The Minnesota Timberwolves’ losing streak continues. It’s now been nine straight losses. It’s also a 25th straight loss for the Wolves in the month of April (last win 4/8/09 vs. Golden State Warriors). Most (including myself) expected the Thunder to steamroll the Timberwolves. The Thunder are #1 in the Western Conference with (now) 43 wins on the season. While the Wolves were without Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Luke Ridnour, Wayne Ellington and Darko Milicic. With just ten healthy players and their top three players out with injuries: Love (concussion), Ridnour (ankle) and Rubio (knee), it looked as though it was going to be another ugly loss for Minnesota. Instead, the Wolves got great production from guys like Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, J.J. Barea and Nikola Pekovic and although they were extremely shorthanded the TWolves put up a fight against the mighty Thunder. Ultimately, the play of Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook was too much for the Wolves and they fell in the final minutes, 110-115. Let’s get a look at some of tonight’s top performers… Top Performers
HOT: I’d love to give it to our trio of 20+ point scorers, but, c’mon! Westbrook & Durant combined for 78 points on 56% from the field (27-48 FG), 60% from deep (6-10 3PT), 82% from the line (18-22 FT), 8reb, 9ast, 1blk and 2stls. This was Durant’s 21st game in which he’s scored 40+ points, in his career. Beyond those two, no other Thunder player scored more than 10pts. Nick Collison: 10pts, Thabo Sefelosha: 9, Serge Ibaka: 8, James Harden: 6, Nazr Mohammed & Kendrick Perkins: 2 each. The most surprising on that list is likely 6th man of the Year winner James Harden. He scored just the 6pts on 1-of-11 shooting and 0-for-8 from deep...as well as 4-for-4 from the line. Despite the lack of production from the rest of the team, the play of Durant & Westbrook was enough for the narrow W. NOT: Minnesota’s free-throw shooting. The TWolves missed 12 free-throws. 12 missed free-throws in a 5-point game. That means the difference between winning and losing…and tonight we lost…again! MISC.: This was J.J.’s 3rd straight double-double, he also tied a season-high with 3 steals…..Beasley had a great game, he shot 62% on the night and had those 26pts without making a three (0-for-1) or shooting a free throw, he also set a new season-high with 13 FGM and tied season-highs in assists (3) and steals (2)……Randolph continued his improved play with Love out of the lineup and had his first double-double of the season, he also set new season-highs in defensive rebounds (9), rebounds (11) and minutes (34). He also tied season-highs in FGA (16), FTM (6) and FTA (8)……With Love out of the lineup someone had to pick up the slack on the boards, Pekovic grabbed a new season/career-high 8 defensive rebounds and also tied a season/career-high in total rebounds with 13……Kevin Durant set a new career-high for points in a quarter and was one-point away from the franchise record (for OKC...or...SEA)...... Team Statistics
KEY STATS: Like I said above, those missed free-throws really hurt the Wolves tonight. Minnesota also got beat on the boards (OKC with a +14) and on the break (with a +10). Beyond that, looking at the stats, the TWolves did fairly well. They shot 50% on the night, 36% from deep (both better than OKC), they had more assists, less fouls, more bench production, more points in the paint and less turnovers for less opponent points. I’d pinpoint those free-throws as the ‘back-breaker’!
UP NEXT: Monday, April 16th vs. the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, tipoff 6pmCT. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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The Minnesota Timberwolves were officially eliminated from the playoffs with Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Minnesota's struggles in the past month have been well-documented! Currently riding a season-worst 8-game losing streak, it's doubtful they'll be able to end that streak vs. the Western Conference's best team. The Thunder have clinched the Northwest division as well as a playoff berth. Though the San Antonio Spurs are just a half a game behind the Thunder for that #1 seed in the West. The Timberwolves are currently 25-35 on the year, 13-16 at home, 1-9 in their last 10 games and are riding that 8-game losing streak. A small bit of 'good news' even if Minnesota loses their remaining games, they'll only end the year on a 14-game skid--compared to last season ending on a 15-game skid...I don't know if you can consider that 'good news', though. The Oklahoma City Thunder are 42-16 on the season, 18-10 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. Let's get a look at each team's last five games...
Although the Thunder play the Sacramento Kings tonight (4/13), as of right now, both MIN & OKC are coming off losses to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder lost 98-100. Chris Paul drove the lane and hit the game winning shot, with 8.8 seconds to play. As he went through the Thunder's to best defenders: around Thabo Sefelosha and over Serge Ibaka. Kevin Durant had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but missed a three-pointer over DeAndre Jordan for the loss. Durant finished with 22pts & 9reb, Westbrook had 20pts & 7ast and Harden added 17pts off the bench. You can find the TWolves vs. Clippers recap in the previous post under the 'Gameday' section on this site.
Unfortunately, I don't think we can expect the kind of game we witnessed, the last time these two teams matched up. That game, was the 51-point explosion for Love, 40+ for both Westbrook & Durant and a double-overtime loss for Minnesota. Why is that? Well, the TWolves will likely be without Kevin Love. He went down vs. the Nuggets after an elbow from JaVale McGee to his temple sent him tumbling to the floor. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a sprained neck. There's some talk about shutting him down for the season. Luke Ridnour has been out since spraining his ankle vs. the Kings, he'll likely be a gametime decision. We've chartered into "PUT THEM OUT OF THEIR MISERY" territory! Fans & players alike are wishing the season was over already. Especially in light of this 8-game losing streak and the barrage of injuries to guys like Love, J.J., Luke, Pek, Wayne, Beas & Darko. Let's get a look at the probable starting lineups... Ridnour/Barea vs. Russell Westbrook (24.2ppg, 5.4apg, 1.7spg) Martell Webster vs. Thabo Sefelosha (5.0ppg, 2.8rpg, 0.9spg) Wesley Johnson vs. Kevin Durant (27.5ppg, 7.9rpg, 1.4spg) Derrick Williams vs. Serge Ibaka (9.0ppg, 7.6rpg, 3.6bpg) Nikola Pekovic vs. Kendrick Perkins (4.9ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.2bpg) The Oklahoma City Thunder boast the 2nd-best offense in the NBA, scoring 102.7ppg. They're also the 8th-best rebounding team in the NBA at 43.2rpg. With a scoring point guard instead of a pass-first (Westbrook) OKC is the 2nd-worst team in assists: 18.5 a game. They're also ranked 16th in the NBA, allowing 96.3ppg for opponents. Tipoff for this one is set for 7pmCT from the Target Center, Saturday April 14. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves have now stretched their season-worst losing streak to eight consecutive games. I suppose the good news is, that if we don't win another game all season long, it will only be a 14-game losing streak (last season ended on a 15-game skid). With tonight's loss the Minnesota Timberwolves have been officially, mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Not that that's any surprise. I'm sure half of you thought we were already out. The Minnesota Timberwolves were without starters Luke Ridnour & Kevin Love. Ridnour continues to miss time with a severely sprained ankle. Kevin Love missed this one following that elbow to the temple in last night's loss to Denver. After spending the night in a Denver hospital, Love flew back to Minneapolis this evening, but was not with the team. He'll be examined by team doctors tomorrow. Wayne Ellington missed his second straight game with back spasms and Darko continues to remain out with his 'phantom hamstring injury'. The TWolves were able to keep it close through three quarters. After three, the Clippers led by just five points; 73-68. The TWolves couldn't rally in the fourth quarter and were outscored 14-22 for an 82-95 final. Minnesota has now lost 15 of their last 19 games. Becoming more and more likely each day that this season will painstakingly come to an end. Let's get a look at tonight's top performers for each team... Top PErformers
HOT: Caron Butler's three-ball. 5-for-8 on the night. He had 9 points in the third quarter alone (all on three-pointers). Definitely deflating to a defense when you've got a player raining threes like that. NOT: Minnesota's 2nd half play. The TWolves opened the game so well. They led 48-47 at halftime. However, the Clippers took over in the second outscoring Minnesota 48-34. MISC.: Beasley added 14pts off the bench, but did so on 6-of-15 shooting, he also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds......Randolph's 6 defensive rebounds is a new season-high and his 9 rebounds ties a season-high......Barea had 10pts & 12 ast, but also turned the ball over 7 times and had to sit for extended time because of foul trouble (he was also hit in the lip and got 8 stitches during halftime)......Unfortunately, Williams had a great opportunity starting in place of Love, but delivered a 4-point, 5 rebound night on 1-of-7 shooting from the field...... Team Statistics
KEY STATS: Minnesota's 17 turnovers for 24 Clipper points, L.A.'s 43% FG, 39% 3PT and Minnesota's inability to capitalize at the line (68% FT) are your keys for the TWolves loss. Anytime you turn the ball over that many times and are without your leading scorer, it's tough to grab a W.
UP NEXT: Saturday, April 14 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder, at the Target Center, tipoff 7pmCT Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Two teams will meet Thursday night at the Target Center following Wednesday night games. One team won their Wednesday night game, the other got the loss. One team will be playing at near full-strength, the other...to say their roster is 'depleted' is being kind. One team is on their way to the playoffs, the other? Lottery-bound...in a draft that they don't have a pick in (unless Utah makes the playoffs). If you've watched any games these past couple weeks, you know, Minnesota lost last night to Denver, in a game where we may have lost Kevin Love for a number of games with a 'mild concussion' and 'sprained neck'. We still haven't been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs (would have happened had the Suns beat the Grizzlies), but that's in the very near future. I have to make this quick, so I apologize for rushing through. The Timberwolves have won three of the last four meetings between these two teams, however tonight will be a 'different ballgame'. We won't have the same marquee matchup of Kevin Love vs. Blake Griffin for the battle of the best power forward in the NBA. With Love definitely out with a concussion, he adds to an injury report that also has Luke Ridnour, likely out. Luke has missed the past four games with a sprained ankle. For the Clippers they may be without backup point guard Mo Williams, who has missed the past couple games with a toe injury, that leaves Eric Bledsoe & Nick Young as the main backups in the backcourt. The Timberwolves currently sit at 25-34 on the year, 13-15 at home, 2-8 in their last 10 games and are on a season-worst 7-game losing streak, as well as losers of 15 of their last 19 games. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently 35-23 on the year, 14-14 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Clippers also currently sit at the 4th seed in the Western Conference, they're 2.5 games out of 3rd (L.A. Lakers) and are just 0.5 game(s) ahead of the 5th seed (Memphis). Here's the last five games for each team...
The likely starting lineups will be...
Ridnour/Barea vs. Chris Paul Martell Webster vs. Randy Foye Wesley Johnson vs. Caron Butler Derrick Williams vs. Blake Griffin Nikola Pekovic vs. DeAndre Jordan I still think this will be a great matchup, despite the absence of Love. There's A LOT of 'slack' that needs to be picked up on the offensive end, but last night vs. the Nuggets, the TWolves showed that there are players on this team that are fully capable of scoring the basketball. Again, I apologize, but I'll have to end this here. Tipoff is set for 7pmCT from the Target Center tonight (4/12). Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! On a night when the Minnesota Timberwolves lost Kevin Love after 8 minutes in the first quarter, they were still able to stage a large comeback that, unfortunately wasn't enough as Denver escaped with the 107-113 victory. It was a scary scene when Kevin Love went down with four minutes to play in the first quarter after and elbow from Nugget center JaVale McGee in the paint. He hit the floor and lay motionless. For the next several minutes the training staffs from both teams tended to him. The 'freakiest' part of the whole ordeal was seeing Love on the floor, with his eyes glazed over. He was eventually helped to his feet and had to be helped off the floor as he couldn't walk on his own. Reports called it a mild concussion and a neck sprain. He was took to a Denver hospital as a precautionary measure. No doubt the NBA's mandated concussion tests are in his near future. The first half made it look as though it would be another long night and without Kevin Love a BIG loss. Then the second half rolled around and the Anthony Randolph/Derrick Williams show began! Both had season-high nights and nearly rallied the TWolves from a 24-point deficit for the comeback win. D-Will & Randolph became just the second pair of TWolves reserves to score 25+ points apiece off the bench in franchise history. We'll get to those full stats, in just a moment though. The Timberwolves were down 47-68 after two quarters. The second half was the turning point. Minnesota outscored the Nuggets 33-21 in the third quarter to bring them within just nine points heading into the final quarter, they outscored Denver 27-24 in the fourth, but it just wasn't enough as Denver escaped with the 107-113 W. Minnesota tied it up at 105 after a three-pointer from Martell. The Nuggets answered quickly by an easy layup from Afflalo (where three TWolves defenders stood in the paint as he slashed to the rack). Randolph fouled Kenneth Faried on a rebound and he stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to make it 105-109 with 57 seconds to play. Randolph scored on the next possession on a great pass from Barea to cut the lead to 2; 107-109. The Timberwolves got the stop and then J.J. Barea tried to play hero. He bricked a fadeaway jumper that made every TWolves fan watching cringe. Minnesota wouldn't score again and had to play the 'fouling game'. It may have been a loss, but for the first time in a long time the Minnesota Timberwolves showed they actually DO still have a pulse. Part of that...in my opinion...the injury to Kevin Love. I know I'll catch some barbs for this, but I honestly think...the way Minnesota has been playing lately, tonight showed that Love may not be that valuable. Sure, Randolph & Williams had season-high nights and they got solid games from the other four starters (Wes, Webster, J.J. & Pek), but play on both ends picked up with Love out of the lineup. I've said it recently: Kevin Love's defense is a cause for concern. For the previous two games, both of those teams' power forward had GREAT nights. Versus the Hornets, Jason Smith went off for 26pts. Versus the Suns, Markieff Morris came off the bench and scored 21pts. His offense is valuable (when he's shooting well), but recently he's become more like Michael Beasley. He stops the ball on offense and takes a lot of shots, while shooting a low percentage, but no one likes to talk about it, because he's their MVP candidate. Tonight showed that he's not the only Timberwolf capable of scoring, sure, Randolph & Williams aren't going to score 25+ every night out, but tonight showed that guys like J.J., Williams, Webster etc. came contribute on the offensive end and Kevin Love doesn't need to take so many shots. That being said, we'll definitely miss Love, because, as stated previously, guys like AR & D-Will can't be relied on to put forth a consistent effort. I've said this before too: I wish Kevin Love would've worked on his defense during the offseason, rather than his three-point shooting. All that said, I still really like Love as a player and I'm definitely glad he's a TWolf, he's our franchise superstar, no one's doubting that! I think it's safe to say we won't see Kevin for tomorrow's game vs. the Clippers. Guys like Williams, Tolliver and Randolph will continue to see the big minutes in the frontcourt going forward. Let's take a look at tonight's top performers for each team... Top Performers
HOT: Anthony Randolph & Derrick Williams. D-Will set new season/career-highs in FGM (10), FGA (20), 3PTA (9) and tied a season/career-high in points with 27. Randolph tied a season-high in FTM with 6 and set new season-highs in points (28), FGM (11), FGA (16), FTA (8), blocks (5) and minutes (31). Williams scored 14 straight Minnesota points through the third and fourth quarter up until Randolph ended that in the fourth quarter with a bucket. Both players went scoreless in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Williams (9pts), Randolph (9pts). Third quarter: Williams (10pts), Randolph (9pts). Fourth quarter: Williams (8pts), Randolph (10pts). Those 28 points for Randolph are his most since his career-high back on 3/24/2010 (31 points @Dallas). NOT: Minnesota's 'luck'. The Minnesota sports scene, just cannot catch a break! Past few years injuries to key guys like Adrian Peterson (Vikings), Joe Mauer & Justin Morneau (Twins), Ricky Rubio etc. The punches roll on! MISC.: J.J.'s double-double is his fourth of the season (12pts, 15ast), those 15 assists are a new career-high.....Pek & Webster also added 12pts and Wes had 11pts.....Al Harrington (playing with a torn meniscus) added 11pts off the bench for Denver......Andre Miller didn't score but dished out 7 assists......Faried's 12 rebounds were a game-high......Beasley played just 10 minutes (all in the first half) and went 0-for-3 from the field and had 1 foul......Wayne Ellington missed the game with back spasms, along with Luke Ridnour (fourth straight game he was out) with that sprained ankle....... Team Statistics
KEY STATS: Both teams shot 50% from the field, the Nuggets' one more made three, their +11 in fast break points and +10 in points in the paint are all advantages, but in a game that sees a team win by six points, there aren't too many things you can point out and say: "Yup, that's why we lost tonight!".
UP NEXT: The TWolves have just 7 games left on the year. They'll play the L.A. Clippers tomorrow night (April 12th), back at the Target Center, tipoff set of 7pmCT. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves have just eight games to go this season and they're certainly hoping that they'll be able to win a few more games to end the season on the 'right note'. A game versus the Denver Nuggets may not be the game to turn things around, however. There's no doubt a W would be beneficial for the Timberwolves....and the Utah Jazz! If you don't know already, we own Utah's 1st round pick in this year's draft IF they make the playoffs (it's lottery-protected). One of the teams that stand in Utah's way for a 7th or 8th seed is the Denver Nuggets. It'll be no easy task, however. Denver has won three-in-a-row at home and have gone 10-5 at home the past two months (with just one of those losses came against a sub-.500 team). Minnesota will be looking to avoid a fourth straight loss at the Pepsi Center as well as a 10th loss in 11 games in Denver. The Timberwolves have lost 14 of their last 18 games and are currently on a season-worst 6-game losing streak (the worst losing streak since finishing last season on a 15-game skid). Minnesota currently sits at 25-33 on the year, 12-18 on the road and 2-8 in their last 10 games. Denver is 31-26 on the season, 17-12 at the Pepsi Center (home) and 5-5 in their last 10 games. Here's each team's last 5 games...
The last game for the Nuggets was that 123-84 win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday. It was a dominating win for the Nuggets, just two days after losing to the...Warriors. The Nuggets led all 48 minutes and were led by their rookie, Kenneth Faried who had season/career-highs in points (27) and rebounds (17). Arron Afflalo & Danilo Gallinari added 15pts each and JaVale McGee & Corey Brewer both came off the bench and had 13pts each. This was Gallinari's first game back after missing 10-straight with a broken thumb.
The Minnesota Timberwolves may be without Luke Ridnour for a fourth-straight game who is still nursing a badly sprained ankle. Before Monday's game vs. the Suns, Rick Adelman sounded pessimistic that he would return on Wednesday vs. the Nuggets. If he's able to play I'd expect him to start. He'll likely be a gametime decision. Darko Milicic remains out, as well with a phantom hamstring injury. For the Nuggets, they'll be without Rudy Fernandez, Al Harrington and possibly Wilson Chandler. Fernandez had season-ending lower back surgery, reports came out today that he'll return to Spain to continue his rehab. Harrington tore his meniscus in Monday's win over the Warriors. He's currently listed as probable and will likely try and play through it. Chandler has a hip injury and did not play Monday vs. the Warriors, he'll likely be a gametime decision. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups... Ridnour/Barea vs. Ty Lawson (15.6ppg, 6.7apg, 1.4spg) Martell Webster vs. Arron Afflalo (14.7ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.3apg) Wesley Johnson vs. Danilo Gallinari (15.2ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.0spg) Kevin Love vs. Kenneth Faried (9.9ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.0bpg) Nikola Pekovic vs. Kosta Koufos (5.4ppg, 5.4rpg, 0.8bpg) I listed Kosta Koufos as the probable starter because he was who started Monday vs. the Warriors. We could also see Timofey Mozgov or JaVale McGee as the starting 'five man'. In the Timberwolves' last meeting with the Nuggets (a 117-100 win), the Nuggets were without two of their starters: Danilo Gallinari & Arron Afflalo. Gallinari was out with that broken thumb and Arron Afflalo was serving a one-game suspension. The Denver Nuggets have the best offense in the NBA, currently ranked #1 in points per game (103.5ppg). They also have the 6th-best rebounding team in the League (43.4rpg). They're also the #1 'assisting' team in the NBA (23.7apg). Lastly, Denver has the 2nd-WORST defense in the NBA, currently allowing 101.7ppg for opponents this season. It should be a fun game to watch, here's hoping we see a strong defensive effort from this TWolves team, that has struggled mightily on that end. Obviously won't be an easy task vs. the #1 offense in the NBA... That's all for now, tipoff is set for 8pmCT from the Pepsi Center on Wednesday night. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The TWolves' lack of energy and almost 'unwillingness' to play defense has led us to this: another loss, this one by 24 points to a Phoenix Suns team that relied on it's bench for this seemingly easy win. The Timberwolves have now dropped six straight games the longest losing streak of the season and the longest losing streak since finishing last year on that 15-game skid. The Wolves are also still winless in April as that losing streak now stretches to 22 consecutive games (the last win coming April 8, 2009 vs. the Golden State Warriors). It's easy to look at these performances recently and say: This team has given up, especially on the defensive end, which is where Minnesota has been losing since Ricky Rubio went down. Yes, even Kevin Love has given up on the defensive end and it feels as though I'm going crazy when I hear that K-Love is the only Wolf to not give up on this team. That may be true on the offensive end, I'm not denying that by any means, he's an incredible talent on O, but let's be honest, he hasn't been playing defense these past few weeks. Tonight, I counted at least three plays where he didn't get a foul call on offense and he stood on that end arguing with the refs instead of getting back on defense. On one such play, the guy he was supposed to be guarding (Markieff Morris) threw down a wide-open jam. The statistics don't lie either. Every game it seems as though the opposing team's power forward (at least one of them) goes off for big points. Versus the Hornets this weekend it was Jason Smith with 26pts and tonight it was Markieff Morris who dumped in 21 off the bench in 31 minutes. There's no doubt that fatigue is a big issue and has played a role in these defensive lapses--but it's more than just 'lapses' from what we've seen this month past month, it's just, simply: guys have given up on the season, now that Minnesota has fallen out of the playoff picture. On the pace Minnesota is on right now, the season will painstakingly come to an end, just as last season did. That being said, I do believe we'll win a few more games, if we go out on another double-digit losing streak, I might just lose it! There's just eight games left this season, still time to turn things around. That doesn't mean playoffs, but rather ending the season on the 'right note'. What made tonight so disappointing was that the Phoenix Suns' best players (Nash, Gortat) hardly played and hardly scored for the Suns in this one. The majority of the damage came from the bench: the Phoenix Suns bench scored 66 points! This was was over before the fourth quarter really began (maybe before then). Let's take a look at some of tonight's top performers for each team... Top Performers
HOT: The Phoenix Suns. Stats don't lie! Morris: 21pts on 60%, Brown: 17pts on 50%, Telfair: 14pts on 86%, Nash: 14pts on 60%, Redd: 13pts on 56%....the list goes on....and on. The Suns shot 57% from the field, a season-high for a TWolves opponent. NOT: The Minnesota Timberwolves. It was just an awful game to watch. Minnesota put forth a shoddy defensive effort and didn't get much help in the scoring department either. MISC.: Only two Timberwolves posted a positive +/- both played less than 6 minutes. Tolliver with a +1 (played 6 min. had 1reb, 1stl, 1to, 1fl) and Randolph with a +3 (played 5 minutes and shot 0-for-2, had 1stl). The worst? -22 for Kevin Love. -18 for J.J. Barea. -17 for D-Will. -16 for Malcolm Lee. -14 for Wes Johnson. -13 for Pekovic. On and on and on. TEAM STATISTICS
KEY STATS: Here's your keys to the Phoenix Suns victory: 57% shooting from the field and 66 points from the bench. That was the W. Beyond that they also shot the higher percentage from deep, had a +5 rebounding advantage and a +10 in assists. Here's something though: Minnesota held the Suns to a season-low in offensive rebounds for an opponent with just 5. Of course, when you shoot 57% there aren't too many rebounds to grab. Minnesota got outplayed on both ends of the floor and it showed up on both ends of the floor.
UP NEXT: Wednesday April 11th vs. the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center, tipoff set 8pmCT Thanks for reading HOWL and C'MON WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves' playoff hopes have dimmed, but the Phoenix Suns chancing of making the postseason still shine on. The TWolves are currently 5.5 games behind Denver for the 8th seed in the playoffs (ESPN's Playoff Odds still have Minnesota with a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs). The Phoenix Suns are one game behind Denver for that 8th seed.
Since Feb. 18th, the Phoenix Suns have been on fire, going 17-8 since that time. This matchup with the TWolves is Phoenix's first game of a four-game road trip. They'll be seeking a fifth win in six games at the Target Center, Monday night. With a loss tonight, the Minnesota's season-worst losing streak will stretch to six games. The Wolves have also dropped 13 of their last 17 games and are still win-less in the month of April since the 2009 season. This current 5-game losing streak is Minnesota's worst since finishing last season on a 15-game losing streak. The TWolves are 25-32 on the year, 13-14 at home and 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Phoenix Suns are 29-27 this season, 12-16 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Minnesota Timberwolves will likely, again, be without starting point guard Luke Ridnour as he continues to miss time because of a severely sprained ankle. Darko Milicic is currently listed as 'injured' as well with a supposed strained hamstring (not that anyone is too sad about it, but I doubt we'll ever see Darko Milicic in a TWolves uniform again). The Phoenix Suns will be without their starting small forward Grant Hill who suffered a knee injury. Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry said he hopes he can make it back into the lineup for the final week of the season. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups for the game... J.J. Barea vs. Steve Nash (12.8ppg, 11.2apg, 0.7spg) Martell Webster vs. Shannon Brown (10.3ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.0apg) Wesley Johnson vs. Jared Dudley (12.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 0.8spg) Kevin Love vs. Channing Frye (10.7ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.2bpg) Nikola Pekovic vs. Marcin Gortat (16.0ppg, 9.9rpg, 1.5bpg) Since Shannon Brown has replaced Grant Hill in the starting lineup he's been averaging 17.6ppg over 8 games (which is nearly double his season average). Tipoff is set for 8pmCT from the Target Center (Monday, April 9th). Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! For those of you who had the 'pleasure' of reading our gameday preview, you knew that I had said I didn't care if we won or lost, so long as the team showed some semblance of a squad--capable of defending! Although the Hornets had a solid shooting night, the Wolves still didn't put forth the kind of defensive effort needed to win at an NBA level. As such they move to 25-32 on the year and they gave the Hornets their first season series win versus a Western Conference opponent and New Orleans' 15th win on the year. A big part of tonight's defensive collapse was the Hornets' frontcourt offensive onslaught. New Orleans' starting frontcourt of Jason Smith and Chris Kaman were the reason for the Hornets' win tonight. They combined for a total of 47pts, 20reb, 4ast, 4stls, 4blks, 81% FG (21-26), 100% FT (5-5). For the majority of the night, Kevin Love covered both Smith & Kaman. For as great as Kevin Love is on the offensive end--he's been atrocious these past few weeks on the defensive end. Sure, it's great he's learned to shoot the three and score inside and has become a superstar, but until he commits to becoming a better defender, he isn't 'elite' in my book (who cares about 'my book' though?). Sure, Ricky Rubio was a good defender and ever since he's gone down with the torn ACL & LCL the TWolves' defense has dropped to a point where it's seemingly non-existent! They allowed the second-worst offensive team in the NBA to score 99 points and a frontcourt that starts Jason Smith to absolutely dominate tonight. Before the game, Kevin Love and the team acknowledged that they needed to commit to continuing to try and win games and still be competitive whether the playoffs are out of the question or not (which at this point they most certainly are). Tonight was not a prime example of that. Minnesota still has not won a game in April since the 2009 season as the April record now stretches to 21 losses in a row. The Hornets were without starting point guard Jarett Jack and center Emeka Okafor, both out with injuries. However Greivis Vasquez & Chris Kaman filled in, in those roles, just fine! Eric Gordon played the first 3:13 before having to come out because of a back injury, he returned in the second half and played 24 total minutes on the night. Let's take a look at tonight's key performers for each team... Top Performers
HOT: The New Orleans Hornets' starting frontcourt. I've talked plenty about this: 47pts on 81% shooting. The stats speak for themselves. NOT: The Minnesota Timberwolves' defense. I've talked a lot about this as well, no sense in beating a dead horse....er....Timberwolf, for that matter! MISC.: This was Jason Smith's 3rd career double-double, he also set career-highs in points (26) and field goals made (12), while also tying career-highs in rebounds (10) and steals (3).....This was Eric Gordon's 5th game of the season and his lowest scoring output as a Hornet (previously 15)...... Team Statistics
KEY STATS: The Hornets' key to this one was 1.) their dominance on the boards--posting a +15 and shot 49% from the field, beyond those advantages this one doesn't seem like it should have been a Hornets victory. The hot shooting of their frontcourt got them this victory had Minnesota been able to stop one of those guys (Smith or Kaman) we'd have gotten our 26th W. Looking, the Wolves got more points from their bench, in the paint, had less turnovers leading to less Hornets points (while forcing NOH into 14 TO's leading to 15 points).
UP NEXT: Monday, April 9th vs. the Phoenix Suns at the Target Center, tipoff 8pmCT Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! UPDATE: The Hornets lost their game vs. the Spurs last night (4/6) by a 103-128 final. They used the same starting lineup as listed below (Vasquez, Gordon, Ariza, Smith, Kaman). Hornets are now 14-41 on the year.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have played themselves out of the playoffs, the consistent barrage of injuries to key players didn't help either. To be fair, Minnesota isn't out of playoff contention, quite yet, however I counted them out about a week ago. They're currently 5 games behind Denver/Houston who're tied for the 7th seed. They're 12th in the Western Conference and 5th in the Northwest Division. A game against the Hornets may be the antidote. I said the same thing about the Blazers, Kings & Warriors (the Wolves' past three games--all losses, so who knows?! The Minnesota Timberwolves are 25-31 on the year, 12-17 on the road, 3-7 in their last 10 games and currently riding a four-game losing streak. The New Orleans Hornets are 15th in the Western Conference, with the third-worst record in the NBA (behind Charlotte & Washington). They're currently 14-40 on the year, 6-21 at home and 4-6 in their previous ten games. The TWolves are also 19-21 in conference play, while the Hornets are 8-29. The Hornets' last game came against the Denver Nuggets, in which they grabbed their 6th home win of the season with a narrow 94-92 victory. All five starters scored in double-digits for the Hornets: Vasquez (11pts, 5reb, 10ast), Gordon (15pts), Ariza (15pts), Smith (10pts), Kaman (14pts, 10reb, 5blks) and Landry came off the bench to score 12pts. The Hornets will play tonight (4/6) vs. the San Antonio Spurs. We'll have an update on that one tomorrow. It's sounding as though Michael Beasley may make his return to the rotation tomorrow night. He's been out with that sprained toe he suffered back in mid-March. Nikola Pekovic & J.J. Barea are expected to play, too, and likely start, however Luke Ridnour remains out with the sprained ankle and Darko Milicic is also out with a 'supposed' hamstring injury. For the Hornets, they could be without their starting point guard Jarrett Jack, he missed the game vs. Denver with a sore right ankle (we'll see if he plays tonight vs. the Spurs). Backup center Chris Johnson also missed the game vs. Denver with a concussion (he's listed as questionable). And lastly, Emeka Okafor has been out for extended time because of a sore left knee. He had an MRI done earlier this week that came back negative. Reports say it's doubtful he plays again this season. Let's get a look at the probable starting lineups for each team... J.J. Barea vs. Greivis Vasquez (8.3ppg, 5.1apg, 0.9spg) Martell Webster vs. Eric Gordon (19.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.7spg) Wesley Johnson vs. Trevor Ariza (11.1ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.6spg) Kevin Love vs. Jason Smith (9.4ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.1bpg) Nikola Pekovic vs. Chris Kaman (13.2ppg, 8.1rpg, 1.5bpg) If Jarret Jack (15.6ppg, 3.9rpg, 6.3apg) is available it's likely he'll get the start at point guard. If Jason Smith does start at power forward, Kevin Love will clearly have a big advantage, I'd look for him to take advantage of that early and hopefully often. Martell Webster scored 0pts on 0-for-5 shooting in the Wolves' last game (a loss to the Warriors), I'd expect him to look to get back on track in this one. Eric Gordon played just his 3rd game of the season in the win over the Nuggets because of a knee injury, he's definitely a big boost to that struggling team. He was the key piece in that Chris Paul trade. If he plays the remaining games of the season he'll have played just 15 games this year and could potentially leave via free agency this summer! The Hornets currently have the 2nd-worst offensive team in the NBA--averaging 89.0ppg. They're also the 7th-worst rebounding team in the NBA--averaging 41.1rpg. However, surprisingly, they're the 8th-best defensive team in the NBA--allowing an average of 93.6ppg for opponents this season. The key to this one? Defense. I don't care if we don't win, that won't get me that upset. However, if we lose because we played awful defense (like the Wolves have since losing Ricky Rubio), I am just going to lose it! A strong defensive effort is all I care about tonight. Just a quick note: I may not have the gameday recap following the game as per usual. It may not be until Sunday or Monday sometime, because I've got a very busy weekend. Sorry in advance, hope you enjoy the game! That's all for now, tipoff is set for Saturday, April 7th from New Orleans Arena, 7pmCT. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! |
Cody D. AndersonA Wolves fan bringing you Gameday Recaps all season long! 2014-15 Game ArchivesGameday Archives
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