Just when things seemed to be on the up and up with these Wolves, they reverted back to their old ways and blew another big lead for a road loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night. The Wolves were looking to extend their winning streak to five games, but the Magic--led by Glen Davis & J.J. Redick were able to halt the Wolves' hot streak and give the Magic a three-game winning streak of their own. The Wolves were stomping the Magic midway through the third quarter, up 68-53. However the Wolves offense suddenly became quite frigid and Orlando's Glen Davis got rolling. He'd hit six straight shots to narrow the gap and just before the end of the third they were able to tie it at 74. Minnesota's once 15-point lead was cut to just four points after three quarters and unfortunately the couldn't stop the bleeding in the fourth quarter. The Magic outscored the Timberwolves 28-15 in the fourth quarter as they cruised to a nine-point victory over a Wolves team that had put together an impressive run this past week and a half. This isn't the first lead the Wolves have blown this season, unfortunately it's not likely to be the last. Hopefully with Ricky returning to the roster and adding a whole new element to an already dangerous Wolves team, situations such as these can be avoided in the near future. Let's take a look at tonight's key players on each squad...
HOT: Kevin Love had a good bounce back game after stringing a few games of extremely poor shooting together consecutively. Tonight he shot 50% from the field and finished with his 5th 20-15 game of the season. That means that in the twelve games he's played this season, he's finished with a 20-15 or better in five of them! That's quite impressive. For the Magic, it was Glen Davis. Davis was a key factor for the turning point in this one as he registered a game-high 28 points. Edging all-star Kevin Love offensively in this one. NOT: Minnesota's second half offense was downright putrid, the same could be said about their second half defense. Ultimately it was the second half TWolves team that took the floor that were utterly disappointing in this one. The team stats...
The difference in this one came with the shooting percentages. If you look at all the other stats on this page, they near mirror each other, however it's the differential in shooting percentages that decided this one. Anytime you shoot over 50% from the field, 40% from three and don't miss a shot from the line, you expect to win a basketball game--tonight that was case for the Orlando Magic.
The TWolves will be back in action tomorrow night in Miami vs. the Heat. That game will be broadcast on NBATV and a full gameday preview can be found on this site tomorrow evening. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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The Minnesota Timberwolves will be looking to continue their season-high four-game winning streak in Orlando on Monday vs. the Magic. The Minnesota Timberwolves are 12-9 on the year, 5-6 on the road and 7-3 in their last ten games. The Orlando Magic are 10-13, 5-6 at home and 5-5 in the last ten games. The last time the Wolves played the Magic they did so without Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio. That may not change on Monday night. Kevin Love missed Saturday's game vs. the Mavericks with the flu and it remains to be seen whether he'll be able to go in this one. Ricky Rubio on the other hand, made his season debut vs. the Mavs, however the Rick Adelman has said he doesn't intend to play Ricky in back-to-back games right away now that he's back. So, does he play on Monday vs. the Magic or do they save him for Tuesday vs. the Miami Heat? Or do they scrap the plans not to play him in back-to-back games and play him both nights. I have no idea. The Wolves will also be without four players for certain: Malcolm Lee, Brandon Roy, Josh Howard and Chase Budinger who are all dealing with knee injuries or rehabbing from knee surgeries. The Magic will be without Al Harrington (knee) and Hedo Turkoglu (hand). Harrington has yet to play this season as he's still rehabbing that knee. Al says he hopes to return to the lineup by the February trade deadline. Turkoglu's hand is now in a splint (instead of a cast), but there's still no timetable for his return. Both teams played Saturday. The Wolves faced the Mavericks at the Target Center which ended in a 114-106 overtime W. You can find the full recap of that here. The Magic faced the slumping Charlotte Bobcats and they handed them their 11th-straight loss with a 107-98 win. Glen Davis had 20pts, 4reb, 2ast; Arron Afflalo added 20pts, 6reb, 3ast and Jameer Nelso turned in a solid outing with 16pts, 4reb, 6ast, 1blk. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups...
If Kevin Love is unable to play, expect Dante Cunningham (7.7ppg, 4.9rpg, 0.9spg) to get his second straight start of the season.
The Wolves hold an advantage in the paint--especially the matchup at center vs. the Two Nikolas. If Pek can take use his strength advantage early and often, the Wolves will be in good shape. The Magic have started Moe Harkless at small forward and I'd look for AK47 to exploit that early on. I fully expect to see a backdoor court or two or three from AK leading to easy buckets. That's all for now, I apologize that this preview was so rushed, however the next three days are incredibly busy for me, so I apologize for any posts in the next three days. I won't be watching this game on Monday night (I'm hoping I can catch the second half, but it's not a sure thing). We'll still have a recap Monday night though. Tipoff is set for 6pmCT, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves were without Kevin Love, who at the last second was experiencing 'flu-like' symptoms and sent home for the night. Not surprisingly, looking on Twitter, no one was too concerned with Love being out, instead the news was the #ReturnofRubio. It comes as no surprise because Kevin Love has clearly been struggling shooting the ball and perhaps some time off the court will help him when he returns to the court. Ricky didn't disappoint in his first action since March 2012. He played 18 minutes and finished with 8pts, 4reb, 9ast, 3stls. He missed a three-pointer with under 10 seconds to play that would've sealed the win, instead the game went into OT. Rubio didn't play in overtime (he was to be limited to 16-18 minutes), however Adelman said post-game that Ricky would've played in the OT had they needed him. Luckily they didn't and it was thanks in large part to Andrei Kirilenko. AK began the overtime with an assist on an Alexey Shved slam dunk, he also scored 5 of the Wolves' 12 points in the extra innings and pulled down some clutch rebounds. The Wolves stumbled out of the gate in this one and after one quarter the Mavericks were up 22-32. After a brief break between quarters, a completely different Wolves squad took the court, while the same seemed to hold true for the Mavs. The Wolves outscored Dallas 32-13 in that second quarter to take a 9-point lead (54-45) heading into halftime. Derrick Williams had 12 of his 16 in that quarter, while Shved added 7 of his 18. However, as has been the case far too many times this season, the Wolves let the lead slip away. The Wolves were up 15 points at one point in the third quarter however thanks to a 32-point fourth quarter the Mavericks were able to tie it up at 102. Rubio missed a game winner and 1-2 tips apiece for Pekovic & Kirilenko couldn't find bottom and the game went into overtime. Minnesota collects their 12th win of the season and is now riding a season-high four game winning streak. With this win the Wolves remain at #6 in the West standings and #2 in the Northwest (behind the OKC Thunder). Let's take a look at the key players for each team in this one...
HOT: Both teams were hot offensively, however thanks to a late boost from some stellar play via Andrei Kirilenko the Wolves were able to waltz away with the victory in OT. AK scored 5 of his 14 in overtime, assisted on one more and grab some very clutch rebounds. With 14-10 he had his sixth double-double of the season. Shved continues to prove he's the future for this team at shooting guard, he had a killer first half, scoring 8pts & 7pts in the first and second quarters. NOT: On a night like tonight, there aren't too many players that you can single out (on either side--but especially for Minnesota) that did poorly. My usual scapegoat (Derrick Williams) had one of his best games of the season with 16pts on 5-of-9 shooting in 19 minutes off the bench. For the Mavs, both Vince Carter & Derek Fisher fouled out in the fourth quarter. Both were having good games up to that point and without them on the floor in the latter stages, likely helped seal this W. The team stats....
Both teams shot similar percentages from the floor, though the Mavs connected on an astounding 50% of their threes. Luckily the Wolves held a +7 on the boards, finished w/15 steals while forcing 20 turnovers the Wolves turned into 18 points. Minny was also able to build off their paint dominance on Friday night with a 50-36 edge in points in the paint. 42pts off the bench (led by 16 for D-Will and 14 for Barea) doesn't hurt either.
That's all for now, the Wolves will be back in action in Orlando vs. the Magic on Monday night. A full gameday preview of that one will be available before then. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! THE RETURN OF RICKY RUBIO! It's been over nine months since Rubio has played in an NBA game, but tonight he'll take the court with the Wolves as they battle the Dallas Mavericks at the Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves were expected to struggle without Kevin Love & Ricky Rubio to begin the season, however they find themselves two games over .500 and they're currently ranked #6 in the Western Conference standings. That was without Kevin Love for the first nine games and a struggling Kevin Love for the last eleven. Tonight the Wolves will be looking for a season-high fourth-straight win, they'll look to do so over a team they've already defeated once this season. The Mavs fell to the Wolves in Dallas the last time these two teams met (11/12) in a 90-82 Wolves win. Despite it being an 8-point win, the Wolves actually dominated this game as the Mavs got some buckets in the final minute to make the score a bit more respectable. Andrei Kirilenko had 16pts & 11reb while Pek added 20pts in that win (this was of course before Love returned to the active roster). Both teams are playing the second half of back-to-back games tonight as both teams had outings last night. Let's see how both teams fared...
The Minnesota Timberwolves will get their point guard back, however they could be without as many as five guys. Kevin Love is listed as questionable with a right thumb contusion. We should know--likely an hour before tipoff, if he'll be able to play. Josh Howard left yesterday's game after playing just 7 minutes with a hyperextended knee, he won't play in this one, however it remains to be seen how much time he'll miss in this one. Brandon Roy, Malcolm Lee & Chase Budinger are all out with knee injuries. Chase will be out until March, Lee is out indefinitely with a chrondal injury and Roy should return by Christmas/New Years. The Dallas Mavericks have played the entire season without their star forward: Dirk Nowitzki. He remains out, however it sounds like he'll begin practicing next week and is targeting a late-December return. Jae Crowder missed last night's contest in Toronto with an illness and is a gametime decision for this one, if he's able to go, I'd expect him to start at small forward. Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups in this one...
It remains to be seen whether or not Adelman will decide to start Ricky Rubio at point guard immediately upon his return. If so, fans will get their first look at that Rubio-Shved backcourt that has fans giddy and optimistic about the 2012-13 Wolves. Regardless, we'll get a look at that backcourt at some point in this one. Also, if Kevin Love ends up unable to play, I'd expect Adelman to give Dante Cunningham (7.9ppg, 4.9rpg, 0.9spg) the starting nod. I can't see him going from giving Williams DNP-CDs to placing him right back in the starting lineup, though I suppose it remains a possibility.
For the Mavericks, as I said before, if Jae Crowder (6.4ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.2spg) is able to play, expect him to start at small forward in this one. The last time the Wolves faced Dallas, the Mavs were without Shawn Marion and they were still starting Darren Collison at point guard. Since then, Marion has returned from injury and taken over Elton Brand's place in the starting lineup, Chris Kaman has retaken his starting spot at center (Brandan Wright started at the five in the last MIN-DAL matchup) and the Mavs signed veteran Derek Fisher to a one-year deal. The key in this one will be containing O.J. Mayo and building off the great offensive outings the Wolves have had their past two games (scoring over 100 in each of them). The matchup of the night in this one will be Shved vs. Mayo. I'm interested to see how Alexey fares against one the NBA's Most Improved Players in Mayo (who's also a Top 10 shooting guard in the NBA this year). Lastly, my hometown Lake City Tigers are playing the Lewiston-Altura Cardinals this afternoon at the Target Center, after which a bunch of the Lake City faithful will be attending the game, a big shoutout to them and the Tigers as they'll witness (along with an assumed sellout crowd) the debut of Ricky Rubio later tonight! That's all for now, tipoff is set for 7pmCT, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves got another big night from the 'supporting cast' that continues to show they're more than capable of carrying the load when Kevin Love struggles. Nikola Pekovic finished with a career-high 31pts along with a career-high 14 made field goals. He was one of six TWolves players that notched double figures in a 112-point night. It was clear that this New Orleans Hornets team lacks a true interior presence. Anthony Davis is still developing and although he's a good defender, he's still pretty raw offensively, Robin Lopez seems to be simply a big body that can get the occasional rebound or putback, Ryan Anderson is more perimeter-oriented, certainly not a 'banger' in the post. Hence, it was clear why Nikola had a field day with the Hornets' frontcourt. The TWolves outscored the Hornets 70-42 in points in the paint. After the first half the score was knotted at 50. It was actually the first time this season (through 20 games now) that the Wolves and their opponent were tied at a quarter's end. Minnesota caught fire in the second half, scoring 63 points, compared to 52 by the Hornets, for that 11-point W. Pekovic scored 11 points in the third quarter and added another 8 in the fourth to finish with 31 points in 32 minutes. The Timberwolves improve to 11-9 on the season as they've notched their third-straight win and now move two games above .500 on the season. They've been able to do so without much help from Kevin Love and now it's sounding as though he could miss some time. Love left the game in the final minute clutching his hand as he made his way to the locker room. We found out shortly after the final buzzer that he's suffered a right thumb contusion and is currently listed as day-to-day. He did have X-rays taken which came back negative. The Wolves began the game without Malcolm Lee--who's out indefinitely with a chrondal right knee injury. Then, Josh Howard left tonight's game in the first half with a hyperextended knee and did not return. When it rains it pours for Minnesota and right now we're approaching hurricane force winds and rain. Luckily it's sounding as though Ricky Rubio will debut on Saturday vs. the Mavericks. A bit of sunshine during our natural disaster. Let's take a look at tonight's key players for each squad...
HOT: The TWolves got big offensive nights from Pekovic (31), Kirilenko (21), Ridnour (15), Love (14), Shved (13) and Barea (12). The Wolves also did so with great efficiency (well most of them...ahem...Kevin....) shooting 53.4% from the field. For the Hornets, they also scored 102 points as a team and shot 53.8% from the field, clearly they got some great offensive production as well. Austin Rivers scored a career-high 27pts, Anderson w/20 and Vasquez w/15 to led the Hive. NOT: Kevin Love. Not only did he hurt his shooting hand even more, Love struggled shooting the ball for yet another outing hitting 4 of 18 hoists on the night. Even in close layups and bunny shots couldn't find the bottom of the net. MISC. STATS: Kirilenko's 10 field goals made and 16 field goals attempted are both new season-highs, he also tied a season-high in defensive rebounds with 9.....Pekovic set new season/career-highs in points (31) and field goals made (14) while setting a new season-high in field goals attempted (18), as well.....In Shved's first career NBA start he notched a career-high 8 assists and tied a career-high w/2 steals......Ridnour's 3 three-pointers made, 10 assists and 4 steals all tie season-highs......
Both teams shot unreal percentages from the field and from deep, it's no secret why both of these teams were able to eclipse the century mark in this game. The Wolves held a +10 on the boards, however with so many shots finding bottom there weren't a whole lot of rebounds to go around in this one (70 on the night). The Wolves did a decent job of securing the basketball (compared to some 20 turnover nights they've had thus far this season), however the Hornets did an impeccable job of converting on Minnesota's miscues, turning those 13 TO's in 21 points. There's no question that this one was decided in the battle down low though. The Wolves rocked the key besting the Hornets with a +28 on the night.
MISC. STATS: The Wolves' 47 field goals made, 53.4% from the field, 70 points in the paint and 113 total points are a all new season-highs for Minny this season.....The Wolves' 12 personal fouls is the lowest of the season......New Orleans' 53.8% shooting percentage from the field ties a season-high for a Wolves opponent......The Hornets also tied a season-low for a Wolves opponent with those 30 rebounds...... That's all for now, Minnesota returns to action tomorrow night back at the Target Center vs. the Dallas Mavericks. You can find a full gameday preview of that one before the 7pmCT tip under the 'Gameday' section on this site. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! UPDATE (12/14 @2:05pmCT): News came this afternoon that Malcolm Lee is out indefinitely with a right knee injury (you can find that full story under the 'News' section). As such, the Wolves will need a new starting shooting guard and according to multiple sources Alexey Shved will get his first career NBA start and I think it's safe to assume he'll be at the two-guard spot for quite some time. This also means that come tomorrow, we could get our first look at that Rubio-Shved backcourt in the starting lineup. Also, Josh Howard participated in the morning shootaround and will play tonight in New Orleans. I wouldn't expect the Minnesota Timberwolves to continue to fare well when their best player (Kevin Love) goes 3-for-17 from the field and contribute only 8 points. The rest of the Wolves were able to pick up the slack (22 from Pek, 18 for AK, J.J. w/17, Ridnour finished w/15 and Dante added 12). A matchup with the Western Conference's worst team (as well as the fourth-worst team in the NBA) the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets are bound for another trip to the Lottery this season, however as they continue to build around Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon (if he can ever stay healthy) and Austin Rivers this isn't a team that'll stay out of the Western Conference playoff picture for too long. As of right now however, they're 5-16 this season, 3-9 at home, 2-8 in their last ten games and are currently riding a five-game losing streak. Despite being without Kevin Love for the first nine games of the season and having him struggle mightily shooting the ball since his return, the Wolves find themselves a game over .500 at 10-9, 4-6 on the road, 5-5 in their last ten games and winners of their last two outings, the TWolves will be looking to match their longest winning streak of the season, whilst sending the Hornets to a sixth consecutive loss. The Hornets have been without their best player: Eric Gordon for the whole season. He continues to deal with knee problems that plagued him all last season (limiting him to just 9 games in 2011-12). As of right now, word is Gordon's "making progress" in his rehab, however a return date has yet to be set. New Orleans recently got Anthony Davis back in the lineup after he missed 11 games with an ankle injury. He's played in the Hornets' last two contests coming off the bench while Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez start in the frontcourt. Head Coach Monty Williams says he'll continue to play Davis off the bench for the next few games while he gets some of his conditioning back. The Timberwolves have had their own, well-documented struggles with injuries this season. However there does seem to be some light at the end of this seemingly never-ending tunnel. Ricky Rubio did not travel with the team, however barring any setbacks, he'll make his debut tomorrow night vs. the Dallas Mavericks back at the Target Center. Brandon Roy is rehabbing his knee and should start full contact practices next week, should be expecting a Christmas-New Years return. Chase Budinger remains out while he recovers from knee surgery following that torn meniscus, it will be a long while before we see him back in action though (sometime in March, most likely). Josh Howard sat out Wednesday's game vs. Denver with an illness and although he didn't participate in practice on Thursday, he did travel with the team to New Orleans and is expected to be available. And lastly, Malcolm Lee. Lee hyperextended his knee in Wednesday's game vs. Denver. He didn't participate in practice on Thursday and did not travel with the team, that means either J.J. Barea or Alexey Shved will get the start at shooting guard. If it's Shved, he'll be the fifth player to start at shooting guard for the Wolves this season (Roy, Budinger, Lee and Barea being the other four). Minnesota's last game was that win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night at the Target Center. The Wolves found themselves up by double digits late in the second half, however a big run from the Nuggets sparked by some dead-eye shooting found Denver within a single possession with under a minute to play. Luckily the Wolves finally hit their free throws (30-37) and slid out with the W. As I said, Love had a terrible shooting night 3-for-17 FG and only 8 points, however he got some big help from his supporting cast. Nikola Pekovic finished with 22pts, 11reb, 2ast, 2blks; Kirilenko continues his stellar all-around play as he chipped in 18pts, 4reb, 2ast, 4stls, 1blk and J.J. added 17pts, 5reb, 8ast, 2stls for the 108-105W. The Hornets' last game also came on Wednesday night in a matchup with the powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder. The Hornets were up 11 late in the third quarter, however we all know that no lead is safe with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant on the opposition. The Thunder orchestrated a 16-2 run that ultimately helped them secure the 92-88W. For New Orleans, Ryan Anderson had a solid all-around game, finishing with 14pts, 7reb, 5ast, 1stl, 1blk while rookie point guard Brian Roberts added 16pts, 1reb, 4ast, 2stls off the bench. I'm excited to see Anthony Davis in action, this will be the first game I watch of him in the NBA. I did watch him play some in the Olympics, but obviously, we all know he didn't get much PT. I'm really hopeful that at some point Davis has to match up with Nikola Pekovic, I reckon that'll get interesting! Let's take a look at the probable starting lineups...
I'm hoping Rick Adelman instead decides to start Alexey Shved (10.5ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.6apg) at shooting guard, however I'm going by who started the last time they were this thin at the two-guard. I could be completely wrong and Adelman could start Josh Howard at the two, too. Who knows.
The Hornets' top player right now is Ryan Anderson and it'll be interesting to see how two very similar big men (Love & Anderson) matchup against one another on the court. I'd usually pick Love to steamroll the competition in most any matchup, however the way he's been going lately, he's been unpredictable at best. Unpredictable is going for 36-13 vs. the Cavs on Friday and 8-14 vs. the Nuggets on Wednesday. Clearly one thing is for certain: those rebounding numbers are always going to be there! That's all for now, tipoff for this one is set for 7pmCT from New Orleans Arena. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves built a 14-point lead in the second half, however they wanted to make this one a nail-biter with a wild finale. Luckily it ended in MIN's favor and the TWolves walk away with a narrow three-point victory and move above .500, now 10-9. This one was a back-and-forth affair through the first half as the TWolves went to the locker room at halftime with a 51-50 lead. The Wolves finished the third quarter up by seven points and within the first part of the fourth quarter the Wolves were able to build a double digit lead. The Nuggets stayed calm however and thanks to big fourth quarters from Danilo Gallinari (9pts of his 24) and Corey Brewer (10pts of his 14). The Wolves were able to edge with some solid defensive plays late as well as stellar play from J.J. Barea (11pts of his 17), Dante (5pts of his 12) and Kirilenko (6pts of his 18). The TWolves' lineup late in the ball game was J.J. Barea, Luke Ridnour, Andrei Kirilenko, Dante Cunningham and Nikola Pekovic/Kevin Love. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be writing about how the Wolves were able to hold on to a lead for the narrow victory. Too often this season I've had the displeasure of writing posts on how the Wolves blew another lead in the second half for yet another disappointing loss. The Wolves notch their first win against a division opponent (was previously 0-2, with losses to Denver & Portland earlier this season) and 4-5 vs. Western Conference foes. The head to New Orleans on Friday and will be back at the Target Center come Saturday for a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. Both of those games are VERY winnable. Next week they'll have games vs. the Thunder and the Heat that will test these Wolves. Rubio is expected to debut on Saturday vs. the Mavericks barring any setbacks and his presence automatically makes the Wolves exponentially more dangerous on both ends of the floor. Let's take a look at some of tonight's top performers...
HOT: Nikola Pekovic. Pek got back on track following last week as he was battling an ankle injury and clearly didn't look like himself out there. Tonight Pek exploded for 22 and 11 vs. the likes of Kosta Koufos, Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee. He scored 10 of his 22 points in the third quarter while the Wolves built that slim second half lead. Kirilenko posted another great all-around game and J.J. had yet another double digit scoring night off the bench. For the Nuggets, it was all Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari. Faried scored 14 of his 26 points in the first quarter, while also adding 14reb. In their last matchup, Faried was a non-factor, scoring just 4 points all night, tonight he nearly quadrupled that in the first quarter alone! Danilo tossed in 24 including 9 of those in the fourth quarter as it looked like the Nuggets might come back and steal the W. NOT: Kevin Love. He did finish with 14 rebounds, however he was only able to muster 8 points on 3-of-17 shooting. Luckily the Wolves got some stellar play from the gentlemen listed above--as well as 15 from Ridnour and 12 from Dante off the bench. Let's take a look at the team stats...
THE TIMBERWOLVES ACTUALLY HIT SOME FREE THROWS!!! It had to happen sooner or later and it was the key to this win, had the Wolves finished the night at those 50-60% mark(s), the Wolves would have lost and by a large deficit, too. The Wolves grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and finished with a slim lead in rebounds, the TWolves bench also got back on track and outscored Denver's by a +15. Along with the free throw edge and the stellar play from the bench, the TWolves were able to force the Nuggets into 19 turnovers while also scoring 27 points off of those turnovers!
That's all for now, the TWolves will be back in action vs. the New Orleans Hornets at New Orleans Arena on Friday, tipoff for that one 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! The Minnesota Timberwolves will FINALLY be back in action on Wednesday night vs. the Denver Nuggets, after four days off. Their last game was on Friday night at the Target Center vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tonight, they'll be facing the Denver Nuggets who have played two games during Minnesota's four days off. The Wolves come into this one 9-9, 5-3 at home, 3-5 vs. the Western Conference, 0-2 vs. the Northwest division and 4-6 in their last ten games. The Denver Nuggets are also .500 on the year at 11-11 as well as 6-10 on the road, 7-5 vs. the West, 2-1 vs. the Northwest and 5-5 in their last ten games. The big question on every Wolves fans mind is WILL RICKY PLAY?!! The TWolves got a surprise debut from Kevin Love the last time they faced the Nuggets. According to Darren Wolfson, he received and email from a TWolves source that said Ricky wouldn't debut tonight, but his return is close. Other reports say the Wolves haven't ruled out him playing. It's sounding as though, if it's up to Ricky he'll be on the court. If he does in fact play, it will be in limited minutes (likely 14-16). The Wolves will be without Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger as they continue to rehab following knee surgeries. Roy to the Target Center this week and began lifting weights as well as doing some shooting. I'd say there's a chance we could see him back on the practice court within the next week or so and maybe back on the active roster by the new year (if not sooner). For the Nuggets, they'll be without Wilson Chandler and Juylan Stone as they both recover from hip surgeries that have kept them out for extended periods of time. Chandler is listed as 'out indefinitely', while Stone seems to be targeting a January return. The Wolves last game came on Friday (12/7) vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Without their two leading scorers (Kyrie Irving & Dion Waiters), the Wolves made short work of the Cavaliers as they defeated CLE 91-73. Kevin Love scored a season-high 36 points and added 13reb, 1stl, 1blk; Ridnour finished with 12pts, 5reb, 7ast, 1stl and Kirilenko returned to the lineup and had another GREAT all-around game with 8pts, 7reb, 6ast, 4stl, 3blks. Denver played their last game, last night (12/11) vs. the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons got rolling early as they built a 17-point lead in the first five minutes of play (21-4). George Karl then sent his reserves into the game and they were able to take over (thanks to play from McGee, Miller & Brewer). The Nuggets held a 6-8 point lead for the majority of the second half for the 101-94 win. Ty Lawson had 26pts, 5reb, 7ast, 4stls; Former Wolf Corey Brewer added 15pts, 1reb, 1ast and Andre Miller came off the bench to add 11pts, 2reb, 7ast and 3stls. Let's take a look at tonight's probable starting lineups...
If Rubio does play tonight, I wonder if Adelman will decide to throw him right into the starting lineup. Could we get our first look at that Rubio-Shved backcourt? Will Luke start at shooting guard? Will RA keep Lee in the lineup as his defensive stopper alongside Rubio? Honestly, I doubt that Rubio plays and even if he does I don't see Adelman placing him directly into the starting lineup, unless it's decided that they want to start him so his knee doesn't tighten up on the bench following the warmups. A lot of questions heading into this one.
Ultimately, I hope the TWolves get the win--this is a team they've struggled mightily against in recent years. In fact the Nuggets have won 20 of the last 22 matchups between these two teams. Tipoff for this one is set for 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! Kevin Love finally got his shooting back on track in a big way and finished with 36 points and 13 rebounds as the TWolves manhandled the Cavaliers 91-73. The Cavs are without their two leading scorers (Kyrie Irving--fractured finger & Dion Waiter--sprained ankle) and it was clear that the Cavs offense struggled mightily scoring the ball. The TWolves outscored the Cavs 25-16 in both the first and fourth quarters as Minnesota cruised to it's ninth win of the season and push their record back to .500 on the season. Andrei Kirilenko returned to action and gave the Wolves a big boost in his return with another all-around game: 8pts, 7reb, 6ast, 4stls, 3blks. His back issues will likely be a lingering issue throughout the season, but here's hoping that his time missed is kept to a minimum as the Wolves are clearly a much better team (on both ends of the floor) with AK on the court. The Wolves held the Cavs to just 73 points tonight (a new season-worst for a TWolves opponent) the Wolves are now allowing just 91.9 points a game for opponents. I don't know for sure (and won't until tomorrow), but chances are good that the Wolves now boast a Top 2 or 3 defense in the NBA (could be #1 for all I know!). To say they've improved from last season would be the biggest understatement, ever. Let's take a look at some of tonight's key players...
HOT: Kevin Love! Kevin found his shooting touch tonight as he set new season-highs in points (36), free throws made (14) and attempted (18), while also tying season-highs in threes made (2), offensive rebounds (6) and blocks (1). Hopefully he can continue shooting the ball well, clearly the results speak for themselves--big nights for Love=TWolves wins. NOT: Anderson Varejo and the Cavalier offense. Varejo was on a double-double streak. With another double-double tonight he would've tied the Cavs' franchise record for consecutive DD's, the TWolves D held him to just 4pts on 20% shooting from the field. Without their two leading scorers (Irving & Waiters) Cleveland scored a season-worst (for a MIN opponent) 73pts. MISC. STATS: Andrei Kirilenko had another GREAT all-around game, he finished with a season-high 4 steals in this one.....Malcolm Lee tied season & career highs in free throws made (4) and attempted (6). While setting new season/career-highs in defensive (8) and total rebounds (8)..... Let's take a look at the team stats...
The Minnesota Timberwolves finally hit their free throws, yes they still left eight points at the line, but thanks to a 14-for-18 night from Kevin Love, the TWolves got (somewhat) back on track from their struggles at the charity stripe. The Wolves held an advantage on the boards (+12) and although the Wolves committed 17 fouls, the Cavs shot just nine free throws. An abnormal stat this season, is the TWolves bench getting outscored, 25-37. Both teams turned it over around 20 times, the TWolves were able to capitalize on those TO's quite a bit more and finished with 32 points off those 20 turnovers.
Minnesota has the next four days off as they won't be back in action until Wednesday vs. the Denver Nuggets at the Target Center. We'll have a full gameday preview of that one early next week, until then thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves return from their east coast road trip 1-1. They also return with a firm grasp on one of their struggles that's doomed them throughout the majority of the season: free throw shooting! The Wolves had their worst outing of the season from the line in Wednesday's loss to Boston, going 14-for-30 from the line, a season-worst 46.7%. In their blowout win over the Sixers the night before they had an equally poor night at the line, shooting just 58.8% from the line (10-for-17), but it was easily overlooked as the Wolves shot 53.2% from the field and 52% from downtown! Tonight they'll face the Cleveland Cavaliers, one of last season's worst teams and, thus far this season, their record echoes much the same. The Cavs are 4-15 through their first 19 games, 2-10 on the road, 2-8 in their last ten games and losers of their last three outings. Their struggles currently stem from injuries to their two leading scorers, who are also their starting backcourt: last year's #1 overall pick Kyrie Irving is out with a fractured finger and is expected to miss at least another week or two and the Cavs' top pick in this summer's draft (4th overall) Dion Waiters who sprained his ankle in Cleveland's loss to Portland on Saturday. You won't find any TWolves fans feeling sorry for the Cavs and their injuries. Ricky Rubio has yet to play this season, however his return is getting closer and closer. According to Darren Wolfson (of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities) via Twitter, Rubio is angling to play tomorrow, the chances of that happening? Your guess is as good as mine. If he does play, expect limited minutes. Chances are better the Wolves wait until Dec. 12 (Wednesday), which is Minnesota's next game following this Friday night matchup. That'll give Rubio four more days of practice. The biggest concern is his conditioning, which is undoubtedly far from 100%. The Wolves will be without Brandon Roy & Chase Budinger as they continue to rehab from knee surgeries. TWolves small forward Andrei Kirilenko has missed the last four consecutive games while dealing with back spasms, hopes are high he'll return tonight vs. Cleveland, however he's a likely gametime decision in this one, if he's unable to play, Josh Howard will continue to start at small forward. Minnesota's last game was that Wednesday night loss in Boston vs. the Celtics. The Wolves were playing their second game of a back-to-back and by the second half that became apparent. The Celtics rattled off 32 points in the third quarter to take control and by the fourth, the Wolves didn't have much left in the tank, eventually losing 94-104. Love scored 19pts, grabbed 13reb and dished 4ast, however he struggled with his ball control, turning it over 5 times AND struggled shooting the ball, finishing just 6-15 from the field. Pekovic added 14pts, 9reb, 1ast, 2stls. The Cavaliers also played on Wednesday, vs. the Chicago Bulls. Without their two leading scorers, the struggled against the defensive dynamo that is Chicago. All five Bulls starters scored in double figures and built a 45-27 lead at one point, which they rode to an 85-95W. Backup point guard Donald Sloan scored a season-high 14pts and added 1reb, 3ast. Anderson Varejo continued his rebounding hot streak, tallying 11pts, 15reb, 3ast and 3stls. It was his 10th straight game with 15 or more rebounds, however he too struggled shooting, finishing just 4-of-16 from the field. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the box score throughout this one and see if Kevin Love & Nikola Pekovic can keep Varejo off the boards and halt that streak. Going into tonight's game, Varejo leads the league in rebounds per game, with 15.4 a game. Kevin Love technically isn't a league leader because he missed the first nine games of the season (playing just 8 games, thus far), however if he did, he'd be #2 on the league leaders with 14.4 a game (Nikola Pekovic ranks 35th w/7.5). Let's take a look at tonight's probable starting lineups...
*If Andrei Kirilenko is unable to play, Josh Howard (7.7ppg, 3.4rpg, 1spg) will get the start at small forward, once again.
This is a game that the Wolves should definitely win, however they've got to come in with the same mindset as if they were playing the defending champion Miami Heat. Hitting some free throws wouldn't hurt either. Tipoff for this one is set for 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! |
Cody D. AndersonA Wolves fan bringing you Gameday Recaps all season long! 2014-15 Game ArchivesGameday Archives
December 2015
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