Prior to tonight's tipoff Minnesota Timberwolves fans were beaming with excitement. About a half hour from tipoff we all learned that Kevin Love would be making his 2012 debut after missing five weeks with that broken hand. Twitter was abuzz and TWolves fans were ecstatic, while Denver Nuggets fans weren't exactly sharing in that excitement. However, by the end of the night those tables had turned as excitement turned to disappointment for Minnesota and the Nuggets were thrilled with the W. With under 15 seconds to play in the first half the Minnesota Timberwolves were up by 17 (their largest of the night), however a three just before the break would cut that to a 14-point lead. The Nuggets used a big third quarter (outscoring Minnesota by 10; 15-25) to pull within just four points. The key was the 20pts combined in the third quarter from Iguodala (11) and Gallinari (9). In the fourth quarter the Nuggets continued to roll and ended up outscoring Minnesota by 11; 32-21 for the 7-point victory, thanks to 11 fourth quarter points from Andre Miller and another 8 from Ty Lawson. Kevin Love did return and did so in style with some very Love-esque NUMB3RS, he finished with 34 and 14, however the downfall was the rest of the team and their offensive production, only J.J. Barea (12) and Nikola Pekovic (10) finished in double-digits. Ironically the three TWolves players that finished in double-digits were the three that returned to the active roster with their respective injuries (Love for 9 games, J.J. for 5 games and Pek for 2 games). It was a loss that certainly should've been a W, however Timberwolves fans are thrilled, nonetheless. Minnesota has it's superstar back and the offense should be MUCH better in the coming games. Let's take a look at tonight's top performers...
Kevin Love scored 16 of his points in the first quarter (in 9 minutes) and added another 9 points in the fourth quarter (in roughly 6 minutes). I was surprised by Pekovic's rebounding stat line. Pek was averaging six rebounds a game prior to tonight's game, but tonight, with Kevin Love in the post next to him (grabbing 14 boards) Pek was able to snag one higher than his season average...clearly I was expecting to see the opposite. The Nuggets got big offensive production from that trio. Kenneth Faried added 4pts & 14 reb as well. Veteran Andre Miller turned in a great fourth quarter as he scored all 11 of his points in that final quarter and helped close out Minny for the W. The Nuggets are certainly a top team in the West, however they're definitely beatable and I think I speak for Wolves fans everywhere, when I say I'm excited for the next matchup between these two (Dec. 12). Let's take a look at some team stats...
The Nuggets shot higher percentages from the field, deep and the line. They just barely out-rebounded Minnesota with a +4, finished with more fast break points and points in the paint for the W. The Wolves left 9 points at the line. You hit those nine free throws and you win by two!
I'm usually pretty upset after a TWolves loss, especially when Minnesota blows a double-digit lead in the process, however I think I'm still 'high' on the fact that Kevin Love is back and brighter TWolves days are ahead. That's all for now, the TWolves are back in action on Friday as they begin their four-game West coast road trip (with stops in Portland, Oakland, Sacramento & L.A.). A full gameday preview will be available before then. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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The Minnesota Timberwolves are FINALLY back in action after a four day (much needed) break. The Wolves' last game came on Friday (11/16) vs. the Golden State Warriors. During that time, the TWolves' Wednesday opponent, the Denver Nuggets have played two games (a 26-point loss to the Spurs on Saturday and a 5-point win over Memphis on Monday). Minnesota is 5-4 on the year, 2-2 at the Target Center (dropped their last two vs. Charlotte & Golden State) and 2-1 vs. Western Conference foes. Denver is 5-6 on the year, 3-5 on the road and 4-2 vs. the Western Conference. The TWolves are the only Northwest team that hasn't faced a fellow Northwest opponent (all others have faced one, once). The Timberwolves' last game was that Friday (11/16) night loss to the Golden State Warriors at the Target Center; 98-106. The Warriors absolutely dominated in points in the paint, holding a 58-22 advantage. The Wolves were able to get within three points in the final minutes thanks to the play of Alexey Shved (22pts, 3reb, 7ast, 1blk), Derrick Williams (23pts, 7reb, 2ast, 4blks), Andrei Kirilenko (18pts, 6reb, 4blks) and Dante Cunningham (14pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk). The Nuggets' last game came on Monday night vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, when they were able to hand the Grizzlies their second loss of the season. A three-pointer from Danilo Gallinari with just 13 seconds to play, sealed the Nuggets W and snapped Memphis' 8-game winning streak. Gallinari finished with 26pts, 5reb, 3ast, 1stl, 1blk; reserve center JaVale McGee added 15pts, 8reb, 1blk and Kenneth Faried added 13pts & 13reb. Let's get on to what we're all interested in...who's available for Wednesday's game?! Well, Kevin Love (hand), Ricky Rubio (knee), Chase Budinger (knee) and Brandon Roy (knee) are all out for Wednesday's game. Bud & Roy are both coming off knee surgeries. Bud will be out for 3-4 months and Roy for one month. That leaves J.J. Barea (foot) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle). Pekovic will play on Wednesday and will be a welcome addition after the Wolves got pummeled in the paint on Friday. J.J. Barea participated in practice and said he felt good afterwards. Also adding that if he feels as good as he did today (11/20), he'll definitely play some spot minutes off the bench on Wednesday. For the Nuggets, point guard Juylan Stone is out while he recovers from hip surgery. Forward Wilson Chandler is also recovering from hip surgery, he's also out and it's likely he won't return until early December. Lastly, former TWolf Anthony Randolph has been dealing with an ankle injury and will be a gametime decision for this one. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups for each team...
With Brandon Roy out for the next month, I think we're all interested in who starts at shooting guard. It's probable that Adelman continues to start second-year player Malcolm Lee at shooting guard (for his defense) while continuing to bring Alexey Shved off the bench and also having Josh Howard play some shooting guard. Having Nikola back in the middle will be a HUGE difference, starting opposite him: former TWolf Kosta Koufos. Kouf is one of three former Wolves on the Nuggets' roster, along with big man Anthony Randolph and swingman Corey Brewer.
The Timberwolves currently have a Top-5 defense in the NBA allowing just 90.4ppg (4th overall). The Nuggets have one of the worst defenses in the NBA (ranked 24th overall) allowing 100ppg. Having Nikola back will help on the boards as well and they'll definitely need it, as they're going up against the best rebounding team in the NBA (1st overall) grabbing 49.3 a game. That's all for now. Tipoff is set for 7pmCT and a full gameday recap can be found on this site following the final horn. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! I had the pleasure of attending tonight's game, at the Target Center. I don't know what it is about going to TWolves games, but no matter what the result is, I always enjoy it and have a fun time. Sure, the Wolves lost tonight, but I still had a great night. I can't say the same when I watch a TWolves game at home and they lose--it's anything but fun. Sure, there was no Nikola Pekovic or J.J. Barea or Brandon Roy...or Ricky Rubio or Kevin Love or Chase Budinger....BUT somehow the Wolves were still competitive against a very good offensive team: the Golden State Warriors. Through most of the first half the TWolves had a comfortable lead (double-digits) however they only had nine healthy players and by the beginning of the fourth quarter it was showing that our guys were tired. Minnesota found themselves down by more than 15 points, but somehow--thanks in large part to Alexey Shved, Andrei Kirilenko, Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour and Dante Cunningham the Wolves cut into that lead and even had it down to four points with under a minute to play, that's as close as they'd get and the Warriors were able to hold on for the W. I had the chance to see Josh Howard's TWolves debut. He was definitely forcing some shots on O, finishing 3-for-10 from the field, but he appeared to be moving pretty well and did a really good job on the defensive end. He finished with 6pts, 2reb and 2stls in 14 minutes off the bench (in the preview I guessed he would play anywhere from 8-12 minutes). The Minnesota Timberwolves don't play again until Wednesday (11/21) vs. the Denver Nuggets. That'll give J.J. Barea, Brandon Roy and Nikola Pekovic time to recover. Pekovic should certainly be back in action by Wednesday (which will be a HUGE help). This will also give Josh Howard a chance to familiarize himself with more of the playbook and his new teammates. A few more observations from tonight...
Let's take a look at tonight's top performers from each team...
Derrick Williams finally had a breakout game. His night started with a blown 'bunny' shot in which the Target Center crowd (myself included) let out an audible groan in unison, however it got much better from there. Shved also had another stellar game as he continues to impress. I don't know where we'd be without Shved, Kirilenko & Cunningham these last few weeks. With no interior presence, David Lee went to work scoring and snagging rebounds, rookie Harrison Barnes continued his stellar play. The Warrior who impressed me the most, however was probably Carl Landry. I know Landry is a good player, but the whole time he was throwing down dunks on Amundson & Cunningham, I was thinking: We could have signed him this offseason (he was on the Wolves' radar). I have, however been pleasantly surprised by Dante Cunningham (he's on a tear, thus far). Let's take a look at the team stats...
When you compare these, I wonder how the Wolves even kept it close. The W's shot a higher percentage from the field, out-rebounded Minnesota by a +16 and absolutely dominated in the paint (with a +36). Minnesota did make 7 three-pointers and forced the Warriors into 16 turnovers for 21 TWolves points.
The Wolves are back in action on Wednesday vs. the Denver Nuggets and we'll have a full gameday preview of that one before then. Until that time, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking for a bounce-back win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday at the Target Center after suffering a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. The Wolves were down 71-85 with just over four minutes to play, but they used a 16-2 run to tie the game at 87 with 12.3 seconds to play. Kemba Walker brought the ball up and hit a step-back jumper over Alexey Shved for the one-point, 89-87 victory. Minnesota shot just 54.1% from the free throw line, leaving 17 points at the line (20-for-37). Kirilenko finished with 26pts, 12reb, 2ast, 1stl, 2blks, shot 9-of-12 from the field, 3-for-3 from deep in 44 minutes; Luke added 16pts, 5reb, 10ast and 2stls and Shved added 13pts, 2reb and 2ast. Minnesota is 5-3 on the year and 3-1 at the Target Center, they're also 2-0 vs. Western Conference opponents (wins over Dallas & Sacramento). The Warriors are 4-4 on the year, 2-2 on the road and 2-4 vs. Western Conference opponents. The Warriors' last game came against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, a 92-88 win. Rookie Harrison Barnes had a great game and thanks to him they were able to eke out that W. Barnes finished with 19pts, 13reb, 1ast and 1stl in 40 minutes; David Lee added 18pts, 10reb and 5ast. I'll actually be at Friday night's game! You can follow me @donnycersado for some in-game updates. I'm just hoping that there will be enough healthy TWolves players in this one... The Minnesota Timberwolves will be without Kevin Love (OUT-broken hand), Ricky Rubio (OUT-rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery) and Chase Budinger (OUT-torn lateral meniscus). J.J. Barea (mid-foot sprain), Brandon Roy (sore knee) and Nikola Pekovic (sprained ankle) will be game-time decisions in this one. Honestly, I think the Wolves should let them all sit this one and have those three players (Roy, Barea, Pek) return next Wednesday vs. the Nuggets. However as someone going to the game, I REALLY want Nikola Pekovic to play. The Golden State Warriors will be without center Andrew Bogut. Ankle injuries have plagued him the past couple seasons and he won't be playing in this one, Festus Ezeli will get the start at center in his absence. The W's also lost Brandon Rush to a season-ending ACL injury. Let's take a look at the rest of the probable starting lineups...
Kirilenko vs. Barnes will be the matchup of the night. Rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Bobcats was off to a great start to the season up until Wednesday night's matchup, when he met up with AK47. I think we can expect more of the same in this AK-Harrison matchup.
The Wolves did sign Josh Howard to a one-year veteran's minimum deal and he's expected to play 10-12 minutes on Friday night. If Nikola Pekovic and/or Brandon Roy aren't able to play, the Wolves will start that same lineup with Lee at the SG and Stiemsma at C. This Golden State Warriors team is quite deep (Curry-Jack, Thompson-Jefferson, Barnes-Green, Lee-Landry, Ezeli-Biedrens). They have a lot of offensive weapons and I'm unsure the Wolves will be able to match up with all of them. If Nikola Pekovic can play the Timberwolves have a real chance, without him...this one could get ugly. That's all for now, tipoff is set for 7pmCT and a full gameday recap can be found on this site sometime early Saturday morning. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! I'm not even sure how to feel after tonight's loss. I could be angry, but how can you be angry at a team that's playing without six of their best players, but remains competitive. How can you be angry at a team that rallies from a large double digit deficit and ties the game with just seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Wolves went on a furious rally and got a few lucky breaks, but the end result is still a loss. Derrick Williams went 1 of 2 from the free throw line with just under 15 seconds to play to tie the game at 87. With no timeouts remaining, Kemba Walker took the ball up the court, guarded by Alexey Shved, Walker crossed him up and pulled the trigger on a beautiful step-back jumper that found bottom. The TWolves didn't have any timeouts left and Luke Ridnour had to throw up a three-quarter court shot with 0.7 seconds to go. Minnesota loses their third game of the season (all against Eastern Conference opponents) and their first home loss of the year (now 3-1 this season). The Charlotte Bobcats grab their fourth win of the season and their 3rd straight (wins vs. Dallas, Washington and now Minnesota). The Timberwolves had just nine healthy guys and by the time that final buzzer sounded, just eight (Malcolm Lee left midway through the fourth quarter with cramps, so thankfully not too serious). Beyond Kevin Love (hand), Ricky Rubio (knee) and Chase Budinger (knee), the Wolves were also without Nikola Pekovic (sprained ankle), J.J. Barea (mid-foot sprain) and Brandon Roy (sore knee) were all on that injured reserve list. Sure, I could say that Minnesota would've crushed the Bobcats if they had even one of those guys (literally any one of them could've changed this game), but that's a real cop out...so...forget I even said it :) The Timberwolves struggled in some areas (we'll get to those in the team stats, shortly), however Minnesota had some great performances from the few players they had healthy. Let's take a look at the top performers for each team...
The Minnesota Timberwolves are down to having two scoring options in the starting lineup: veterans Andrei Kirilenko & Luke Ridnour. Yeah, this would've been a perfect game for D-Will to have a 20-point outburst, but of course that didn't happen (he'd finish with 9pts on 3-12 FG) and despite Kirilenko's 26 and another 16 from Ridnour the Wolves couldn't get it done. The Bobcats' two point guards: Kemba Walker and Ramon Sessions had a nice outing, combining for 40pts, 10reb, 9ast, 6stls and 1blk. Mullens had a great all-around game as well, scoring in double digits, pulling down Kevin Love-esqe rebounding numbers and sending back a fair number of shots. Let's take a look at the team stats...
When you leave 17 points at the free throw line and shoot just 54.1%, you deserve to lose! 17 points! Minnesota executed fairly well in plenty of other areas (out-rebounding Charlotte by a +10, and a +5 in assists). Two reasons for tonight's loss: 1.) INJURIES & 2.) Free Throw Shooting.
That's all for tonight, the Wolves are back in action on Friday night vs. the Golden State Warriors at the Target Center. I'm going to that game and I hope the Wolves can field a team to watch! If nothing else I'm praying Nikola Pekovic can return! You can expect a full gameday preview prior to that 7pmCT tipoff on Friday, until then thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Depleted roster or not, these Minnesota Timberwolves have shown that no matter what the number of healthy players they have is--they're going to go out every night and compete. That's thanks in large part to the Wolves' MVP thus far: Andrei Kirilenko. AK47 has shown off his magnificent all-around game and done whatever needs to, to secure a Wolves win. They'll be facing one of last seasons worst squads, the Charlotte Bobcats. The 'Cats have made some improvements this offseason, however that won't keep them out of the lottery in 2012-13. During the summer, Charlotte hired a new head coach: Mike Dunlap, drafted forwards Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2nd overall) and Jeffrey Taylor (31st overall) in the 2012 NBA Draft, claimed center Brendan Haywood off amnesty waivers (after he was amnestied by Dallas), traded Corey Maggette to the Detroit Pistons for sharpshooter Ben Gordon, signed free agent point guard Ramon Sessions AND just yesterday (11/13) they traded shooting guard Matt Carroll to the New Orleans Hornets for forward Hakim Warrick. The Timberwolves are 5-2 on the season, 3-0 at the Target Center and 3-2 vs. Eastern Conference opponents. The Bobcats are 3-3 on the year, 0-2 on the road and 1-3 vs. Western Conference opponents. Minnesota's last game was on Monday night in Dallas when they defeated the Mavericks, 90-82. Despite having just ten healthy players at tipoff and nine healthy guys by the final horn, Minnesota was propelled by big games from five guys: Nikola Pekovic (20pts, 6reb, 3ast, 1stl), Andrei Kirilenko (16pts, 11reb, 2ast, 2stls, 2blks), Alexey Shved (16pts, 4reb, 5ast, 3blks), Luke Ridnour (15pts, 8reb, 7ast, 4stls) and Dante Cunningham (14pts, 8reb, 2ast). Charlotte's last game was on Tuesday night in Charlotte when they defeated the winless Wizards, 92-76. The Bobcats easily took down the Wizards (who are now 0-6 on the year) thanks to the Wizards' offensive lapses in the 2nd quarter (scoring just 12pts) and 4th quarter (15pts). Backup point guard Ramon Sessions finished with 21pts, 5reb, 2ast, shot 7-for-18 in just 30 bench min.; Kemba Walker added 17pts, 3reb, 2ast, 2stls and rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished the night with 15pts, 8reb, 2ast and 1blk, while shooting 6-of-11 from the field and playing just 27 minutes. Let's take a look at the injuries for both squads... INJURIES for MIN: This could take a minute. Kevin Love (OUT-broken hand), Ricky Rubio (OUT-rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery), Chase Budinger (OUT-recovering from reconstructive meniscus surgery), J.J. Barea (OUT-mid-foot sprain), Brandon Roy (OUT-sore right knee) and Nikola Pekovic (OUT-sprained ankle). That means the Minnesota Timberwolves will have just nine healthy players! INJURIES for CHA: Gerald Henderson (OUT-foot sprain). Sharpshooter Ben Gordon missed Charlotte's last game vs. the Wizards for 'personal reasons'. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been able to remain competitive is thanks to their great defense. The Timberwolves currently have the #2 overall defense in the NBA allowing just 88.4ppg, tonight they'll be facing the Bobcats who average 98.5ppg (10th in the NBA). While the Bobcats have a Top 10 offense, they have one of the worst defenses in the NBA allowing 102ppg (28th in the NBA). Let's take a look at tonight's probable starting lineups...
Malcolm Lee will get his 2nd straight NBA start and the 2nd of his career, while Greg Stiemsma will get his first NBA start in a TWolves uniform and his 4th overall career start.
Tonight's matchup of the game will be Andrei Kirilenko vs. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Both players have gotten off to tremendous starts to begin this season. Kirilenko should be able to slow the rookie down and continue to show his incredible all-around game. That's all for now, tipoff for this one is set for 7pmCT from the Target Center a full gameday recap can be found on this site following the final horn, until then thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to hand the Dallas Mavericks their first home loss of the season behind some great play from Nikola Pekovic, Andrei Kirilenko, Alexey Shved, Luke Ridnour and Dante Cunningham. The Timberwolves are without five of their players: Kevin Love (hand), Ricky Rubio (knee), J.J. Barea (foot), Chase Budinger (knee) and Brandon Roy (knee). That's three players (Love, Rubio & Roy) that are starters and two of the best reserves on the roster. BUT WAIT! It doesn't stop there! With around two minutes left in the third quarter as Pek jogged down the court, it appeared he stepped wrong and sprained his ankle. He said he was okay after the game, but I guess we'll know for sure come Wednesday. The Mavericks were also without two of their best players: Dirk Nowtizki (knee) and Shawn Marion (knee). In the gameday preview we noted that it was likely Chris Kaman would start at center--to better match up with Nikola Pekovic. That wasn't the case, Brandan Wright started at center (technically) though Elton Brand began the game matched up vs. Pek. That didn't seem to do much good though as Pek poured in 20 pts in just 28 minutes (not playing at all in the fourth quarter). The TWolves move to 5-2 on the season and continue their improbable stretch of competitive play, despite being shockingly shorthanded. Let's take a look at the top performers from tonight's game...
Beyond the five players mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves got just 9pts from the other five on the roster [Lee (4), Williams (4), Conroy (1)]. Great play from those five guys. Scoring, crashing the boards. Looking at the stats, Kirilenko had another great all-around game BUT Luke Ridnour probably had the best stat line on the night: 15pts, 8reb, 7ast, 4stls. When you get play like this from your top (healthy) players, you'll have an excellent chance for the W. The Mavericks got some solid play from their young backcourt, but no one else could seem to contribute much. Kaman added 12pts off the bench, but shot just 5-for-15 from the field as well as 7pts from Dahntay Jones. 82 points is the second-lowest team scoring thus far (in this young season--the lowest being 80 in that first game vs. Sacramento). Let's take a look at the team stats...
The TWolves shot higher percentages in every shooting category, out-rebounded Dallas by a +14, had more assists, steals, blocks, and points in the paint. The Mavericks were able to force 18 turnovers, for 18 points, however that was basically wiped away by their poor shooting percentage and getting hammered on the glass.
That's all for now, the TWolves are back in action on Wednesday vs. the Charlotte Bobcats. A full gameday preview of that can be found on this site tomorrow evening. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! UPDATE (11/12 @3:30pmCT): Shooting guard Brandon Roy will be a game-time decision for tonight's game. If he's unable to play, the Wolves will have just ten healthy players and Alexey Shved will likely start at shooting guard (possibly Malcolm Lee). UPDATE (11/11 @7:40pmCT): The Minnesota Timberwolves Public Relations account has announced that Chase Budinger has suffered a lateral meniscus tear that will require surgery. Also adding that guard J.J. Barea (mid-foot sprain) will not join the team in Dallas for tomorrow's game. If Roy doesn't play, the Timberwolves will have just ten healthy players. Expect Shved & Cunningham to see some time at small forward. Stay tuned for another update on Brandon Roy. The Timberwolves are having more success early this season (when compared to 2011-12), however one thing has managed to remain consistent. The Timberwolves players can't seem to stay healthy. Minnesota is without Kevin Love (broken hand) and Ricky Rubio (rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery). Neither have played yet in the 2012-13 season. J.J. Barea has missed the past two games with a mid-foot sprain he suffered in the win over the Orlando Magic last week. He'll be reevaluated and could play in this one. Brandon Roy missed the second half of the win over the Pacers on Friday as well as the loss in Chicago on Saturday due to a sore right knee. He's questionable for Monday's game. And now, Chase Budinger. Bud was shoved to the floor midway through the fourth quarter (by Marco Belinelli) in that loss to the Bulls. He twisted his knee as he went down, Chase had X-rays and everything came back negative, he's scheduled to have an MRI sometime on Sunday in Dallas. If it's just a sprained knee he could be a out a week or two, if it's a torn ACL or MCL...Chase'll be done for the season. We'll provide an update with the status' of Brandon Roy, J.J. Barea and Chase Budinger before Monday night's game. The Dallas Mavericks have had some trouble keeping their stars healthy, early this season, too. The Mavs are currently without their starting forwards: Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki. Marion is out with a sprained MCL, no word on his timetable to return. Dirk is also out while he continues to rehab from his arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Like Kevin Love, Dirk should return sometime early-mid December. Despite all these injuries, for both of these Western Conference squads, the Timberwolves are 4-2 on the year and 1-2 on the road (with a win over Brooklyn and the losses vs. Toronto & Chicago). The Dallas Mavericks are 4-3 this season and remain undefeated at home, 3-0. Both teams are coming off Saturday night losses on the road... The Minnesota Timberwolves lost one in Chicago, 80-87. It was a back-and-forth affair all night long, however the Bulls' physical play and swarming defense in the second half--along with a barrage of threes via Marco Belinelli in the fourth quarter. Pek finished with 18pts, 8reb; Dante added 14pts, 4reb, 1ast,1 blk off the bench and Andrei Kirilenko continues his stellar all-around play, he'd finish with 11pts, 12reb, 7ast, 2stls, 1blk in a season-high 42 minutes. The Dallas Mavericks are coming off an overtime loss at the hands of the Charlotte Bobcats, 97-101. The Bobcats snapped a sixteen game losing streak to the Mavericks with that win on Saturday. The Mavs were up by seven in the fourth quarter, but an 8-0 run (thanks in large part to Ramon Sessions) by the Bobcats gave Charlotte the one-point lead with 2:30 to play. With just 26.6 to play (in the fourth) the Mavs were up by four. Brendan Haywood would throw down a dunk on his former team and get fouled, Haywood missed the free throw, but rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist grabbed the offensive rebound and Ramon Sessions drove in for an easy bucket and tied it at 91 with 2.8 seconds to play. Vince Carter would miss a three at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime. The Bobcats outscored the Mavericks 10-6 in overtime, for the W. O.J. Mayo finished with 22pts, 1reb, 2ast, 1stl; Vince Carter came off the bench and had 19pts, 5reb, 2ast, 3stls, 1blk and cashed in 5-of-8 from deep and Darren Collison contributed 14pts, 3reb and 6 ast. The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to best the Dallas Mavericks in 2011-12. The Wolves won two of the three meetings. A 99-82 win on January 1st in Minnesota (Kevin Love had 25pts, 17reb in that one), another 105-90 win on January 25th in Dallas (Love had 31pts, 11reb in that one) and finally that 97-104 loss on February 10th in Minnesota (Nowtizki scored 33pts in that one). The bad news for both teams? They're without their superstars that led to those wins. The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have the 5th best defense in the NBA, allowing just 89.5 a game. However, they'll have their work cut out for them as they go up against the 2nd-best offense in the NBA, as the Mavericks are averaging 104.7 points a game. Alternatively, the Timberwolves have one of the lower-scoring offenses in the NBA (23rd in the NBA) averaging 91.8 a game, while the Mavericks have one of the weaker defenses (25th overall) allowing 100.4 points a night. We'll see if it'll be a defensive stopping night by Minnesota or a high-scoring affair for Dallas. Let's take a look at the projected starting lineups for each squad...
The blue & green colored players are the questionable starters. If Roy is healthy he'll start, if not Adelman will have to turn to Shved. For Carlisle he has to decide his starting center: Wright or Kaman. I guarantee that Andrei Kirilenko will be matched up with O.J. Mayo tonight, especially with the Mavs starting rookie Jae Crowder (somebody a guy like Roy or Shved would be able to guard). As far as the center matchup, Brandan Wright has been starting at center along with Elton Brand in that frontcourt, however I wouldn't be surprised if Rick Carlisle decides to start the big man Chris Kaman in this one--to match up with Nikola Pekovic. I certainly hope he keeps Wright in to match up with Pek, but I highly doubt that. For the TWolves to grab their 5th win this season, a few things need to happen...
That's all for now, tipoff for this one is set for 7:30pmCT on Monday night in Dallas. A full gameday recap can be found on this site following the final horn. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
It was a close game through and through, however a slight edge for the Chicago Bulls in scoring in the second half led to a 7-point victory for the Rose-less Bulls. The Wolves kept this one close for the majority of the game, but the Bulls outscored the Timberwolves 39-47 in the second half for the 80-87 victory. Brandon Roy was unable to play because of a sore knee, so Chase Budinger got the start at shooting guard. J.J. Barea was also out with that mid-foot sprain. It gets worse, though. Midway through the fourth quarter Bud got his foot stuck and twisted his knee as he fell to the floor. He came off the floor, putting no weight on that left leg. The X-rays came back negative and he'll have an MRI done on Sunday in Dallas. He would leave the arena on crutches. That leaves the Timberwolves with 10 healthy players, hopefully J.J. Barea & Brandon Roy can return to the active roster Monday vs. the Mavericks. Minnesota had a chance towards the end. After three quarters the Wolves were down 59-63. The Bulls (thanks in large part to Marco Belinelli) were able to 'get the three-ball' going which allowed them to push the lead to double digits. It was 70-80 with just under four minutes to play, the Wolves were able to cut it to five with just over a minute to play, 77-82, however that's as close as they'd get. The TWolves move to 4-2 on the season as do the Chicago Bulls. Let's take a look at tonight's top performers for each squad...
HOT: Nikola Pekovic had a great night, taking to the Bulls' bigs (Boozer & Noah). Pek had 10pts and 6reb after just one quarter. Dante continued to knock down mid-range jumpers from 15-18 feet. For the Bulls, Robinson came in off the bench and tallied 11pts in the second quarter as well as 6 in the third quarter. He had to play some extended minutes because Kirk Hinrich went down with a hip strain. Noah & Deng had good games as well, both scoring efficiently, grabbing rebounds and dishing assists. NOT: Derrick Williams & Carlos Boozer. D-Will finished with 2pts on 0-10 shooting. Boozer finished with 2pts on 0-5 shooting. Not very good production from the starting power forwards tonight. Let's take a look at the team stats...
The Bulls finished shooting higher percentages from everywhere (field, three and the line). The Wolves were out-rebounded by a +7 and the Bulls had +4 in fast break points. The Wolves did force more turnovers for nearly twice as many opponent points, more assists and steals and a +6 in points in the paint.
The Wolves are back in action on Monday in Dallas vs. the Mavericks. Tipoff for that one is set for 7pmCT and a full gameday preview of that one can be found on this site before then. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking to extend their best start in eleven seasons. 4-1 is the Wolves' best start since 2001-02 when they began the season 6-0. After wins over Brooklyn, Orlando and Indiana the past three games the Wolves matched the longest winning streak of the entire 2011-12 season! The TWolves are 4-1 on the year and 1-1 on the road (a win over Brooklyn and a loss to Toronto). The Bulls are 2-3 on the year and 2-2 at home. The Bulls began the season 2-0, but since, have lost 2 of their last 3 games. What does Minnesota, Chicago and the Wolves' last opponent (Indiana) have in common? Four names: Kevin Love/Ricky Rubio, Derrick Rose and Danny Granger. All three of these teams are without their best player(s). What's the difference between Minnesota & Chicago/Indiana? The Wolves have continued to excel without their best players--whereas the Bulls & the Pacers haven't had as much success. The Timberwolves will be without Kevin Love (hand) and Ricky Rubio (knee). J.J. Barea will also sit this one out after suffering a mid-foot sprain vs. the Orlando Magic on 11/7. There's a chance he could join the team on Monday for the game in Dallas. The Wolves may also be without their starting shooting guard Brandon Roy. Roy banged his right knee (the same one that gave him trouble during the preseason) and only played 15 minutes in the win over Indiana on Friday (not playing at all in the second half). No word on if he'll be able to play, if he doesn't, expect Chase Budinger to get the start. The Chicago Bulls will be without Derrick Rose (knee). Luol Deng jammed his thumb in the game vs. the Thunder (on 11/8), however reports say he's just fine and will play tonight. Chicago's last game came on 11/8 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. The result was a 91-97 loss for the Bulls. The Bulls were outscored 31-19 in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to Kevin Durant (who scored 10 of his 24 in the fourth). The Bulls are without their closer (Rose) and it clearly showed in that loss. Deng had 27pts, 1reb, 2ast, 1stl, 1blk; Richard Hamilton added 20pts, 8reb, 2stls, 1blk and Kirk Hinrich finished with 12pts, 3reb, 5ast. The Timberwolves' last game was last night vs. the Indiana Pacers. The result was a 96-94 win. A back-and-forth affair all game long. With just over three seconds to play and the game tied at 94, Luke Ridnour inbounded the ball to Andrei Kirilenko on the right side of the court about 15 feet from the bucket as the clock wound down it looked as though AK would have to jack up a contested mid-range jumper at the buzzer, however Chase Budinger cut down the lane from the three-point lane and found himself wide open for a gimme bucket and the 96-94 win! Chase finished with 18pts, 4reb, 2ast, 1stl, 1blk; Williams added 15pts, 1reb, 1ast; Shved had another great game/fourth quarter finishing with 11pts, 3reb, 7ast, 1blk and Dante Cunningham also added 11pts and 4reb. The Timberwolves currently have the 4th best defense in the NBA, allowing just 90.0 points a game. They'll be matched up with the Chicago Bulls, who have the 5th best defense in the NBA, allowing 90.4 points a game. Both teams are pretty similar in team stats. The Wolves are averaging 94.2ppg (22nd overall)--Chicago 96.0ppg (17th overall). Minnesota is 13th in rebounds a game w/42.8 and Chicago is 14th w/42.4 a game. And lastly, the TWolves are averaging 22 assists per game (11th overall) and the Bulls are averaging 25.0 a game (4th overall). The Wolves did play two preseason games vs. the Bulls. The first came on Oct. 13th, a 82-75 Wolves win (Pekovic had 16pts & 17reb in that one) and the second was an 81-92 Wolves loss on Oct. 19th. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups...
Without Kevin Love's 26pts a game the Wolves are doing a fantastic job balancing the scoring load with five player averaging double digits (all listed above) along with 9.3ppg from J.J. Barea and just over 7 apiece from Dante Cunningham & Alexey Shved.
Minnesota's success will depend on whether or not they can contain Luol Deng and have an answer for the Bulls' bigs. Kirilenko will guard Deng and should be able to lock him down/limit him. Derrick Williams looked pretty good, defensively vs. David West last night--hopefully that'll carry over vs. another bruising power forward: Carlos Boozer. That's all for now, this one tips at 7pmCT from the United Center in Chicago. As per usual, we'll have a full gameday recap following the final horn. Until then, 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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