah has played quite a few games so far this season in Salt Lake City. 9 at home, 5 away to be exact, which happens to directly coincide with their record of 9-5. They have only beaten three truly quality teams, Philadelphia, Denver, and the Clippers.

That’s not to say that Utah can’t be a good team when they are playing other good teams. The front court trio of Jefferson, Paul Millsap, and Derrick Favors have developed some really good chemistry, and Gordon Hayward has made some really big strides as well.

They also have a very deep bench of role players, which makes them dangerous on consecutive nights.

Speaking of which…

#3. What have we learned about the Timberwolves so far this year on the second night of a back to back?

Remember how we all made a big deal about how good the Timberwolves would be on the second night of back to backs before the season started?

Those were nice times. The Timberwolves are now 1-4 on the second consecutive night of basketball. Their one win was against San Antonio on some of the hottest shooting we’ve seen from them. Some of the losses? Toronto and Milwaukee, as well as a blown game against Atlanta.

This doesn’t bode well for tonight’s game. The Wolves will have to rely on the same contributors from last night to have a big impact tonight, given the injuries to Barea and Beasley. So let’s talk about those contributors. (Also about the fact that I’m KILLING my transitions today.)

The Key Matchups

At the risk of sounding too punch-drunk after Love drained a very deep three to win the game last night, Love’s range very well might bother his defenders tonight. Neither Millsap nor Jefferson is particularly suited to guarding the three point line. Derrick Favors got a shot at Love last season in Utah and Minnesota’s final matchup, and he played decently, scoring 13 points, but he allowed Love to score 22.

Al Jefferson is going to get Darko to foul out within 15 minutes. I’m calling this one right now. Jefferson relies on a fairly wide array of pump fakes, and Darko bites on EVERY SINGLE PUMP FAKE IN THE HISTORY OF MAN. Ugh.

I feel like Devin Harris’ size and athleticism would cause some serious problems for Rubio if Harris hadn’t seemingly forgotten how to play good basketball this year.

The Jazz have a lot of young players coming off the bench, including two rookies: Alec Burks and Enes Kanter. I’m a fan of Burks, who is very proficient in turnovers, unfortunately (2.0 per game), but is a decent shooter for a rookie (42%, but steadily improving). Kanter will grab a lot of rebounds, but he is unathletic in every way save strength.

The Outlook

Someone on Twitter pointed out yesterday that tonight’s game is win-win for the Wolves (and if you are reading this, hit me up on Twitter so I can credit you…) because if the Wolves win, they go to .500 on the season, but the more the Jazz win, the better the chance that Minnesota gets a first round pick this year, since the Wolves own Utah’s lottery protected first pick. So there’s that. Optimism!

I’ll be honest: I’m not feeling this game. The back to back thing is killing me. But it’s tough to pick against a team that did what the Wolves did against the Clippers, and as much as I’ve enjoyed watching the Jazz so far this year, I’m not a believer in Utah quite yet.

Hopefully tonight doesn’t do much to change my mind.

Game starts at 8 pm on League Pass

January 21, 2012

Resilience: Wolves beat Clippers at the buzzer

This picture is relevant. — This feels relevant, somehow.

I was watching the Clippers/Wolves with some friends, and when Randy Foye drove into the lane, avoided two defenders in midair, and scored a tough layup to put the Clippers up by 12 in the fourth quarter, I considered packing it in and watching the end when I got home to write this recap. 12 points was too much for this team, no matter how resilient they had seemed, right? I began thinking of positive things I could say (“well, at least we know what Darko could be if he was good at basketball!” or “at least it wasn’t Ryan Gomes punishing Minnesota!”).

But then a couple of shots fell, it was under 10, and I thought “aww heck. What’s another ten minutes?”

Twenty minutes later, we tensed up as Rubio pushed a three into the air, and yelled “YES!” simultaneously as it hit nothing but net. We all thought the same thing: “20 seconds…dammit, that’s too much time to leave for Chauncey.” We winced as Chauncey fell down, perked up as no foul was called (correctly, I might add), and buzzed about Rubio’s ability to move his feet and stay straight up and down under pressure. We froze as we saw DeAndre Jordan lose Kevin Love in the shuffle of that final out of bounds play. We gasped as Love rose and fired. And we screamed as the ball fell through.

Look, I know it’s one game, but we deserve to gush. We deserve to be hyperbolic, looking at Minnesota’s near .500 record and wondering about the playoffs. We deserve to be irrational because Minnesota honestly deserves praise for their performance.

The Wolves defeated a quality (if banged up) opponent on the road. They withstood Mo Williams’ second straight torrid game. They battled back from big deficits, and back-breaking shots (seriously, don’t try to pretend you thought the Wolves still had a chance after Billups hit that three to put the Clippers up 96-90).

And perhaps best of all, they executed on a final play. Derrick Williams’ misdirection led defenders away from Love, who backed up, getting a solid screen from Wayne Ellington, and found himself with enough time to set, rise up, and bury Los Angeles.

And yes, I’m aware that the Clippers were without Chris Paul, and that this game probably would have been different if he had been playing. In fact, it probably never would have become a single possession game. That’s what a great point guard like Paul does: he creates his own shot and scores when the offense is breaking down. The Clippers’ offense was in shambles by the end of the fourth quarter. It’s very rare for any offense to be in shambles when CP3 is in.

But even without Chris Paul, this Clippers team is dangerous, especially at home, where the fans are engaged and waiting for the next Blake Griffin alley-oop. More importantly, this win wasn’t like the San Antonio game. The Wolves didn’t shoot unsustainable numbers en route to a misleadingly lopsided victory. They won by grinding. They kept taking the Clippers’ best punches and kept coming back, until finally the game was tied, and the Clippers didn’t have any more punches to throw.

And Minnesota still had one more.

Let’s do some bullet points:

For my money? Rubio’s shot was more pressure filled than Love’s. If Rubio misses, everyone questions his shot selection, Los Angeles gets the ball, and Minnesota has to foul, giving the Clippers the chance to make it a two possession game from the free throw line. But if Love misses, the game goes into overtime, Los Angeles’ is totally reeling, and Minnesota has all the momentum going into a pressure packed 5 minute overtime period. Who do you think had more to lose?
Rubio’s celebrations are hilarious. If you can find it, re-watch the actual broadcast of Love’s three, and look for Rubio right afterward. For those of you who don’t know, soccer players aren’t allowed to pull their jerseys off anymore after they score a goal, so they will grab the bottom of their jersey and flap it up and down like a small flag. Rubio did this while running after Love to hug him. Also, that little girl-esque skip thing he did after he hit the tying three? Pure gold. As my friend put it: “he’s even adorable when he’s being cocky!” Somebody show Rubio this clip. I want to see him do the DMC pimp walk.
Mo Williams had a real case against the foul call that eventually got him ejected (Rubio pretty clearly slipped, from what I could see), but can you think of a worse time to lose your temper? Mo was on fire for his second straight game, he already had a technical, and his team was caught in a hard-fought matchup at home. Just a bad decision.
On a broader note, does any team complain to the refs as much as the Clippers? Between Mo, Chris Paul when he’s playing, Chauncey Billups, and Blake Griffin, I honestly have a hard time thinking of one. Although in Griffin’s defense, it’s hard to tell when he is complaining about a foul call and when he is just frustrated with himself, because in both instances, he does this.
The good news about last night? The Wolves won a big game on ESPN. The bad news? The sheer volume of people about to jump on Minnesota’s bandwagon. Wait, what am I saying? Minnesota has a freaking bandwagon. EVERYBODY! WELCOME!
Last night was the second game in a row that this has happened, so I don’t feel quite as weird bringing it up: Wes Johnson attacked the rim a few times, once even getting a basket plus a free throw. On the play before, he worked his way to the basket and got hammered, with no foul call. Is it possible he was pissed off by the no-call and decided to take it to the hoop again? Did Johnson do something aggressive? Good on yourself, Wes! Keep it up.
Darko deserves his own bullet point, so here it is: 22 points? 10-15 shooting? I’m a little worried my computer is going to freeze up as I try to type those numbers. Also, it should be noted that, even in the heat of an intense game, sitting in a room full of people cheering for the Timberwolves, one of my friends and I looked at each other and cracked up when Darko hit his last basket, that 100 mph layup. Highest of comedy.
The last time Minnesota won three games in a row? February of the 2009-10 season, a streak that started against the Clippers. That was also Minnesota’s last four game winning streak, which they will try to match tonight against the Jazz. The last time Minnesota was at .500 more than three games into the season? 2006. They quickly fell below .500 that year.
Let’s not lose sight of this: Wayne Ellington is shooting out of his mind right now. He was 6-9 for 13 points last night, which makes him 23-38 in his last five games. Obviously, he probably won’t continue to shoot 60% from the field, but it’s great to see his numbers starting to even out after a bad start to the season. Also: am I the only person who keeps forgetting he’s just 24 years old? Probably? Ok, never mind.
In light of the on-going Stephen Curry story, it’s really good to see Adelman continuing to let Barea’s ankle rest. Minnesota really could have used him last night, but it’s a long, packed season, and ankle injuries need time and patience.
Finally, random players hit buzzer beaters all the time, and immediately get overrated as clutch by the NBA’s online fanbase, one of the most sensationalist groups of people I have EVER encountered. But at the risk of sounding like one of them, please Minnesota: just pay Love. The max. Five years. Whatever he wants. Please. Get. It. Done.