I had the pleasure to be at Thursday night’s regular season finale for the Minnesota Timberwolves. I attended a pre-game reception where Team President Chris Wright talked as did Vice President of Basketball Operations David Kahn. I’ll have posts about what was said there later this weekend or early next week! I walked around the Target Center a bit and saw a few familiar faces. One of which was Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, TWolves web editor Mark Remme, Star Tribune writer Jerry Zgoda, FSN sideline reporter Robby Incmikowski and of course the TWolves mascot, Crunch who was scootering around on a Segway. I also bought a new TWolves t-shirt: a Nikola Pekovic shirt, it’s pretty awesome. I sat in Section 130 about twenty rows up from just off mid-court. Although the game didn’t go the greatest, I still had a great time! I got to see 14-year veteran Brad Miller’s final game in the NBA and that was well worth it! Miller played 17 minutes, had 4pts, 4reb, 4ast and 2stls and got a heartfelt standing ovation from the scattered Target Center crowd. Miller did break down emotionally (as you can see to the left). As I was walking out, I heard some fans talking about how surprised they were that he starting crying. I didn’t find it surprising at all! After 14 years in the NBA, you’ve played your final minutes on an NBA court and you’ll never be back as a player! I’d say that’s reason for being as emotional as you’d like. Unfortunately he didn’t get to go out with a win or reach the postseason, once more. The first half of the game was a lot of fun to watch as it was actually a competitive game, but if you were at the game or watched on TV, you know it was just brutal. Guys just gave up and the Nuggets just continued to roll. The Nuggets’ 131 points is the second-most scored by a TWolves opponent (the first being that double overtime game vs. the Thunder back on 3/23 when OKC scored 149). It was disappointing to watch, an unfortunate way to end the season, but I don’t think you could find one TWolves fan out there that isn’t excited about the 2012-13 Minnesota Timberwolves. With a young nucleus of Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams, Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic the TWolves will be must-see TV once again! Let’s take a look at some of tonight’s top performers for each team… Top Performers
HOT: The Denver Nuggets. As you can see above, Denver got contributions from almost every player on the roster. The Nuggets got double digit scoring from seven of their players (beyond the six above, Corey Brewer added 12 off the bench). NOT: The Minnesota Timberwolves second half defense. It was just rough to watch. Easy layup after easy layup and no one interested in even trying to stop their man, no one boxing anyone out, no closing out on the shooters and ultimately, no effort or energy…from anyone! Team Statistics
KEY STATS: The Nuggets shot a season-high percentage for a TWolves opponent, they dominated the Wolves on the boards (a +19!) had more assists, steals, points from their reserve players (a + 21), more fast break points (+5), more points in the paint (+32), the 80 points in the paint for Denver is a season-high for a TWolves opponent and although Denver had more turnovers for more Minnesota points, they made up for it, obviously—in a lot of other ways!
That’s all for this season folks! We obviously won’t be having any more posts in our gameday section until the first preseason games in October. We will continue to update our news section with all your TWolves news & rumors! We’ll also be updating the ‘Records’ pages in our “History” section. If you’re a Minnesota Lynx fan, you can visit my new site: www.mnlynx.weebly.com which has all the kind of information in a very similar format to HOWL! Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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Thursday night, another Timberwolves season will mercifully come to an end. The Timberwolves are losers of 12 of their last 13 games and 20 of their last 25 games dating back to March 9th (the infamous date when Ricky Rubio's season came to a dead halt--what we didn't know at the time: it would spell the end of Minny's postseason chase, too). Minnesota will be facing the playoff-bound Denver squad. They're currently the 6th seed in the West. They play Wednesday vs. the Thunder and Thursday vs. the TWolves. They can't go any higher than the sixth seed, but there's a chance if they lose these next two games they could fall to the 7th or potentially the 8th seed. The Timberwolves are 26-39 this season, 13-19 at home and 1-9 in their last 10 games. The Nuggets are 36-28 this year, 16-15 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. Let's take a look at each team's last five games...
As you've heard, there's certainly a bit of bit of angst and discontent in the TWolves locker room. Following Sunday's loss to the Golden State Warriors, J.J. Barea had some choice words for the media about his teammates and their effort these past few months. Rick Adelman came in trying to change the culture of losing and was well on his way until key injuries to guys like Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Love & Luke Ridnour derailed Minnesota's season. The ultimate message from J.J. was that there were too many guys on this team that don't care about losing, you aren't competing and don't get angry about the losses. Adelman backed him up when asked about his comments the following day, saying: Guys should get angry! Can they go off on the right tune? Or do we get to head into the offseason on another loss and more disappointment for Minnesota sports? Let's get a look at who the probable starters will be for this season finale...
As we noted before, Kevin Love & Luke Ridnour won't be playing in this season finale along with Darko Milicic and, of course: Ricky Rubio. There is a chance that if it doesn't effect Denver's seeding in the upcoming playoffs, they could sit some of their key guys: Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari etc.
I'm going to Thursday's game at the Target Center. I'll be going to a pre-game reception where David Kahn will speak, so if you follow us on Twitter (@HOWL_MnTWolves) you can get those updates! Tipoff is set for 7pmCT and because I'll be at the game, I may not have the recap until later this weekend! Lastly, if you haven't heard already, we've got a new site! It's all about the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. We've dubbed it: GROWL! A MnLynx Basketball Site! Here's that URL: www.mnlynx.weebly.com Once the TWolves season is over, we'll have more content there! That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! I felt as though I watched a complete re-run of the April 4th matchup of these two teams. In that game, the Timberwolves pushed their lead to 20+ points by the end of the first half, only to falter in the second half and lose by just a handful of points to the Golden State Warriors. That final score: 94-97. Tonight the Wolves pushed their lead to 20+ points in the first half, only to fall flat on their faces in the second half and lose…once again…by a handful of points. Tonight’s final score: 88-93. Minnesota moves to 26-39 on the season, with just one game remaining (vs. Denver on Thursday—I’ll be going to that game, more on that later though). The Timberwolves have now also lost 16 consecutive home games in the month of April and that’s a 6th straight home loss, as well. The Timberwolves absolutely dominated in the first half. They jumped out to an early 15-point lead after one quarter (32-17) and by halftime held a 16-point advantage: 55-39. They started well enough in the third, pushing that lead to 20, but soon Charles Jenkins and Co. took control as Minnesota stumbled to the finish. The Wolves were outscored 20-30 in the third quarter, but still held a 75-69 advantage after three. The fourth quarter is where this one was lost. The Wolves couldn’t buy a bucket (scoring just 13 in the quarter) and allowing Charles Jenkins, Brandon Rush & Dominic McGuire to hit some late baskets for the narrow win. Pekovic hit a big shot and got the and-one to make it 87-88 MIN with just 1:28 to play. But, the next trip down Brandon Rush hit a three to make it 90-88 with 1:09 to play, the Wolves then turned the ball over and McGuire converted a fast break dunk and got the and-one to push the lead to 5; 93-88. The Wolves would turn the ball over again the next trip down and lost…once again. We found out before tonight's game that Kevin Love, although cleared to play, won't play again this season. He passed all the concussion tests and participated in a light practice, but after being out for the past 10+ days, Adelman doesn't feel he can get him ready in time and doesn't see the point in him playing again this season (though Love would obviously like to). Luke Ridnour could potentially play in Thursday's finale vs. Denver...but I wouldn't count on it, says Adelman. Let’s take a look at some of tonight’s top performers… Top Performers
A TALE OF TWO HALVES! HOT: The Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half. The Golden State Warriors in the second half. NOT: The Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half. The Golden State Warriors in the first half. MISC.: Tonight was Nikola Pekovic’s 15th double-double of the season. He also set a new season/career-high in defensive rebounds (13) and total rebounds (16), he also tied a season/career-high in assists (2)…..This was J.J.’s 8th game of the year with 10+ assists (12), his fifth double-double in the last seven games and his seventh double-double of the season, he also tied a career/season-high in three-pointers attempted (w/9) and set a new season/career-high in minutes, by playing the full 48 minutes (did not come off the court, once. Neither did the Warriors’ Charles Jenkins.)…….Webster scored 11 of his 18 points in the first quarter, tied a season-high with 7 field-goals made and set new season-highs with 4 three-pointers made and 9 three-pointer attempted……Beasley tied a season-high with 2 blocks……Anthony Randolph (starting at power forward) set a new season-high in free throws made (7) and tied season-highs in free throws attempted (8), blocks (5) and minutes (34)……. Team Statistics
KEY STATS: The TWolves shot a lower percentage from the field, got beat on the fast break (GSW with a +9) and the Warriors forced the Wolves into those 13 turnovers which they scored 15 points off, while the TWolves forced the W’s into 9, but only took advantage with 4 points. In a close game like this, the real stats you look at are the performances in each half. Minnesota scored 55 in the first half...and 33 in second! There’s your key stat of the night. Minnesota’s 100% FT shooting ties a season-high (now three diff. games shooting 100% at the line), the Wolves’ 10 blocks are the second-most of the season and Minnesota’s 1 steal (by J.J. Barea) is a new season-low.
UP NEXT: Thursday April 26 vs. the Denver Nuggets, at the Target Center, tipoff 7pmCT. SEASON FINALE! Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves were finally able to snap that dreadful 27-game April skid, with a win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills. In that game they were also able to snap an 11-game skid overall. Tonight the TWolves will be looking to snap a 15-game April losing streak at home as well as looking to avoid a 5-game home losing streak these past few weeks. The Warriors will be looking to avoid a 9th consecutive loss. These teams split the two meetings this season, the last game was a 94-97 home loss for the TWolves back on April 4th. The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently 26-38 on the year, 13-18 at home and 1-9 in their last 10 games. The Golden State Warriors are 22-41 this season, 10-22 on the road, 1-9 in their last 10 games and are currently riding an 8-game losing streak. Let's take a look at each team's last five games...
The Warriors' last game came yesterday (4/21) vs. the Rockets. The result was a 96-99 Rockets win. Klay Thompson had 24pts, Brandon Rush added 19pts & 7reb off the bench and Charles Jenkins had 16pts & 8ast. The Warriors got within two points midway through the fourth quarter, but Courtney Lee hit two three-pointers to help Houston pull away and close out the W. The Warriors seem to be in 'full-tank mode', as some would call it. Meaning simply that their trying to lose these last few games to put themselves in a better position for the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery this summer. With that, let's take a look at the injury report for each team... The Warriors will be without Andrew Bogut & Stephen Curry, who will both be undergoing ankle surgery and are out for the season. David Lee was 'shut down' for the season with a hip/groin injury, he also won't play again this season. Dorell Wright missed Sunday's game vs. the Rockets due to an ankle sprain, he's likely a gametime decision for tonight's game. Andris Biedrens also didn't play vs. the Rockets due to a concussion--it's likely he'll also be a gametime decision for this one. Richard Jefferson has a sore knee, but he did play vs. the Rockets and is expected to play tonight. And lastly, Nate Robinson will likely miss his fourth straight game with a hamstring injury. Somewhat trying to 'tank games' and also some 'bad luck' with all the injuries this season. The Timberwolves can't be accused of tanking. The Wolves don't have a draft pick this summer (it's owned by the New Orleans Hornets--they acquired it from the Clippers in that Chris Paul trade this summer--the Clippers had it because of a trade in 2005 that landed the Wolves...Mark Jaric...). The Wolves therefore would have no reason to lose games 'on purpose'. They do however own the Utah Jazz's first round pick if and only if they make the playoffs (looking optimistic that they do, currently). The Wolves will be without Darko Milicic who has that 'phantom hamstring injury'...ie and excuse to keep him out of the lineup for the season. He's likely played his last game as a Minnesota Timberwolf, in fact. Both Luke Ridnour (ankle) and Kevin Love (concussion) will be gametime decisions for tonight's game. Kevin Love is the more likely to play. He's passed all the mandatory post-concussion tests and participated in a light practice on Saturday, with the team. He's also sporting a new 'do'. No beard (or mustache--for those who saw the pic on Twitter), that Rick Adelman said makes him look 10 years younger (check out Ricky Rubio's Twitter page for a pic). With all those injuries, let's take a look at the probable starting lineups for each team...
If Kevin Love can't/doesn't play, Anthony Randolph will likely start at power forward, again, tonight. Luke Ridnour could also start if he plays, Adelman could even switch it up a bit and start Barea & Ridnour in the backcourt together.
That's all for now, tipoff is set for 6pmCT tonight and a full gameday recap can be found, right here, following the final horn. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves got going early jumping out to a 20-point lead, it looked as though Minnesota would be easily snapping that 11-game losing streak and the 27-game April losing streak. The fourth quarter came around and TWolves fans were kicking back, ready for the spoils of this easy win, unfortunately Will Bynum and the Piston reserves had other plans. A furious rally led by Bynum, the Pistons were able to cut the lead to five points on the back of a 29-9 run. The score was 85-80 with just 37.7 seconds to play, but that was as close as they’d get. A couple of costly turnovers, some missed shots and the TWolves executing at the free throw line let them close out this one, 91-80. Willy Bynum didn’t play at all in the first three quarters, but played the entire fourth quarter and scored 17 points! Minnesota grabs its first win in the month of April since 4/8/09 vs. the Warriors. They end that 11-game losing streak and grab their 26th win of the season. The Detroit Pistons clearly looked like a team playing their third game in three nights. Our biggest question heading into this game was what Pistons team we’d see tonight. We saw Detroit beat Cleveland by 38 points two nights ago, then they lost to the Hawks by 32 points last night. I’d say we saw that team that lost by 32 to Atlanta last night in the first three quarters, then we saw that red-hot Pistons team that crushed the Cavs in the fourth quarter. Top PErformers
HOT: The Minnesota Timberwolves in the first three quarters. They shot 52% from the field in the first three, then under 30% from the field in the fourth. The Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter. They shot under 30% from the field in the first three quarters, then over 50% from the field from the field in the fourth. NOT: I suppose you could just flip flop that. The Pistons were ‘cold’ for three quarters. The TWolves went ‘cold’ in the fourth. MISC.: This was Randolph’s 2nd double-double of the season (15pts & 10reb), he also tied a season-high with 9 defensive rebounds…..Beasley had 13pts, 7reb, 4ast, 1stl, 1blk—those 4 assists are a new season-high……Derrick Williams added 11pts & 4reb off the bench……Pekovic’s 2 assists ties a season/career-high…… Team STatistics
KEY STATS: The TWolves shot a higher percentage from the field, grabbed more rebounds (a +5), had more assists (a +10), more points in the paint (a +4) and more turnovers, but less points scored ‘off them’. Minnesota set a new high in defensive rebounds for the season with 43, but they also set new team lows in offensive rebounds (5), tied for second-least in steals (3) and had the second-least in fouls with 11. The Detroit Pistons set new TWolves opponent lows for the season, as well. They had the second-least FG% (36%) and tied for second-least in assists (14) and blocks (2).
UP NEXT: Sunday, April 22 vs. the Golden State Warriors, at the Target Center, tipoff 6pmCT Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are on a nasty skid that bears parallels to last season's 15-game skid. The Timberwolves were are on a 11-game losing streak and with just 3 games left in the season, the opportunities to snap the skid this season are few. The Timberwolves are currently 25-38 on the year, 12-20 on the road, 0-10 in their last 10 games and are riding a 11-game losing streak and have been eliminated from the NBA playoffs. The Detroit Pistons are 23-38 on the season, 16-14 at home, 5-5 in their last 10 games and have also been eliminated from the postseason. Let's take a look at each team's last five games...
Sure, it can be seen as technically a meaningless game, but the Timberwolves desperately need the win. It's gotten out of hand. With the injuries piling up and the losses following, meaningless game by playoff-standards or not, this game means A LOT to Minnesota, it's players, the coaches and fans. Luke Ridnour & Kevin Love won't play vs. the Pistons. Love started the NBA's mandated concussion tests today (Wed.). Both hope to return for the Wolves' two remaining games (Sun. 4/22 vs. GSW & Thurs. 4/26 vs. DEN). Darko won't play again this season (last game was he played in was on 3/18) I'd say it's safe to say that Darko has played his last game as a Minnesota Timberwolf and potentially an NBA player. The Wolves will likely look to trade him this offseason, but more likely--he'll be amnestied in July. With Luke & Kevin still out, the play from J.J. Barea & Nikola Pekovic will continue to be Minnesota's only chance to end this skid. We'll still need contributions from guys like Beasley, Williams, Randolph, Tolliver etc. but those two guys are the keys (15pts & 10reb from Pek & 15pts & 10ast from J.J.). J.J. has started 8 games since Ridnour went down and in that time he's averaging 16.1ppg & 9.1apg. The Pistons' last game was a 116-77 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons shot 60% from the field in the game, while the Cavs shot just 35%. After three quarters, the score was 100-50! Brandon Knight had a career-high 28pts, Tayshaun Prince added 15pts & Jonas Jerebko had another 14pts off the bench. The Pistons also play tonight (Wed.) vs. the Atlanta Hawks. This, of course means that the Pistons will be playing their third game in three nights. That would seem to play into Minnesota favor...let's hope! Let's get a look at the probable starting lineups for each team...
The Timberwolves won the last matchup of these two teams, 93-85. Kevin Love had 20pts & 17reb in that game and Tolliver, Pekovic & Johnson each added 11pts apiece. The Pistons got 29pts from Prince and another 18pts from Ben Gordon. After that game, Minnesota moved to 6-8 on the season.
The Pistons are currently the 3rd-worst offense in the NBA (at 91.0ppg), 4th-worst rebounding team in the NBA (at 40.0rpg), 2nd-worst assisting team in the NBA (at 18.7apg), and lastly they rank 15th in the NBA in points allowed (at 95.8 a game). Tipoff is set for 6:30pmCT from the Palace at Auburn Hills. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are without Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio & Luke Ridnour, but that didn’t stop them from battling in the final minutes with the playoff-bound Memphis Grizzlies. They leaned heavily on J.J. Barea who scored a game-high 28pts (19 of which came in the first half). The Wolves have now lost their last 11 games as well as a 27th consecutive April loss (last win coming 4/8/09 vs. the Warriors). This is now the longest NBA streak for most consecutive losses for one team in one month. The game was tied with just a minute left to play, but some big buckets from Rudy Gay and some miscues by the TWolves would spell the end of this one…and yet another loss. Minnesota has just three games left this season: Thursday (4/19) at Detroit, Sunday (4/22) vs. Golden State and Thursday (4/26) vs. Denver. Some reporters talked with Kevin Love who was at the Target Center for a short time (wasn’t near the bench/floor). He said he’s been at home in bed with no lights as he’s been feeling disoriented for the past 5-6 days. He added that today was the only day he hasn’t felt disoriented. He’ll begin undergoing the League-mandated concussion tests tomorrow (Wed.), though he won’t play Thursday (vs. Detroit), he hopes, however, that he’ll be able to play the final two games of the season. For Luke Ridnour, it’s sounding as though he may and try and make a return soon, likely doubtful for Thursday’s game, but could/might return for the last two, as well. Let’s get a look at tonight’s top performers… Top PErformers
HOT: J.J. Barea & Rudy Gay. It was a back-and-forth affair for these teams and we saw these two smack dab in the middle of it all. 28pts for each of them, ultimately Gay got more help from his team and the Grizz sneak away from Minneapolis, victorious. NOT: Everyone Timberwolf not named Barea/Pekovic. The Timberwolves got a combined 44pts from J.J. & Pek, the other three starters contributed 10pts (Webster: 6, Randolph: 4, Wes: 0), every player off the bench scored at least 2pts. Out of every player, Wayne Ellington (8pts & 7reb) was the only Wolf to post a positive +/- with a +3. MISC.: The TWolves had a good rebounding night, 11 from Pek, 7 from Tolliver, 7 from Ellington, 5 from Barea (those are the tops)……Barea had 8ast, but no one else had more than 2, after him……Barea’s 28pts is a new season-high, his 9 3PTA is a new season/career-high, his 10 FGM ties a season-high and his 5 3PTM ties a season/career-high…..Ellington’s 6 d-rebs & 7rebs both tie a season/career-high……Tolliver’s 2 steals & 5 3PTA ties a season-high……Randolph’s 2 assists ties a season-high……Miller’s 2 offensive rebounds is a new season-high and his 3 rebounds ties a season-high….. Team Statistics
KEY STATS: The TWolves made just 26 field goals, but stayed in this one thanks to their free-throw shooting and the big discrepancy in attempts between the two teams. Had the TWolves not taken advantage at the line (like they haven’t in the past two games), this would’ve been a much different game (a real ugly loss for Minnesota). Had the TWolves limited their turnovers a bit better, this could’ve been a different game, as well. 18 TO’s for 20 Grizz points, I’d go ahead and pinpoint that one as the glaring reason for the loss…that and Minnesota’s sub-par shooting night from the field.
UP NEXT: Thursday April 19 vs. the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, tipoff 6:30pmCT. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are losers of their last 10 games, a 10-game losing streak! That's a season-worst and the worst since the TWolves ended last year on a 15-games losing streak. With just four games remaining, the worst they can end the season on is a 14-game skid. I pray that we can grab at least one more win! A matchup vs. the Grizzlies may not seem to be an ideal game to end the skid. Memphis has won all three of the meetings this season (all by fewer than 7 points, though) and 7-straight games. However, Memphis has faltered lately, a prime example being their last game: a matchup with the New Orleans Hornets. The result was a 75-88 loss to the worst team in the Western Conference. Rudy Gay had 24pts, Mayo & Gasol each added 11pts, but the Grizz shot 37.5% from the field, had their 3rd-lowest scoring output of the season and committed 21 turnovers for 28 NOH points. In that game they also lost Marc Gasol. He's currently being listed as doubtful for tonight's game. He collided with Xavier Henry in the second half and is diagnosed with a left knee bone bruise. The Grizzlies can't afford any more losses to teams with losing records if they want to have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs in the Western Conference. Over the Wolves' 10-game skid, the TWolves are allowing opponents to score 107.9ppg. The Wolves' points allowed has bumped up to 100.2 on the season, as well! The TWolves, although shorthanded, can take advantage of Gasol's absence, even if Luke Ridnour & Kevin Love are unable to play. Luke Ridnour is likely to return sometime this season, but it's doesn't sound like anytime soon. He sprained his ankle badly vs. the Sacramento Kings and has missed 7 consecutive games. Kevin Love missed his third straight game vs. the Pacers last night after taking that inadvertent elbow to the temple from Nuggets center JaVale McGee. It's sounding as though he likely won't be back this season (but, don't quote me on that). The Minnesota Timberwolves are 25-37 on the year, 13-17 at home, 0-10 in their last 10 games and are on a 10-game losing streak. The Memphis Grizzlies are 35-25 on the season, 13-18 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. Let's take a look at each team's last five games...
Let's get a look at each team's likely starting lineups...
With Marc Gasol out, it's likely that they move Zach Randolph in the starting lineup and move Speights over to the center position. For the TWolves, Anthony Randolph started last night vs. the Pacers, he played 18 minutes, shot 1-for-7 from the field and finished with 6pts, 5reb, 2blks, 1to & 4fls. It's possible Adelman moves AR back to the bench and Derrick Williams back in the starting lineup.
That's all for now, tipoff is set for 7pmCT from the Target Center tonight, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! I think this one is a game that the players, coaches and fans would much rather forget about! Minnesota scored a season-low in points for one half with just 30 points in the first half (13 in the 1st Q, 17 in the 2nd Q). The lowest before that was 34 points in three different games, most recently vs. the Clippers on April 12th. Minnesota went on a good run in the fourth quarter: 18-0, that cut the Pacers lead to just 14 points, before a three from A.J. Price made it a 17-point lead with 4:30 to play. When A.J. Price, Kyrylo Fesenko & Jeff Pendergraph are playing in the fourth quarter, you know the game is over. The Pacers won by 23 points, though they did hold a 37-point advantage at one point! This is Indiana’s 5th consecutive win and Minnesota’s 10th straight loss. With Kevin Love (concussion) and Luke Ridnour (ankle) still out, Anthony Randolph started at power forward and J.J. Barea at the point. This was Love’s 3rd straight game out and Ridnour’s 7th. This was Randolph’s 1st start of the season, his 4th as a Timberwolf and the 34th of his NBA career. Let’s get a look at some of tonight’s top performers… Top Performers
HOT: The INDIANA PACERS! The Pacers just dominated in this one. All five starters scored in double digits: Hill (11), George (18), Granger (19), West (22), Hibbert (12). They got another 9pts apiece from Jones & Barbosa off the bench. They outscored Minnesota 30-64 in the first half and the starters only had to play three quarters. An easy win for Indy who locked up home court advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since the ’03-’04 season. NOT: The MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES! Is there any question here? They played a bit better in the second half, but by then it was too late. All five starters posted a negative +/- Barea: -28, Pekovic: -27, Randolph: -27, Webster: -24, Johnson: -12 and Beasley: -12. Just a rough night for the VERY shorthanded TWolves. MISC.: J.J. nearly had a double-double (14pts & 9ast) it would have been his 4th consecutive double-double…..Brad Miller played a season-high in minutes (25) and set new season-highs in defensive rebounds (3) and rebounds (3) as well as tying season-highs in blocks (1) and steals (1)…… Team Statistics
KEY STATS: The Pacers shot a higher percentage from the field, from deep, from the line, had more rebounds (a +13), more assists, more fast break points (+2) and more points in the paint (+8). They beat the TWolves in nearly every statistical category. The Pacers set a new season-high for the Timberwolves opponents in defensive rebounds with 44 and had the second-most rebounds for an opponent with 58 (high is 59 vs. the Grizzlies on Feb. 8th).
UP NEXT: Tuesday, April 17th vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, at the Target Center, tipoff 7pmCT. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping to end this nasty losing streak before the end of the season. With only five games remaining, it'll be no easy task. There last five games will come against Indiana (3rd seed in East), Memphis (5th seed in West), Detroit (22-38), Golden State (22-37) and finally Denver (7th seed in West). Obviously the best chance at a W, would be either vs. the Pistons or the Warriors. Nonetheless, there's no doubt that the TWolves remain competitive, regardless of what their record says or the bodies piling up on the injury report. With Minnesota out of the playoffs, the Pacers are looking at this game as a GREAT chance to further lock up their 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference and secure home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs, if they do, they'll have home court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Indiana has been on a bit of a hot streak, they've won their last 4 games and have gone 8-2 in their last 10. They also have a season record of 38-22 as well as 20-8 at home. The TWolves have been struggling mightily to win games, dropping their last 9 straight games. They're 25-36 on the year, 12-19 on the road and have gone 1-9 in their last 10 games. Kevin Love (concussion), Luke Ridnour (ankle) and Darko Milicic (supposed hamstring) all did not travel with the team to Indiana yesterday. Love will miss his third straight game with a mild concussion and neck sprain, after taking an inadvertent elbow to the temple from Nuggets center JaVale McGee. Ridnour will miss his 7th straight game since going down with an ankle sprain vs. the Kings. And Darko Milicic will miss his 15 straight game and his 19th of 20 games with what the TWolves are listing as a hamstring injury...supposedly. Wayne Ellington has missed the past three games with back spasms, but he's expected to be able to play. "We need some other players to step up," center Nikola Pekovic said. There's no doubt in Ridnour's & Love's absence, the TWolves have got solid play from J.J. Barea, Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph. "We're just out there trying to be scrappy," Beasley said. "Kevin might not be here for the rest of the season. That's 26 points, sometimes 40 points and 20 boards. Everybody has to step up and we're trying to finish this season with a bang." Darren Collison is currently out for the Pacers. He's missed the last four games with a strained groin and is questionable for tonight's game. In the last meeting (the only other this season), on Feb. 1st the TWolves lost 109-99. Minnesota will be seeking just the 5th win in 22 visits to Indiana. Danny Granger has been on a tear in April and is averaging 22.8ppg and over the past three meetings in Indiana, he's averaging 26.3ppg vs. Minnesota. Indiana's last game was a 105-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Roy Hibbert had 23pts & 14reb, Granger added 21pts & 7reb, Hill had 13pts and George, West, Hansbrough & Barbosa each added 10pts apiece. The Pacers were unable to hit a field goal in the final four minutes of the game, but they hit free throws, pounded the glass and got stops on D to grab the W. Let's get a look at each team's last five games...
Indiana ranks 16th in the NBA in points per game with 97.0. They're the 6th-best NBA rebounding team at 43.5 a game. They boast the 9th-best defense in the NBA, as well, allowing 94.0 a game. They're the worst team in assists, dead-last in the NBA (30th) at 18.3 a game.
Let's get a look at tonight's probable starting lineups... J.J. Barea vs. George Hill (9.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.6apg) Martell Webster vs. Paul George (11.8ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.6spg) Wesley Johnson vs. Danny Granger (18.7ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.1spg) Derrick Williams vs. David West (12.0ppg, 6.4rpg, 0.8spg) Nikola Pekovic vs. Roy Hibbert (13.0ppg, 8.9rpg, 2.0bpg) If Darren Collison (10.8ppg, 4.9apg, 0.9spg) is able to play, I'd expect him to be back in the staring lineup. Tipoff is set for 6pmCT time tonight from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana, enjoy the game! That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! |
Cody D. AndersonA Wolves fan bringing you Gameday Recaps all season long! 2014-15 Game ArchivesGameday Archives
December 2015
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