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Minnesota Timberwolves 97 – Chicago Bulls 104

March 24, 2013 by

Source: Timberwolves Facebook page

Source: Timberwolves Facebook page

Game Summary

After a quick trip out west, the Minnesota Timberwolves returned to the Target Center for a Sunday evening game against the Chicago Bulls.  The Wolves were victorious Friday night against a hapless Phoenix Suns team.  The Bulls were coming off a big victory Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers.

The Wolves opened up with the following lineup – Rubio, Ridnour, Kirilenko, Williams, and Pekovic.  The Bulls continue to miss Derrick Rose, while Joakim Noah missed his second straight game.  They were also without Rip Hamilton.  Given all of this, the Bulls starting lineup consisted of Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Nazr Mohammed.

Going into the first timeout of the game, the Wolves held a 12-10 lead.  The only Bulls player doing anything positive for the team on the offensive end was Hinrich, who had 8 of the team’s 10 points.  Each of the Wolves’ starters contributed at least 2 points.  However, coming out of the timeout, the Bulls came alive, going on a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game.

At the end of the 1st, the Bulls held a 23-16 lead, continuing their run for the remainder of the quarter.  They dominated the Pups on the offensive boards, with 11 offensive rebounds in the 1st quarter.  By comparison, the Wolves had 1 offensive rebound and 10 total rebounds in the quarter.  Chicago was led by Hinrich and Deng, while the Ricky Rubio was doing his part to lead the Wolves.  Unfortunately, the Wolves frontline looked completely overmatched.

The 2nd quarter got off to a rough start for the Wolves as well.  Adelman had to burn a timeout within the first three minutes, as the Bulls doubled up the Wolves on the scoreboard 12-6 to start the quarter and took a 35-22 lead.  Nate Robinson provided a spark for the Bulls in the quarter, with 9 points and 6 assists during his time on the floor.

The Bulls do an excellent job of slowing down a game and frustrating their opponent.  The Wolves fell victim on both accounts in the 1st half.  The body language was not good and the amount of complaining to the officials was overdone.  The only Pup that really stood out in the half was Dante Cunningham, who had 8 points in the half, but didn’t have a single rebound.

At the half, the Bulls held a 56-43 advantage after a wild final seconds.  The Bulls grabbed a defensive rebound and Nate Robinson threw a beautiful lob to Taj Gibson for a slam.  However, with about four seconds on the clock, the Wolves had enough time to get up the court, leading to a Derrick Williams rainbow three pointer that went in as time expired.  Williams was overheard calling glass.  (OK, not really)

Here are a couple of halftime thoughts through my Wolves lens:

  • The Wolves broadcast announced during the 1st quarter that Kevin Love would send x-rays to NY on his hand later this week and he could be cleared to play thereafter.  Love said his shooting has improved greatly.
  • It was 80’s night at the Target Center Sunday night.  However, the team wore their current uniforms?  Would have liked to have seen the original uniforms from 1989.
  • There were a number of Bulls fans in the crowd, as they could clearly be heard over the TV broadcast.

Ricky Rubio came out of the locker room and was fired up.  He was creating havoc on the floor in the early minutes of the 3rd quarter.  With a little over five minutes to play in the quarter, the Wolves were finally able to get the lead down to single digits, forcing a Chicago timeout.  Rubio was doing everything in his power to get the team back in the game and it looked like it was finally starting to rub off on the other Pups.

Chicago was able to counter every mini-run the Wolves made and at the end of the 3rd quarter, maintained a double digit lead, 78-68.  Carlos Boozer came alive in the quarter and had already amassed a double-double (15 & 10) by the end of the 3rd.  On the Wolves’ end, Pekovic and Williams had decent 3rd quarters, but Andrei Kirilenko was MIA.

Minnesota tried to claw back into the game multiple times in the 4th quarter as well.  Completely against the season long trend, the team caught fire from long range, with three’s from Budinger, Shved, and Williams to cut the lead to single digits again.  Carlos Boozer clearly had other plans on the night, as he continued to put the Bulls on his back and end each Wolves run.

Despite their efforts in the 2nd half, the Wolves were never able to overcome the deficit and fell to Chicago 104-97.  Overall, it was an enjoyable game to watch, just didn’t have the outcome Wolves fans would want.

Keys of the Game

  • Rebounding – The clear differentiator in tonight’s game.  The Bulls owned the offensive boards, grabbing 20 of them Sunday night, while the Wolves were only able to grab 6.  Those advantages carried right over to total rebounds as well, with the Bulls holding a 52-32 advantage on the night.
  • Effort – The Pups looked incredibly flat in the 1st half.  Ridnour, Pekovic, and Kirilenko all looked worn down (and were virtually non-existent).  Despite playing Saturday night, the Bulls came out as the more aggressive team and that helped them build and maintain their lead throughout much of the game.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Carlos Boozer – Always seemed to have the answer when the Wolves made a run and owned the boards throughout the evening.  Boozer finished with 19 points & 12 rebounds.
  2. Nate Robinson – Chicago’s sparkplug helped build the lead in the 1st half and drove home a dagger three pointer in the 4th quarter.  Robinson finished with 22 points & 10 assists.
  3. Jimmy Butler – A very strong performance from Butler tonight; 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals.
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Minnesota Timberwolves 117 – Phoenix Suns 86

March 23, 2013 by

Photo credit: AP/Matt York

Photo credit: AP/Matt York

Game Summary

After a cold night shooting in Sacramento on Thursday, the Timberwolves visited the Phoenix Suns with the hopes of warming up in the desert on Friday.  With both seasons virtually over, there wasn’t too much excitement in the air, and with the Gophers playing a late game in the NCAA tournament Friday night, you might excuse fans in Minnesota of being distracted from the Wolves.  Nevertheless, here is a recap of Friday night’s game.

The Wolves opened up with the same lineup – Rubio, Ridnour, Kirilenko, Williams, and Pekovic.  The Suns opened up with Goran Dragic, Wes Johnson, Markieff Morris, PJ Tucker, and Luis Scola.  Wolves’ fans might notice that the Suns are now starting Wes at the SG position.  If you were wondering why the Suns were playing .333 ball that would be part of the answer.  Also note that the Suns were without Gortat (probably out for the season, per Suns announcers), O’Neal, and Dudley for Friday’s game.

After a slow first few minutes, the Timberwolves came alive in the 1st quarter, somewhat erasing the memories of Thursday night in Sacramento.  Pekovic and Kirilenko led the way and really controlled the paint on both ends of the floor.  With about 6.5 minutes left in the quarter, the Wolves were up 13-10.  From that point, the Wolves owned the 1st, outscoring the Suns 21-8, taking a 31-18 lead into the 2nd quarter.

While Pups fans might have expected the team to come back to earth a bit, the 2nd quarter looked very similar to the 1st, with the visiting team pouring it on offensively against the Suns.  Chase Budinger helped start the quarter off strong, forcing Suns coach Lindsey Hunter to call a timeout within the first minute of the 2nd.  Budinger was an early 3-4 from the field and helped increase the Wolves lead to 15+ points.  It was off to the races from this point on.

The Suns big men were all in foul trouble – as Scola and Morris were clearly outplayed by the Wolves frontline.  At the half, the Wolves held a 67-39 lead.  The 67 points from the Wolves are/were the most points the team has scored in a half all season.  Here are a couple of halftime thoughts through my Wolves lens:

  • It is pretty amazing what the Wolves look like when they shoot north of 44%, and they look very formidable when around 50%.
  • The Suns are an abysmal team and looked asleep at the wheel.  This is what happens when you rely on Beasley and Johnson.

All the Wolves had to do was avoid playing “not to lose” in the second half and they would pull out the victory.  That’s exactly what they were able to do.  The Suns fans remaining in the stands in the 3rd quarter were treated to an exciting quarter of basketball, even if you could hear crickets through the television.  The Suns weren’t able to do much of anything in terms of making a comeback.  While outscoring the Wolves 30-28 in the 3rd quarter, it did virtually nothing to make it more of a game.  At the end of the quarter, the Wolves held a 26 point advantage and a 95-69 lead.

Even less Suns fans remained for the 4th quarter and those that did deserve a refund from the Sarver family because it was a pathetic effort from the team.  After giving up 95 point in three quarters to one of the worst offensive teams in the league, you would think the Suns would have come out in the 4th with a little bit more pride.  Again, I guess it shouldn’t have been expected when you are led by those two ex-Timberwolves.  Anyone that wishes either of those two were still on the team doesn’t understand the locker room impact on a team and/or that some players just don’t have what it takes internally to ‘turn it on’.

The Wolves outscored the Suns 22-17 in the 4th quarter and coasted to a very easy 117-86 victory.  Friday’s game was exactly what the Wolves players (and fans) needed; a victory that was never in doubt in the 2nd half.  Adelman had the ability to limit the minutes of many of his starters, particularly Pekovic, Kirilenko, and Williams’.  In fact, he was able to limit the minutes of everyone on the end of a back to back, and were afforded to do so because the reserves also outplayed anyone the Suns put on the floor.

Keys of the Game

  • Free Throws – The Wolves were 15-21 from the FT line in the 1st half, while the Suns were only 4-8.  That trend continued into the 2nd half as the Wolves finished 31-40 on the game.  Conversely, the Suns (and their lack of heart/effort) finished the game 10-21 from the line.  Again, just a pathetic effort all around from Phoenix.
  • Whistles – A deep correlation to FT’s but worth calling out separately, as the Suns big men were in foul trouble all night and couldn’t contain Minnesota’s frontline – both the starters and reserves.  The Suns were whistled for 29 personal fouls in the game vs. just 18 for the Wolves – which includes Stiemsma’s 5 PF’s.
  • Shooting – The Wolves shot 58% from the field in the 1st half to blow the game open and stayed above the 50% line throughout, finishing 42-79 for 53% on the night.  While the three point shooting woes continued (2-12), the team limited the total number attempted … as they should through the remainder of the season.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Greg Stiemsma – I’m going to go with Stiemsma as the #1 start due to the big minutes he played, but also because his contributions made a big impact in building the Wolves lead in the 1st half.  Greg finished 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a game high 34+ minutes.
  2. Andrei Kirilenko – Friday night felt like the return of the “real” (or at least desired) Kirilenko.  He was active on both ends of the floor and was a main cog in the machine that helped drive the huge advantage for the Wolves on the scoreboard.  Andrei finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds, including getting to the line 10 times on the evening.
  3. Ricky Rubio – Again, I’m going with guys that played heavier minutes in the 1st half to drive home the advantage over someone like Dante Cunningham, who played great Friday night, but it was in excessive garbage time in my opinion.  (There is nothing wrong with that by the way.)  Rubio finished the game with 12 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals.  By the way, he’s awesome!
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Minnesota Timberwolves 98, Sacramento Kings 101

March 22, 2013 by

demarcus_vs_pekGame Summary:

Here we go again. Following a last-ditch pass from Ricky Rubio to Dante Cunningham for a missed desperation three-point attempt, the Wolves found themselves on the wrong side of a matchup against a vastly inferior opponent in the Sacramento Kings. Led by young guards Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans, the Kings defeated Minnesota by a score of 101-98.

Inching closer to full strength, the Wolves once again started the lineup of Rubio-Ridnour-Kirilenko-Williams-Pekovic but saw marginal production from their primary scorers. AK-47 provided just 6 points on 3-9 shooting while Luke Ridnour shot just 1-7 from the field notching only 4 points.

Some good news for Timberwolves fans from Thursday night was the return of Chase Budinger, who after suffering a torn meniscus back on November 10th was able to log 18 minutes against the Kings. It is too late for Chase to help Minnesota push to the playoffs, but he is sure to provide improved perimeter shooting for the last month of the season. Budinger finished with 9 points (3-7 FG) and 4 rebounds.

Who would have thought that 66 games into the season, Minnesota would have a worse record than the 25-44 Sacramento Kings. This is a tremendous failure for a team that came into the season with legitimate playoff aspirations. Regardless of the myriad of injuries this team has faced, the Kings should in no way be outperforming the Love-less Pups.

Derrick Williams had a tough night shooting as he scored 12 points on 6-16 shooting. Following a strong past month of play, D-Will has been unable to gain consistency in his scoring on a nightly basis and it is tough to know which Derrick is going to show up. I will be the first to admit that I have been very impressed by the 21-year-olds growth this season as he has come a long way since the final two months of the previous season, but I really want to see Derrick use the last several weeks to start to produce on a much more consistent basis.

Nikola Pekovic led the Timberwolves in scoring with 18 points to go along with 12 boards, but shot only 6-12 from the field. Minnesota really needs Pek to step up in a big way if they are to finish the season on a strong note.

Keys of the Game:

  • Three-point shooting - It is very difficult to win a game when you shoot 1-19 from three. Well, that is precisely what the Timberwolves did as they lost by a mere 3 points. Finding and signing three-point shooters must be a priority of the Timberwolves brass this coming summer as they have struggled mightily from beyond the arc this season.
  • Shot-blocking - The Wolves blocked just two shots compared to 6 by the Kings. Minnesota has not done a great job of protecting the rim this season as they lack athleticism and length in their frontcourt.

Three Stars of the Game:

  1. Tyreke Evans - Evans managed to score 19 of his 21 points in the second half to go along with 5 points and 5 rebounds in 39 minutes. Despite a quiet first half in which Tyreke seemed to disappear, the third-year guard stayed patient and was ultimately the key to Sacramento’s victory. Evans shot 8-11 from the floor and put on full display the top end talent and abilities that made him the rookie of the year just a few years ago.
  2. Isaiah Thomas - Taken with the 60th – and final – selection of the 2011 NBA Draft, Thomas has turned into a valuable piece of the Kings young rotation. After Aaron Brooks flopped as the starting point guard for Sacramento, Thomas has continued to provide crafty scoring and good passing as the starter. Standing at only 5-foot-9, Thomas matched up well against JJ Barea but had a more difficult time on the defensive end opposite of the taller and longer Ricky Rubio. In 35 minutes, Thomas finished with 24 points (8-15 FG, 3-6 3PT), 6 assists and 3 rebounds.
  3. Ricky Rubio - Another near triple-double for Ricky, who committed only 1 turnover in 32 minutes while recording 12 points (4-13 FG), 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. It was another frustrating night shooting the ball for the Spaniard, and it is clear that shooting must be the focus of his offseason training for this coming summer. Although he has established himself as an above-average free throw shooter, Ricky has a lot of trouble knocking down shots off the dribble in the speed of the NBA game.
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Minnesota Timberwolves 77 – Memphis Grizzlies 92

March 18, 2013 by

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Danny Johnston

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Danny Johnston

Game Summary:

Less than 24 hours afer a nice win on their home floor, the Timberwolves were back on the court in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies.  Let’s get right to it; the Wolves opened up with the same lineup from Sunday night (!!) – Rubio, Ridnour, Kirilenko, Williams, and Pekovic.  The Grizzlies opened up with Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol.

The Pups jumped out to an early 11-4 lead, with the entire starting lineup contributing a little bit of something to the advantage.  That forced an early timeout from Lionel Hollins.  However, that advantage slowly but surely diminished over the rest of the quarter, as the Grizzlies ended the quarter on a 9-0 run and held a 22-20 advantage at the end of the 1st quarter.

While low scoring, the 2nd quarter was relatively enjoyable.  Earlier in the quarter, Alexey Shved looked to be heating up a bit hitting his first two jumpers.  Unfortunately that run was short lived and he seemed to disappear as the minutes wore on.  I think Alexey could use a night off.  That can’t happen right now given the roster, but it probably wouldn’t hurt.  The bad version of JJ Barea came to play in Memphis.  At halftime, Barea was 1-7 from the field

The Grizzlies big men dominated the first half with Prince, Randolph, and Gasol all having very nice quarters.  Ed Davis came in to grab 5 rebounds and 2 blocks as well.  Memphis closed the quarter with a fury, as a Mike Conley jumper was sandwiched between a few defensive highlights from Prince.  At the half, the Grizzlies held a 45-39 lead.  Here are a few halftime thoughts through my Wolves lens:

  • After a good shooting night Sunday, the Wolves were back to 36% for the first half
  • JJ and Ricky were a combined 2-12 from the field in the half – that isn’t going to get it done
  • Very few FT’s in the half, as the Wolves were 3-3 and the Grizzlies were 4-6

Someone forgot to tell the Pups that the 3rd quarter started as the Grizzlies jumped out to a 9-0 run to build a double digit lead.  The Marc Gasol show continued as he made Pekovic look inferior.  The entire Wolves squad were ice cold in the first half and even worse in the 3rd quarter.  Halfway through the quarter, the Grizzlies outscored the Wolves 18-4 and held a 20 point lead, 63-43.

With a 70-47 lead in the 3rd quarter, Wolves fans around the world had heart problems.  Ricky Rubio collided knees with Jerryd Bayless and limped off to the court.  As TV coverage returned to the game, Rubio was on the bench.  Minutes later, the Grizzlies TV crew noted that he was on his way to the locker room.  Words cannot describe the level of frustration this season has become.

At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Grizzlies held a 74-53 lead. It was ugly while Rubio was in there, the game became a sideshow afterward, with the Grizzlies pouring it on with highlight reel dunks and uncontested three pointers.  The only good news to come out of this entire portion of the game was that the Wolves sideline reported that Rubio simply tweaked his groin and he was in the back trying to stretch it out.  He should be good to go later in the week when the Wolves return to action.

While the Pups reserves made a run in the 4th quarter, it was far too little, too late.  Minnesota outscored the Grizzlies 24-18 in the final frame, but it did little to make the final score look much better.  I’ll spare you the details.  This might help paint a picture: Alexey Shved was the Wolves leading scorer in the game with 12 points.

Keys of the Game

  • Shooting– Once again, the Wolves shoot a low percentage (34%) and it completely deflates your hopes of a comeback.  At the same time, they took 24 (?!?!) three point attempts.  This roster is horrific at 3PT shooting and yet they continue to hoist them up.
  • Frontline play – The Grizzlies starting frontline ate up the Wolves tonight.  Prince and Randolph both had double doubles and Marc Gasol looked better than both of them.  None of the Wolves frontline starters scored in double digits and Williams “led” the three Pups with 6 rebounds.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Mike Conley – Dominated the PG matchup tonight against Rubio with 20 points, including 8-14 from the field and 3-6 from long range.  He also added 6 assists and 2 steals, with only 1 turnover.
  2. Marc Gasol – Also dominated his Wolves counterpart.  There has been a good amount of chatter on Pekovic’s forthcoming free agency online.  Tonight’s game didn’t help his cause.
  3. Tayshaun Prince – 12 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Grizzlies starting SF.  Prince shut down Kirilenko and made a few, key defensive plays in the game to halt small runs by the Wolves.
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Minnesota Timberwolves 97 – New Orleans Hornets 95

March 17, 2013 by
Who wants the green Twolves t-shirt? The author of this recap. Photo credit: NBAE

Who wants the green Twolves t-shirt? The author of this recap. Photo credit: NBAE

Game Summary

The luck o’ the Irish came through for the Timberwolves on Sunday, as Andrei Kirilenko and Nikola Pekovic were back in the lineup for the team and the team pulled out the victory in the late seconds!  Here is how things transpired on St. Patrick’s Day.

The Wolves starting lineup looked like this: Rubio, Ridnour, Kirilenko, Williams, and Pekovic.  The Hornets opened up with Greivis Vasquez, Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Anthony Davis, and Robin Lopez.

Going into the first timeout of the game, the Hornets held a 13-9 lead.  The Wolves looked a little disoriented, trying to get Pekovic and Kirilenko back in the flow.  While Pekovic was succeeding in the paint, Andrei looked a little off in the early minutes.  Luckily, the Hornets had already turned the ball over four times.  In other words, the game was being played like you might expect from two teams that are a combined 41 games under .500.

Toward the end of the 1st quarter, the Wolves managed to go on a little run to take a 28-27 lead into the 2nd quarter.  Derrick Williams came alive in the final few minutes of the 1st, including a three pointer as the clock was running down in the quarter.  The Hornets frontcourt of Lopez and Davis also had a nice quarter, shooting 7-9 from the field for 50% of the teams points.

A few minutes into the 2nd quarter, the Hornets went on a 9-0 run to take a 43-39 lead.  Adelman had seen enough and burned a timeout.  The rest of the 2nd quarter was only slightly better for the Wolves, as they never regained the lead from the Hornets.  The teams combined for 19 turnovers in the half but they went up and down the court enough to make for a visually appealing half of basketball.

At the half, the Hornets held a 52-50 lead.  Here are a few halftime thoughts through my Wolves lens:

  • Even with Rubio much healthier, Greivis Vasquez continued to eat up the Wolves; 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in the first 24 minutes of action
  • While Pekovic looked pretty solid, Kirilenko looked flat and out of sync
  • I would like to see a Chris Johnson & Pekovic frontline in the near future

Early in the 3rd quarter, Pekovic picked up his 4th foul and was quickly replaced by Stiemsma on the floor.  The teams went back and forth in the early minutes of the quarter until Luke Ridnour threw a behind the back pass to DWill for the flush, giving the Wolves their first lead in some time, 63-62.  The highlight led to a Monty Williams timeout with slightly more than six minutes left in the quarter.

Similar to prior quarters, The Wolves finished the 3rd quarter strong and took a 76-73 lead into the final frame.  Derrick Williams led the way in the quarter, finishing the quarter with 20 points.  However, the referees failed to call a foul on the Hornets as time expired in the quarter which would have (read: should have) sent Williams to the line with a chance to expand the lead.

Apologies in advance for the brevity of the 4th quarter recap.  The game was actually enjoyable to watch and with about 90 seconds to play I noticed that I hadn’t typed in a single note from the quarter.  The Hornets and Wolves kept it tight throughout the final twelve minutes.  Greivis Vasquez had a huge quarter, scoring 12 of his 24 points in the 4th to keep the Hornets in the game.  However, after going down 95-91, the Wolves scored the last 6 points of the game to steal the win on their home floor thanks to two defensive stops from Kirilenko.  Pekovic and AK hit three free throws in the final seconds to put the Wolves on top and secured the victory!

Recap - Minnesota Timberwolves 97 - New Orleans Hornets 95

Keys of the Game

  • Blocks – When you are significantly outrebounded by your opponent, you have to find another way to win the game and the Pups did so in the blocks department; 10 blocks for the team, 2 apiece for four different players.
  • Free throws – First and foremost, the Wolves made them.  Second, they got to the line 11 more times than the Hornets and made 8 more, including the three in final seconds to put them on top.
  • Shutting down Eric Gordon – I’m not exactly sure how this happened, but the Wolves did a great job on Gordon tonight, holding him to just 7 points on 3-6 shooting.  Rubio was on him for a portion of the game, but this was a tremendous team effort to erase Gordon’s offensive game.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Derrick Williams – Career high 28 points for DWill to go with 7 rebounds.  More importantly, he attacked the rim and played aggressively against Anthony Davis and others.
  2. Greivis Vasquez – While he didn’t have a good shooting night (10-25), Vasquez helped keep his team in the game with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Note the 6 TO’s though.
  3. Ricky Rubio – Rubio had a nice game shooting the ball, as he was 7-11 from the field for 16 points.  He also had 6 assists and respectable defense against a solid Hornets backcourt.
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Minnesota Timberwolves 100 – Houston Rockets 108

March 15, 2013 by

wolvesrockets315Game Summary

On Friday night the Wolves visited the Houston Rockets to start the St. Patrick’s Day holiday weekend.  There was no luck of the Irish (or any other nationality) for our Pups in the Toyota Center as the Wolves fell and fell hard.  Interested in a quick Recap - Minnesota Timberwolves 100 - Houston Rockets 108.  Interested in more?  Here is how the night transpired.

The Wolves continued on without Nikola Pekovic and Andrei Kirilenko, their 8th and 9th games missed in a row, respectively.  The starting lineup remained as Rubio, Ridnour, Gelabale, Williams, and Stiemsma.  The Rockets opened up with Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Donatas Motiejunas, and Omer Asik.

Early in the game, Derrick Williams picked up an offensive foul that was arguably the worst I have seen called all season.  Not two minutes later, Williams picked up his second offensive foul and he was on the bench less than four minutes into the game; with the team already down to a bare minimum of able bodies.  The writing felt like it was on the wall for this one pretty early.

However, the Wolves played very well early despite missing Williams.  Dante Cunningham played well and the Wolves hit 59% of their shots in the 1st quarter.  Mickael Gelabale had a very strong quarter, with 4 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.  Greg Stiemsma also played well, shooting 3-3 from the field for 6 points to go with 2 blocks.  At the end of the 1st, the Pups held a 27-22 over the Rockets.

The good times continued for the Wolves in the 2nd quarter, as they were able to stave off an early run from the Rockets.  In the latter portion of the quarter, the Wolves were able to increase their lead and it had the early looks of a blowout.  Minnesota outscored Houston 30-17 in the quarter to take a 57-39 lead.   Here are a few halftime thoughts through my Wolves lens:

  • The NBA TV studio crew practically destroyed the Wolves in pregame and spent most of halftime trying to change the topic
  • The Rockets looked like they were asleep at the wheel, with 15 turnovers through 2 quarters
  • Total team effort from the Wolves; 57 points, with four different players with a team high 8 points
  • It is amazing how well the Pups look when they hit shots – 55% at the half

The Rockets started the 3rd quarter like a completely different team, hitting jump shots and playing much better defense.  They started the quarter on a 12-5 run to cut the Wolves lead to 11, forcing Adelman to burn an early timeout.  James Harden came alive in the 3rd quarter and took it to the Wolves.  Unfortunately, the Wolves didn’t make any defensive adjustments (i.e. switching Rubio and Ridnour on one end of the floor) until there were less than two minutes in the quarter and after the Rockets cut the lead to 5 points.  After a wild, final ninety seconds of the quarter, the Wolves took an 80-74 lead into the 4th quarter.

There was another 12-5 run by the Rockets to start the 4th quarter, which gave the home team the lead and forced another timeout by Adelman.  The remainder of the quarter was not much better.  With two minutes left in the game, the Rockets still had the Wolves doubled up in the quarter, 25-12 and held a 99-92 lead.  At this point, realistic fans should have been well aware that this game was over.  The Wolves couldn’t do anything to stop or contain the Rockets in the second half and ultimately fell 108-100.

Keys of the Game

  • Game of two halves – Wolves defense gave up 39 points in the 1st half and 69 points in the 2nd.  They scored 57 points of their own in the 1st half and were held to 43 in the 2nd.
  • Rebounding – The Rockets outrebounded the Wolves 44-36, allowing Carlos Delfino to grab 10 rebounds (4 offensive).
  • Three point shooting – The coaching staff needs to put a limit on 3PT’s taken during a game and put some type of penalty on the team when it exceeds said number.  For a team that is really, REALLY bad at long range shooting, the Wolves remain way too trigger happy.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. James Harden – Huge second quarter from Harden without any response from the Wolves – 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, including 16-18 from the FT line.
  2. Jeremy Lin – Virtually the exact same comment as above for Harden.  24 points and 8 rebounds.
  3. JJ Barea – Barea had a nice game for the Wolves, with 19 points off the bench on 8-12 shooting.
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Minnesota Timberwolves 107, San Antonio Spurs 83

March 13, 2013 by
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Image

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Image

Game Summary:

On Tuesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves played host to the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs and were greeted to a depleted Spurs team of their own. Gregg Popovich opted to give Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard the game off to rest while Tony Parker too currently remains sidelined due to injury. San Antonio’s starting lineup consisted of Matt Bonner, Stephen Jackson, Tiago Splitter, Cory Joseph and Danny Green.

After torching the Pups in his previous matchup, Danny Green provided early scoring for the Spurs from beyond the arc and off the dribble-drive. Since being exiled to the D-League less than two years ago, Green has established a very important role on the league-best Spurs.

Speaking of former D-Leaguers, Cory Joseph started at PG. As many of you may know, Cory is brother to Devoe Joseph, the former Gopher basketball player who ultimately transferred to Oregon. For the third point guard on a team, Joseph has a rare ability to create his own shots and brings tremendous size and athleticism to the point guard position. Joseph led all Spurs with 15 points in 26 minutes.

From the get go, this game was the Ricky Rubio show. Ricky absolutely thrived opposite of the young and inexperienced Joseph and left his tracks on the inside and outside. He did a marvelous job of gaining penetration and faced a much easier defensive group than they saw in the two teams previous matchup. Rubio was not only prevalent in his spectacular passing – highlighted by a Sports Center top play nominee – but he looked very comfortable pulling up for jump shots off of screens while even knocking down a few spotted-up deeper looks. Nothing but positive things to say about our captain who could be seen screaming and cheering for his teammates for the rare minutes he was not on the court leading the Pups to victory. He is truly a fantastic role model for all young Minnesota athletes.

The Timberwolves soard ahead 49-37 with less than 2 minutes to play in the second quarter behind 13 points and 7 assits from Ricky. Minnesota led after the first half 53-38 in a game that was shaping up to be a very rare victory over the Spurs. San Antonio’s lone active superstar, Manu Ginobili was ice cold and missed several wide-open looks that we are not accustomed to seeing. The second half got out of hand quickly as the Timberwolves gained a 25-point lead halfway through the third quarter. By the end of the third quarter, the game practically felt like it was over in a matchup between “which team’s roster is more depleted.”

With 9 minutes remaining and the game well out of hand, Ricky Rubio grabbed his tenth rebound marking his first career triple-double and the first triple-double of the season for the battered Timberwolves. While many point to the resting of Duncan-Parker-Leonard as the primary reason for the lopsided score and Rubio’s absolute domination, it must be noted that Minnesota is dealing with countless issues of their own and got a well-earned home victory. With a happy crowd gazing as the two teams spent the final few minutes running in sloppy transition, the Pups finished out this one by a score of 107-83.

Notable Performances:

Greg Stiemsma had himself a day with 3 goal-tends, and it is hard to think back on the early games of the season when the Stiemer was actually effective as a primary shot-blocker. I have been very disappointed with his sub-par play over the past few months and he will need to reassert himself at some time if he is to find a permanent home with the ballclub.

Minnesota’s bench was ridiculous in this game, as each player possessed at least a +21 on the floor combining for 48 points among Alexey Shved, JJ Barea, Chris Johnson and Dante Cunningham.

Tiago Splitter, who has developed into a very nice player under Popovich, went a dreadful 1-10 from the field and scored only 4 points in 22 minutes. When considering the favorable matchups against a depleted Minnesota frontcourt, Splitter really had an off night.

Keys of the Game:

  • Three-point shooting - I know you cannot point at only one aspect and say that it was the reason for victory, but the way the Wolves shot the ball last night was completely uncharacteristic and was a sight for sore eyes. The Pups shot 12-20 (60%) from downtown and fed off of each others makes, creating a very pleasant atmosphere in the Target Center.
  • Ball movement - Minnesota notched 30 assists as a team to only 19 by the Spurs. The Wolves had a very easy time with their lateral ball movement in the half-court offense, and worked at a very steady pace throughout the game.

Three Stars of the Game:

  1. Ricky Rubio - Congratulations to Ricky as he finally recorded his first career triple-double in arguably his greatest performance of the season. It was very refreshing to see Ricky having so much fun on the court and while cheering from the bench, and it makes me realize how truly lucky we are that Kahn’s big gamble paid off. In 35 minutes, the Spaniard put up the line of 21 points (9-17 FG), 13 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 turnovers with a +23 on the floor.
  2. Alexey Shved -Welcome back Shved! Alexey broke out of his terrible slump – for at least one game – as he finished with 16 points (6-8 FG) and 7 assists in 30 minutes. The Russian nailed 3 of his 4 attempts from long range and was even the beneficiary of a generous rim on his last make. A big theme throughout this season has been how when Alexey plays well, the Timberwolves have been very hard to beat. However, the rookie has had troubles becoming acclimated to the elongated NBA season in comparison with FIBA.
  3. Chris Johnson - Johnson clearly outshone the starter Stiemsma and was everything that we need for him to be in the role he currently is in. In 22 minutes, Johnson scored 6 points while converting on all 3 of his field goal attempts to go along with 6 rebounds and 6 blocks.
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