WOW! That was fun to watch! With 2:55 to play the score was tied at 86. Alexey Shved would score two buckets within just mere seconds of one another to give the Wolves the lead 90-86 with 2:21 to play. George Hill would hit a mid-range jumper to cut the lead to two w/1:57 to go. The Wolves would take their time on the next possession. With under five seconds on the shot clock, Shved would drive to the bucket but lose control of the ball, Pekovic grabbed the ball and quickly put up a hook shot that found the bottom of the net for a 92-88 lead--1:06 to play. Indiana would take a full timeout. The Pacers would miss a three--Minnesota ball with 55 seconds to play. Cunningham hits a mid-range jumper to give the Wolves a six point lead with just 39.2 seconds to play. Indiana would take another timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Hill would hit a floater (and get fouled by Budinger). Hill converted the and-one to make it a three-point game: 94-91 w/33.1 seconds to go. Minnesota takes a timeout. The Wolves run the clock down to under 15 seconds, they find a wide open Nikola Pekovic under the basket, but as he went up for the ball he would lose control of the ball--turning it over. Indiana calls a timeout with just 8.8 seconds to play and a chance to tie it up and send it to overtime. George Hill hits a step-back three-pointer to tie the game at 94. Minnesota calls a timeout with 3.8 seconds to play. Out of the timeout, Luke Ridnour inbounds the ball to Andrei Kirilenko, a patient AK holds the ball (I found myself thinking he'd have to jack up a mid-ranger jumper with the defender smothering him), however Budinger cuts down the lane (from the three-point line), Kirilenko finds him and Bud hits a bunny shot for the 96-94 lead, with just 0.8 seconds to play. Indiana has 0 timeouts remaining and they have to heave it the full length of the court--well short, the Wolves win! Both teams were playing without their star players (and Minnesota was also without one of their best reserves and their starting shooting guard--in the second half). As such, it was a back-and-forth affair, but the TWolves grab the W, they move to 4-1 on the season and for the first time since the 06-07 season, Minnesota is three games above .500 For the first time in a long time the Timberwolves are enjoyable to watch! Last season was good, but the execution and the unselfish play from everyone on the team has made these first five games REALLY fun to watch. Let's hope they can keep this going. Let's take a look at tonight's top performers for each squad...
Budinger dumped in 18 points including that game winner, also grabbing 9 points from the free throw line! Chase scored 10 of his 18 points in the third quarter. Williams played only 26 minutes but finished with 15pts (9 of which came in the first quarter). Williams certainly looked good in that first quarter, not only on offense, but also on defense. He's certainly improved that area of his game as he continually gave David West trouble. Alexey Shved had another great fourth quarter, Shved scored 8 of his 11pts in that final quarter and also added a new season/career-high of 7 assists. Pekovic also had 8pts in the fourth quarter (finishing with 13pts & 8reb). George Hill did all he could to get Indy the win (including that three with just seconds to play), but ultimately, it was enough. Hill scored 7 of his 29 in the second quarter and another 15 in that fourth quarter. David West also contributed with a big fourth quarter, scoring 9 of his 19pts, while also finishing with a game-high 13 rebounds. Let's take a look at the team stats...
The Wolves shot a better percentage from the field (though Indiana did make two more field goals). The Pacers, however shot better percentages from deep (though they took twice as many attempts) and from the line (but took 11 less attempts). The Pacers also out-rebounded the TWolves by a +3, held a +2 advantage in fast break points and points in the paint AND turned the ball over 3 less times (though, for the same opponent points). So, where did Minnesota hold the advantage? Well it was their night at the free throw line. The Wolves found themselves at the charity stripe 28 times and converted 24 of those!
That's all for now, the Wolves are back in action tomorrow night vs. the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Tipoff is set for 7pmCT and a full gameday preview of that one can be found on this site before then! Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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The Minnesota Timberwolves head into Friday's game vs. the Pacers will momentum, aplenty. Minnesota will be looking to match their longest winning streak all of last season with a win, while sending the Pacers to a third-straight loss. Every time you hear or talk about the Timberwolves, at some point it comes back to the Wolves being without Kevin Love & Ricky Rubio. Despite being without their star players, Minnesota has had great success this season. The Indiana Pacers are without Danny Granger for (at least) the next three months. Granger received an injection earlier this week in his left knee for patellar tendinosis. Unlike the Timberwolves, the Pacers have struggled to remain competitive without their best player/scorer. The Timberwolves may have also lost their best reserve. Point guard J.J. Barea went down in the Wolves' last game vs. the Orlando Magic. He dove out-of-bounds and over the scorers table in an attempt to save a loose ball, he rolled over on the table and immediately began clutching his ankle/foot. The Wolves are listing him as day-to-day with a mid-foot sprain. He'll be reevaluated before Friday's game, but I'd say it's doubtful that he plays. The Pacers are also without deep reserve big man Jeff Pendergraph. Jeff is out with 'concussion-like' symptoms. It's uncertain whether or not he'll be able to play--obviously, it all depends on if he can past the (concussion) tests. The Timberwolves are 3-1 and 2-0 at the Target Center this season. The Indiana Pacers are 2-3 overall and 1-3 away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers currently (as of before Thursday's games) rank 27th in points per game: 90.0, 1st in rebounds per game: 50.8, 29th in assists per game: 17.2 and 9th in Points Allowed: 93.2. The Minnesota Timberwolves currently (also as of before Thursday's games) rank 23rd in points per game: 93.8, 7th in rebounds per game: 45.0, 15th in assists per game: 21.8 and 5th in Points Allowed: 89.0. The Indiana Pacers' last game came against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. The result was an 86-89 Pacer loss. Indiana was up by fourteen points early in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks went on an 18-0 run that was fueled, in large part by Kyle Korver who at one point scored 8-straight points. The Hawks took the lead with under a minute to play and Paul George would miss a three-pointer at the buzzer (that would've sent the game to OT) and the Pacers lost another one. David West had 20pts, 6reb, 2ast and 1blk; George Hill added 20pts, 3reb, 5ast, 4stls and a block; Paul George finished with 13pts, 7reb, 2ast, 4stls and a block. The Minnesota Timberwolves' last game was that win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. You can find a full gameday recap of that one in the previous post on this site (under the Gameday section). Let's take a look at the projected starters for each squad...
The Minnesota Timberwolves have four players averaging over 9ppg. Clearly without Kevin Love's 26 points per game, the Wolves have had to balance the scoring attack and have done so quite nicely: Pekovic (14.0), Kirilenko (12.5), Ridnour (11.3), Budinger (11.0), Williams (9.8) and Barea (9.3).
The Indiana Pacers have won five of seven vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves including both matchups between these teams last season. The Wolves did win both preseason matchups in early October. Here's hoping they can take this one sans Kevin Love--when it really matters. That's all for now, this one tips at 7pmCT from the Target Center and 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 have registered their first win over the Orlando Magic, at the Target Center since March 2006 and they did so, with ease. Despite a second quarter lapse, where they let the Magic back in the game, the TWolves were ultimately able to easily breeze past the Orlando Magic. This was a Magic squad without three of their best players: Jameer Nelson (hamstring/groin strain), Hedo Turkoglu (broken hand) and Al Harrington (recovering from offseason knee surgery). Of course, Minnesota is without two of their best players: Kevin Love (broken hand) and Ricky Rubio (recovering from reconstructive knee surgery). Comparing these two teams, you can see how well David Kahn & Rick Adelman have done assembling this roster, especially when compared to Orlando. Both are teams without their best players, however one team (Minnesota) is better equipped to handle that with the depth on the roster. The Timberwolves got out to an early 25-12 first quarter lead. That was thanks in large part to Derrick Williams who scored 7 of his 14 points in that first quarter, Ridnour added 6 (of his 19) and Kirilenko added another 5 (of his 7). It was a tale of two quarters though. The roles reversed and the TWolves were outscored 22-13 in the second quarter. Coming out of haltime, the Wolves got things back on track, outscoring the Magic 30-21, thanks in large part to 8pts from Ridnour, 7pts from Pekovic, 6pts from Stiemsma (of his 12) and another 5pts from D-Will. By the fourth quarter, Minnesota was well on their way to victory which allowed the Wolves to play their deep reserves: Will Conroy, Malcolm Lee & Lou Amundson. The Wolves pick up their 3rd win of the season, they're now 2-1 vs. Eastern Conference foes and remain among the top in the Northwest Division and the Western Conference. Let's take a look at tonight's top performers...
Luke Ridnour & Derrick Williams finally got things going. Both have struggled early on this season (and preseason), but tonight they were able to get on track and contributed big games! Luke Ridnour is certainly our Player of the Game. 19pts and only three missed attempts, not too shabby. If J.J. Barea is out (again) for an extended period of time, the Wolves will definitely need games like this from 'Cool Hand Luke' (Barea dove for a loose ball and appeared to injure his ankle--no word yet on the severity/timetable...stay tuned). D-Will had 14pts and led the team in rebounds with 6. The craziest thing? Each TWolves starter had 5 rebounds (besides Williams who had 6). Stiemsma had another 5 off the bench & Cunningham/Shved each added 4 apiece (among a few others added 1 or 2 off the bench). Stiemsma was one point off of his career high (13), his 6 made field goals is a new career-high though and he continued to patrol the paint coming up with big blocks and altering plenty of shots. The Magic struggled. Arron Afflalo & Glen Davis have been the Magic's leading scorers. Glen was averaging 22.3ppg heading into this game, however the Wolves held him to just 4 on 2-9 shooting. Arron Afflalo had been averaging 19ppg coming into this matchup (including a 28-point outing vs. Chicago on Tuesday), but the Wolves held him to just 12pts on 5-of-11 shooting. Let's take a look at the teams stats...
The TWolves kept the Magic off the three-point line and that was a big difference in this one. The Magic have always been known for their three-pointers, but the Wolves allowed them just three makes on twelve attempts. The Wolves (without Kevin Love) held a +5 in rebounds and did so (as we noted before) with no one player having more than six rebounds. More assists, steals, blocks and points in the paint. Both teams turned the ball over the same number of times (something that'll continue to be one of Minnesota's Achilles Heels going forward). All around great game for Minnesota as they head into Friday's matchup vs. Indiana.
That's all for now, that game vs. Indiana will be at the Target Center and will tip at 7pmCT and you can expect a full gameday preview of that one sometime Thursday afternoon. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The 2-1 Minnesota Timberwolves will face the 2-1 Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at the Target Center. Minnesota is coming off a 107-96 win in Brooklyn on Monday. You can check out the full gameday recap of that one under the Gameday section on this site. The Orlando Magic played on Tuesday night vs. the Bulls in Chicago. Orlando was ahead for the majority of that matchup, but thanks to Chicago's fourth quarter play--led by Luol Deng & Nate Robinson, the Bulls outscored Orlando 31-23 (in the 4th) for the 93-99 win. Orlando's Arron Afflalo had 28pts, 5reb, 5ast, 1blk & 1stl and Orlando's starting frontcourt (Glen Davis & Nikola Vucevic) added 16pts & 10reb apiece. The Magic had gotten off to a good start (until the matchup vs. Chicago) in their first two games. In their first game (Nov. 2nd) vs. the Denver Nuggets they took down a Western Conference powerhouse (or at least they were supposed to be), 102-89. Their next game came vs. the Phoenix Suns (Nov. 4th), which resulted in a 115-94 win. The Timberwolves will be without Kevin Love & Ricky Rubio. The Magic will likely be without their starting point guard: Jameer Nelson. Nelson has missed the last two games with a strained groin/hamstring. In his place E'Twaun Moore has started at point guard. There is still a chance he plays however, as he did make the road trip. Chances are better that he sits this one out rather than risk aggravating the muscle strains. The Magic are also without their starting small forward Hedo Turkoglu. Turk broke his left hand in the Magic's first game. Undrafted rookie DeQuan Jones has started the past two games and it's expected he'll be the starter, once again. Rookie Maurice Harkless is dealing with a sports hernia and hasn't yet made his NBA debut. Al Harrington has yet to make his Magic debut, either. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups...
The Magic have certainly been a surprise early this season. Even without some of their best players: Nelson/Turkoglu/Harrington, but still they've remained competitive. Many have this team finishing near the bottom not only in the Eastern Conference, but also in the NBA, it's still VERY, VERY early in the season, but they've looked good thus far.
The Timberwolves need to get Nikola Pekovic going on that LARGE advantage in the paint vs. the 'Other Nikola'. With Jones matched up with AK47, I'd expect another big game from Andrei. This one is set to tip at 7pmCT from the Target Center on Wednesday night. We'll have a full gameday recap of this one following the final horn, until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off the biggest comeback since the 1998 season. Down 22 in the third quarter the Wolves went on a furious rally over the final quarter and a half to stun the Nets in their second game at the brand-new Barclays Center this season. The Nets didn't trail at all in the second half until Nikola Pekovic scored with 4:30 to play to tie the game. With just 2:35 to play Alexey Shved made the go-ahead bucket. Shortly thereafter Shved also hit a shot in the lane, Pek converted on the inside and Budinger hit a three with 38 seconds to play making it 103-96. The TWolves would score the final 11 points in the fourth quarter (an 11-0 run) to close the game and secure the W. With six minutes left in the third quarter the Wolves were down 71-49, Minnesota outscored Brooklyn 58-25 the rest of the way for the 107-96W. Let's take a look at tonight's top performers for each squad...
Nikola Pekovic led the Wolves in scoring, but Andrei Kirilenko continues to show why he's worth $10million a year! Andrei "The Man Does Everything" Kirilenko. If there's one phrase that's synonymous with Kirilenko (when I talk about him), it's "The Man Does Everything!" However, you can thank that second unit for the win. Shved scored all 10 of his points in that final quarter. In fact, Shved had 10pts in the fourth and so did the Brooklyn Nets! Cunningham (along w/Kirilenko) registered a points-rebounds double-double. I don't think it's possible to pick a Minnesota Player of the Game. For Brooklyn, they got 37 points from their backcourt (Johnson & Williams--though Johnson was more of the small forward tonight, with Bogans starting and Gerald Wallace injured). Brook Lopez followed up his 27-point season debut (vs. Toronto) with 13 tonight. They certainly could've used more from him. Lopez's starting frontcourt mate: Kris Humphries didn't help much either. Humph had just 2pts & 4reb in 23 minutes. Let's take a look at the team stats...
The TWolves shot better percentages from the field and the line, out-rebounded Brooklyn by a +16 and a +6 in offensive boards, their 30 assists will certainly be one of the highest all season. Minnesota also held a staggering +28 in points in the paint. The Wolves also did a MUCH better job hanging onto the ball, turning it over just 11 times (compared to 24 times vs. Toronto on Sunday) for 16 Brooklyn points (compared to 32 Toronto points on Sunday).
The TWolves move to 2-1 on the season (and as of Nov. 5th they're 1st in the Northwest Divsion and 2nd in the Western Conference...not like it means much right now, though). That's all for now, the Wolves are back in action on Wednesday night vs. the Orlando Magic back at the Target Center, we'll have a full gameday preview of that sometime tomorrow evening. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves make their first visit to the Barclays Center to face off against the Nets of Brooklyn. The TWolves have won five of the last six matchups versus the Nets. These two teams played just one game last season--a 108-105 Minnesota win. The Timberwolves are 1-1 on the season and 0-1 on the road. The Brooklyn Nets have played just one game, thus far (they were supposed to face New York last week, but that was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy). The last matchup for both teams was the Toronto Raptors... The Brooklyn Nets defeated Toronto on Saturday night, 107-100. The Raptors were within two points with 1:17 to play, but that's as close as they'd get as the Nets were able to hang on for the W. Brook Lopez had 27pts, 5reb, 1stl, 1blk; Williams added 19pts, 1reb, 9ast; new-Net Joe Johnson had 14pts, 5reb, 4ast, 1stl and former Bull C.J. Watson came off the bench with 15pts, 2reb, 1ast, 1stl, 2blks. The Minnesota Timberwolves were defeated by the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, 86-105. The TWolves were able to pull within two points in the third quarter, however thanks to 24 turnovers, that the Raptors scored 32 points off of, it was clear why Minny lost. The TWolves were also out-rebounded on the offensive glass: 8-16, which meant Toronto got 32 extra possessions! Kirilenko had 17pts, 6reb, 3ast, 1stl, 3blks; Pekovic added 15pts, 3reb, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk and Luke Ridnour finished with 8pts, 5reb, 5ast, 3stls. The Timberwolves will (of course) be without Kevin Love & Ricky Rubio, however they could also be without their best reserve: J.J. Barea. J.J. was knocked to the floor on a drive to the basket in the second quarter vs. the Raptors, Cunningham sprinted down the lane and accidentally kicked him in the head, knocking him out of the game. Barea was diagnosed with a mild concussion and had this to say following the loss about the game vs. the Nets, "I'll proabably play. It all depends on the trainers. I've got to take another test (Monday) to make sure." Barea also added, "My face hurts , I've got a couple of cuts in the mouth, but other than that I'm all right." The Brooklyn Nets will be without small forwards Gerald Wallace and Josh Childress. Both will miss Monday's matchup with sprained left ankles. Reports say Keith Bogans will get the start in Wallace's place. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups...
If Minnesota turns the ball over 24 times against the Nets, I guarantee the Wolves will lose by a whole lot more than 19 points. The Nets are better at every position when you compare them to the Raptors (when healthy). The TWolves' advantage lies at that shooting guard position. If there was ever a game the Wolves needed a big game out of Brandon Roy--to get him going--Monday night vs. the Nets wouldn't be a bad choice. However everything we saw from him vs. the Raptors on Saturday was BAD.
Minnesota is going to have a tough time in this one if they can't turn things around from Saturday night. Here's hoping for big games from Pek, AK47, Roy and the a triumphant return from J.J. Barea. That's all for now, tipoff for this one is set for 6:30pmCT and a full gameday recap won't be on this site until late Monday night (likely around 11pmCT or so). Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves struggled mightily in this one! I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that when you turn the ball over 24 times and allow your opponent to score 32 points off of those turnovers--you're going to lose that game, 99% of the time. After one quarter it was a neck-and-neck game, with the Raptors leading 24-25. The TWolves showed really good energy through the first seven or eight possessions. After one minute, Pek already had four points. D-Will matched up vs. Toronto's best post player: Andrea Bargnani and did a decent job, holding him to just 6 points in the first half (Andrea would finish with 10 points on the night--adding the other 4 in the third quarter). At halftime the Raptors found themselves up by 9, 47-56. That was thanks in large part to Toronto forcing 16 first half turnovers, which they were able to turn into 27 points! Minnesota was shooting 56% from the field in the first half, however on 16 of those possessions they didn't get a shot up and handed it back to the Raptors. The Wolves also held a 21-15 advantage in rebounds. While Toronto forced Minnesota into 16 for 27, the Wolves managed to force Toronto into 3 turnovers for 2 points in the first two quarters! During the second quarter the Wolves lost J.J. Barea. On a slashing drive to the bucket, J.J. was knocked to the floor, hit his head and then Dante (unintentionally) kicked him in the face. Barea didn't return. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion and according to Alan Horton (via Twitter) a dentists was called! We'll have more on Barea later (and whether or not he can play tomorrow vs. Brooklyn). After three quarters the Wolves began to close the gap again (getting within two points, at one point). Minnesota found themselves down 73-79. The Wolves had another three turnovers in that third quarter (and Toronto scored three more points 'off them'). I was praying for a fourth quarter comeback for Minnesota, but that certainly wasn't the case! The Wolves were outscored 13-26. With four minutes to play, Adelman 'called it a game' and put in his deep reserves (Lou Amundson, Will Conroy & Malcolm Lee--along with Dante Cunningham & Alexey Shved). With this loss, the Timberwolves have lost 15 of the last 16 matchups versus Toronto. This is also the ninth-straight loss to the Raptors in Toronto, having not registered a W in Toronto since January 21, 2004 (@TOR). Last season the Wolves' team high in turnovers was 28 vs. the Dallas Mavericks (on Feb. 10th--@DAL, which the Mavs turned into 30 points). Let's take a look at tonight's top performers from each team...
Kirilenko had another great game, but I really didn't understand why he wasn't on the floor more (playing just 29 minutes). Nikola Pekovic was matched up with Jonas Valanciunas and it was basically no contest. Another thing I didn't understand? Why didn't we just give the ball to Pek everytime down the floor, the Raptors weren't bringing any double team and Pek's shot was certainly 'on'. The Raptors backcourt had quite the game, combining for 44pts, 14reb, 7ast, 6stls, 4tos, 4fls, 16-24 FG, 3-5 3PT and 9-10 FT. A lot of that success coming off of those turnovers. Minneapolis native Alan Anderson had quite the game, scoring 18 points off the bench for the Raptors, who were without second-string forward Linas Kleiza and rookie forward Quincy Acy. Let's get a look at the team stats...
Minnesota shot a better percentage from the field, found more points at the line and held a +2 in fast break points...that was it. The Raptors shot better percentages from three and the line, out-rebounded Minnesota by a +3 as well as a +8 on the offensive glass, a +6 in points in the paint and forced the TWolves into 13 more turnovers for 18 more points off turnovers.
The Timberwolves are now 1-1 on the season and 0-1 vs. Eastern Conference opponents. They'll get another chance vs. an East opponent tomorrow night vs. the Brooklyn Nets. I won't get the chance to watch that game, however I will have a recap of it late tomorrow (likely around 11pm), until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves will play their first road game of the season vs. the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday night. It'll be the first of a two-game road trip (the other coming the following night vs. the Nets, in Brooklyn). Minnesota is 1-0 on the season after defeating the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at the Target Center, 92-80. J.J. had 21 points, 4reb, 5ast and one block in 28 minutes off the bench. Stiemsma & Dante also came off the bench to have good games, Dante contributed 7 points and 9 rebounds in 25 minutes and Stiemer had 9pts, 7reb and 4blks. Kirilenko had the all-around game, finishing with 10pts, 7reb, 5ast and one block. The Toronto Raptors are 0-2 on the year (0-1 at home & 0-1 on the road). Their last loss came against the Nets in Brooklyn on Saturday night. The Raptors got within two points with 1:17 to play, but that's as close as they'd get as the Nets held on for the 7-point victory; 100-107. Kyle Lowry led the Raps with 28pts, 8reb, 8ast, 3stls and one block in 40 minutes as the starting point guard. DeMar DeRozan added 25pts, 3reb, 1ast and 1stl in 34 minutes. The Timberwolves need to get Nikola going early in this matchup. The Raptors don't have the strongest (biggest) frontline and Pek should be able to impose his will on the low-block. The Raptors start Jonas Valanciunas a 6'11", 231lb. rookie. I wouldn't doubt that Dwane Casey could decide (instead) to start Aaron Gray at center, who's 7-foot, 270lbs. Pek struggled in that first game vs. the Kings, scoring just 9 points (on 2-of-8 shooting) and grabbing only 5 rebounds. We all know he's capable of more--and he should be able to versus the Raptors and Valanciunas, Gray, (Amir) Johnson and (Andrea) Bargnani. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups...
If the Timberwolves want any chance of winning this game, the Wolves need to find a way to slow down Kyle Lowry: scoring, rebounds, assists, steals--he's been doing it all through these first two games. I'd say there's a good chance he could be in for another big game--I'm just not sure Luke Ridnour or J.J. Barea can slow him down.
I assume Roy will be guarding Fields and Kirilenko will take the better offensive player: DeMar DeRozan (heck, he might even guard Lowry). The TWolves hold advantages at center, but Kirilenko is my choice to 'breakout' in this game! The Timberwolves are definitely the better team. Analysts can't seem to agree on the Raptors this season. Some say they're a lock for the postseason (in a 7th or 8th seed) while others say they're a lock to make another appearance in the lottery. Sunday's game tips at 5pmCT and will be shown on NBATV. As always, we'll have the recap right here following the final horn. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves begin their 2012-13, 1-0 with a 92-80 win over the Sacramento Kings. Up to tonight Minnesota was the only Western Conference team that had yet to play a game. The Wolves are now 14-10 (all-time) on opening night, 16-8 in home openers and tonight was the twelfth straight year Minnesota opened their season at home. The Timberwolves stormed out of the gate and jumped out to a ten-point first quarter lead. The Wolves shot 46% from the field in that first quarter and got out on the break for 9 points. In the second quarter is when the TWolves really opened things up thanks in large part to backup point guard J.J. Barea. At halftime the Wolves were up 41-50 (but did hold an 18-point lead during that second quarter). J.J. had 10pts at halftime and did a fantastic job of breaking down the defense by slashing through the lane for easy layups or a kick-out to an open teammate (though Minnesota did struggle shooting threes). The third quarter was when the Kings battled back and took the lead with just under 9 minutes to play in the third (55-54). Adelman brought J.J. back in the game and he was able to grab another six points and give Minnesota the lead (65-70) heading into that final quarter. The Wolves were able to hold on in that final quarter, Budinger had 6pts, Pekovic & Barea both added 5, Roy had 4 and Cunningham rounded out the scoring in the fourth with 1 point to outscore the Kings 22-15 in that fourth quarter for the W. Let's take a look at tonight't top performers from each squad...
It was the battle of the pint-sized point guards. A back-and-forth battle between Isaiah Thomas & J.J. Barea kept this one interesting. The Kings didn't get good games out of Tyreke Evans or DeMarcus Cousins (their two best players), which made them leaving the Target Center with a W, very difficult. I wrote in an article today about Minnesota's rotation that J.J. was one of my least favorite players and that I wasn't so sure about Greg Stiemsma (saying he didn't impress me in the preseason). Stiemsma hit the glass, sent back plenty of shots and threw down a dunk or two. Let's take a look at the team stats...
Minnesota shot a terrible percentage from the field, an awful percentage from deep and left 10 points at the charity stripe. The Wolves did hold a +10 in rebounds and a +6 in offensive rebounds, drew 34 fouls from the Kings, a +10 in points in the paint. The Wolves turned the ball over 11 times for 13 Kings' points, whereas the Kings turned the ball over once more (12 times), but Minnesota scored 20 points off them--certainly making the most of those opportunities.
That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! It's finally here! The 2012-13 NBA season opener for the Minnesota Timberwolves has come. The Wolves begin a season filled with A LOT of hope and promise, despite the injuries to Kevin Love & Ricky Rubio. It all begins on Friday night vs. the Sacramento Kings at the Target Center. Many have Minnesota winning anywhere from 43-56 games. My guess: 47 (mark it down). 47-35. While that would (likely) put Minnesota into the playoffs, their season-opening opponent: the Kings, will likely be on the other end of the Conference. That being said, these Kings do show promise. I watched a few quarters of the Kings season-opener vs. the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, resulting in a 93-87 Sacramento loss. With just 41.2 seconds to play Tyreke Evans got a bucket to cut the lead to 86-83. The Kings then intentionally fouled Luol Deng who could only hit 1 of 2 free-throws. However, the Kings couldn't get the ball in-bounds following the free-throws, resulting in a five-second violation. Bulls ball, they get it in-bounds to Richard Hamilton, Kings intentionally foul him, Rip hits both free-throws to make it 89-83 and Chicago hung on from there. The Kings certainly had their opportunities, but they buried themselves with all their turnovers. By game's end Sacramento turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 25 Chicago points. Both the Timberwolves and the Kings have fallen on 'tough times' these past six-seven years. The Kings have endured six-straight losing seasons and have fallen far from the heyday of Bibby, Peja, Webber & Divac. The TWolves are even worse off, no having a winning season in the past seven years! The last time the Wolves finished above .500? 44-38 in 2004-05. With this TWolves squad, they have a VERY good chance of snapping that streak. For the Kings--they're certainly talented, but I'd give them another season or two. In the loss to the Bulls, Tyreke Evans finished with 21pts, 8reb, 3ast, 1blk, 8-13 FG in 39 min. DeMarcus Cousins added 14pts, 7reb, 1ast, 3stls, 2blks, 7-14 FG in 25 min. (but also adding 7tos & 4fls). And Marcus Thornton finished with 15pts, 4reb, 2ast, 1stl, 5-15 FG in 32 minutes off the bench. Let's take a look at the projected starting lineups for each team...
The statistics listed are the preseason stats for each squad. Luke Ridnour, Brandon Roy and Nikola Pekovic have missed a game or two in the preseason or missed a practice leading up to this season opener, however Adelman says they'll all be able to go.
That Kings lineup is what they used vs. the Bulls in their season-opener vs. the Bulls. In that game, the Kings went with a 10-man rotation. Here it is broken down by minutes: 1.) Tyreke Evans (39); 2.) Marcus Thornton (32); 3.) Jason Thompson (28); T-4.) DeMarcus Cousins & Isaiah Thomas (25); 6.) Aaron Brooks (23); 7.) Thomas Robinson (22); 8.) James Johnson (21); 9.) Chuck Hayes (18); 10.) Francisco Garcia (8). DeMarcus Cousins will be a superstar in this League someday, IF he can figure out how to stay on the floor for more than 25-30 minutes a night (how to play without fouling). I watched the Bulls loss on Wednesday as well as two of the Kings' preseason games (both vs. the Lakers) and he has a VERY interesting skillset. A 6'11" big man that can play passing lanes better than any center in the League. He also needs to learn how to play against certain opponents: if he's facing a smaller big in the post, he needs to use his body and back down the opponent for an easy bucket; if he's facing someone like Nikola Pekovic, he should probably look for more perimeter shots. DeMarcus Cousins vs. Nikola Pekovic will certainly be my matchup of the night! Adelman said on Thursday after practice, when asked if he likes the Pek-DMC matchup: "I like the way Pek matches up against anybody." I can't wait to see these two brutes battle in the paint! I've got the TWolves in this one: 97-89. That's all for now, tipoff for this one is set for 7pmCT, Friday night at the Target Center, there will be a full gameday recap on this site following the final horn (as well as player/career highs & stat leaders). Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! |
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