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Minnesota Timberwolves 80, Utah Jazz 96

April 17, 2013 by
Photo Credit: Greg Smith, USA TODAY Sports

Photo Credit: Greg Smith, USA TODAY Sports

Game Summary:

The Timberwolves returned home on Monday night to take on the Utah Jazz for the second time in four days. Coming off a career-high 40 points against the Pups on Friday night, Al Jefferson looked to will his team to another victory with the Jazz continuing to fight for the eighth seed in the Western Conference with less than a week to play in the regular season.

In their second to last game of the 2012-13 season, the Wolves went with the starting lineup of Ricky Rubio, Luke Ridnour, Andrei Kirilenko, Derrick Williams, and Greg Stiemsma. Nikola Pekovic sat out his third consecutive game with a left calf contusion.

The Jazz got off a hot start, outscoring the Wolves 14-2 in the first four minutes prompting Rick Adelman to call a timeout. The Pups had initial difficulty swinging the ball in the half court offense with no Pekovic in the paint to keep Utah’s perimeter defenders honest.

After torching Stiemsma on his way to a career high-tying 40 points in the Jazz’s Friday night victory over Minnesota, Big Al got his wish as Pek was forced to sit out Monday’s contest as well. Known primarily for his defense, Stiemsma has not been able to prove his defensive competence in his first season as a Pup.

Minnesota responded to an early 16-2 deficit with an 8-point run of their own. The Pups had a difficult time creating offense without both of their primary scores in the paint and they trailed 26-18 heading into the second quarter.

Scoring a season-high 23 points against the Jazz on Friday, Minnesota needed similar production from JJ Barea with the Wolves’ offense stagnant. Utah’s game plan was clearly geared toward shutting down the Wolves’ primary bench scorer, and Barea had difficulty getting the type of separation and penetration that he did in the previous matchup between the two squads.

The Wolves trimmed Utah’s lead to 36-34 with five minutes remaining in the second quarter due some frontcourt foul trouble by the Jazz. Barea looked to be in a rhythm offensively in the first half, just as he was red-hot in the first two quarters in the last meeting against Utah. The spark plug point guard was the sole Timberwolf getting it done from beyond the arc, adding two long balls late in the second quarter.

On the other side, Jefferson provided 12 first half points for Utah and he looked very comfortable backing down Stiemer on the low block. The formula for the Jazz was simple: feed the bigs in the interior and keep shooters on the perimeter in the event of double-teams. Utah closed out the half with a pair of Gordon Hayward free throws capping a late 6-0 run putting them up 49-41 heading into halftime.

Playing a very poor first half was Rubio, whose jump shots were horrifically flat giving him virtually no chance of making them. Utah defenders picked this up early and forced him to shoot, with the Spaniard obliging. However, after several ugly attempts clanking off the rim at nearly every angle, Ricky ultimately fell into complete pass-mode as he clearly lacked the confidence to continue shooting.

In order for Ricky to take the next step in his game, he must drastically improve his shooting this summer and make it his primary offseason focus. It is clear that he currently lacks necessary strength in his lower body in order to be able to get proper arc on his shots. This is news to nobody given that he returned from ACL surgery only a few months ago, and lucky for Ricky is that there is just one game to play this season. However, it has arrived time to start planning for the summer   and an offseason regimen directed at building back lower body strength will prove to be extremely beneficial for nearly all aspects of his game. With some of the best trainers in the world at his side, I have no doubts that Rubio will make great strides on his jumper and that we will see noticeable improvement by week 1 of next season.

Similar to how the two teams competed in their last contest, the Jazz and Wolves played one another very evenly in the third quarter. However, a late run by Utah in the final two minutes put Utah ahead 71-60 with one period to play.

Barea went cold in the second half after an impressive second quarter, and the Wolves could not gain any momentum facing a double-digit deficit. Utah extended their lead to 2 points with only a few minutes remaining, and the Jazz ultimately won by a score of 96-80

Keys of the Game:

  • Three-point shooting - I am a broken record. We all know how terrible the Wolves are at shooting from deep, but Minnesota provided an especially wretched performance on Monday night shooting 2-17 from three. The Jazz had a tough game themselves hitting only 3 of 10 attempts.
  • Interior presence - The Jazz were able to space the floor very well with Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap attracting attention on the low block. This created space for Utah’s perimeter players and gave players like Randy Foye and Mo Williams an extra step or two on their mid-range jump shots. Minnesota, on the other hand, had zero inside presence which allowed Utah’s guards to lock down on the perimeter.

 

Three Stars of the Game:

  1. Al Jefferson - Surprise, surprise. Jeffeson played 32 minutes and recorded 22 points (8-15 FG) and 8 rebounds against his former team, helping Utah to win their ninth game in the past eleven games. Big Al will need to come up big in the team’s final game against Memphis on Wednesday in hopes of securing the final playoff spot in the West.
  2. Mo Williams - Despite aggravating a right thumb injury at the end of the first half, Utah’s starting point guard fought through irritation to play 32 minutes while finishing with 15 points (7-15 FG), 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 turnovers.
  3. Derrick Williams - Derrick was one of three Wolves who scored in double-digits and led Minnesota with 18 points (7-13 FG), 6 rebounds and no turnovers in a game-high 40 minutes. The 21-year-old leaper showed improvement in his slashing game on Monday night and displayed a few new moves that he used off of the dribble. He appears to be learning how to score dribble-driving from the perimeter, and his ball-handling looks to be steadily improving. Williams still needs to keep the ball lower and tighter to his body, as he tends to get too wide on his crossovers instead of making more precise movements. A popular cliche among basketball coaches is that the shortest route between two objects is a straight line. This being said, Derrick needs to take more direct routes on his drives as it would give his opponents less time to block his shots from the weak side and it will force his defenders to make quicker decisions when guarding him in one-on-one situations.
Filed Under: Game Recaps Tagged With: , ,

Minnesota Timberwolves 100, Utah Jazz 107

April 14, 2013 by

AlJeffersonGame Summary:

The Minnesota Timberwolves travelled to Utah on Friday night to battle the Jazz in a critical game for Utah’s playoff hopes. With the Los Angeles Lakers and Jazz fighting it out for the final seed in the West, the Jazz looked to their bigs to help them past the lottery-bound Timberwolves.

Nikola Pekovic sat out Friday night’s meeting against the Jazz with an injured left calf. The frontcourt matchup was made increasingly more difficult with the absence of the Wolves starting center. Minnesota defended the interior well in the first period despite facing mismatches in Utah’s favor. The Jazz led 11-10 after the first timeout about midway through the first quarter.

Utah began to expand on their lead following Ricky Rubio’s second foul with around four minutes remaining in the first. The starting Jazz bigs of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap did a nice job of running the floor in transition.

Gordon Hayward capped off a nice first quarter with a half court drain as the first quarter buzzer sounded to give Utah a 30-22 lead after one. JJ Barea was a big factor early as he was one of the only Pups gaining penetration against Utah’s half court defense. Barea hit two quick three-pointers to begin the second period with the second make coming from at least five feet behind the arc. After a pair of Barea free throws and a layup, the Wolves tied the game at 32 with Barea having scored half of Minnesota’s points only two minutes into the second quarter.

A Rubio and-1 gave the Wolves a 52-51 lead with nearly 1:30 to play in the opening half. The two teams traded turnovers before the break and led by a 19-point first half from Barea the Pups went into the locker room with a 54-53 lead.

Derrick Williams started the second half hot scoring six quick points out of the break. On the other side, Al Jefferson continued to be a steady presence in the paint and looked unfazed by the defense brought on by Greg Stiemsma. The Pups held a five point lead with 5 remaining in the third.

The Jazz got hot at the end of the third quarter and entered the final period wih a 82-81 lead with Jefferson approaching his career high for points in a game. Utah continued to fee their man in the middle and whenever the Wolves would collapse on him, Big Al did a tremendous job of finding one of the numerous Jazz three-point shooters waiting patiently on the perimeter. With just over nine minutes left, the Jazz led 90-88.

Jefferson continued to inch closer to his career-high 40 points as he sat at 34 with just under seven minutes to play. The other former Timberwolf, Randy Foye, hit his fifth three-pointer of the game which was not soon after followed by a Jefferson hook shot extending Utah’s lead to 97-90 midway through the final quarter.

With 4:49 remaining, Derrick Favors got issued with a flagrant 1 foul on Barea after Minnesota’s undersized point guard was thrown to the hardwood. Two free throws and back-to-back threes from Rubio gave the Wolves a one point edge at the three minute mark.

While the Wolves made this game very interesting, they were only able to score two points in the final three minutes and the Jazz left with a 107-100 victory. Jefferson tied his career-high with 40 points and came through in the clutch as Utah is currently in a dog fight for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference.

 

Keys of the Game:

  • Three-point shooting - Both the Wolves and Jazz recorded 8 made three-pointers, but needed 22 and 13 attempts, respectively. While the Wolves shot relatively good from long distance, Utah shot much more efficiently.
  • Points in the paint - Led by Jefferson on the low block, Utah scored 44 points in the paint compared to only 32 by the Pups.

 

Three Stars of the Game:

  1. Al Jefferson - Scoring a game-high 40 points on 19-27 FG to pair with 13 rebounds and 6 assists, Big Al was all over the floor in his 41 minutes of play. Since being acquired by Utah from Minnesota, Big Al has had several big performances over his former squad and he absolutely torched Minnesota’s interior defense on Friday night.
  2. JJ Barea - Minnesota desperately needed offense in the first half and Barea kept them afloat with an impressive 19 points in the opening half. Although he scored only 4 points in the second half, his 23 points (6-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt) were the most scored by any Pup despite him playing only 27 minutes.
  3. Randy Foye - The other former Pup shot 5-7 from beyond the arc as he finished with 16 points in 38 minutes. Foye has been Utah’s best three-point shooter this season and was a +12 against the Wolves on Friday night.
Filed Under: Game Recaps Tagged With: , ,

Minnesota Timberwolves 93, Utah Jazz 97

February 14, 2013 by
Photo Credit: Associated Press

Photo Credit: Associated Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game Summary

Playing their last game before the NBA All-Star break, the Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night and saw big performances from second-year players Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams. Despite a near triple-double for the Spaniard and a 24-point, 16-rebound explosion from the streaky Williams, the Wolves dropped their 16th game over their past 19 games as they fell by a score of 97-93.

Still without Kevin Love as he targets a mid- to late-March return from his broken hand, the Timberpups went against a talented and deep Utah frontcourt without the services of Andrei Kirilenko as he recovers from a strained right quadriceps. The undersized Pups had a very difficult time keeping the Jazz out of the lane, and their overall lack of depth was too much to overcome against the 30-24 Jazz.

In the first quarter of play, the Timberwolves had their fair share of difficulty shooting the ball and had a tough time keeping Utah’s bigs out of the lane. Derrick Williams faced a difficult matchup opposite of Paul Millsap, and allowed his opponent to establish deep inside position in the paint. Despite giving Millsap (and Jefferson on switches) a positioning advantage, Williams did an adequate job in his man defense and even pulled down 9 first-quarter rebounds. On the offensive end, Nikola Pekovic was stymied by the interior defense presented by former Pup Al Jefferson, Millsap and substitute Derrick Favors. Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour were the catalysts to the Wolves early 17-10 lead, as they were matched against a smaller and less talented Utah backcourt.

Minnesota trailed Utah 42-40 at the half, with Ridnour and Williams leading Minnesota scorers with 12 points a piece. Despite a first-half line of 12 points and 9 rebounds, D-Will struggled immensely in one particular area: finishing at the rim. Perhaps the most overlooked area of his game around the time he was drafted, it has become evident that Williams is very poor at converting on what is to most players the highest-percentage looks. When considering his freak athleticism and good size, it is immediately confusing as to why the former number-2 overall selection shoots below league average from around the rim. It is not to say that these problems are a red flag and that the Timberwolves need to get rid of him, because I actually believe the opposite. However, it is going to take Derrick a lot of practice and dedication in order to become comfortable driving through crowded lanes while creating separation and body control in order to put himself in a position to score. At this point in the season, I strongly believe that his blatant lack of confidence when attempting shots in the interior is contributing to his poor respective shooting percentages. In the NBA, confidence is everything. It is up to Derrick to go out and continue to not shy away from these shots because he is going to need to fail over and over again in order to ultimately master that part of his game. If and when he is able to become a great finisher at the rim,  he will have an opportunity to be a threat to score from all over the floor, a skill that very few players in this league have.

The Pups did their best to hang with the much bigger and more talented Jazz squad in the third quarter and ended the quarter with a relatively small 5-point deficit. Utah’s decision to go with a bigger lineup that included Favors, Jefferson and Millsap paid dividends as they ran Millsap off curl screens and crowded the lane with the three natural power forwards. Minnesota’s inability to score on the low block or from beyond the arc was a large inhibitor from making a big run, and their lack of physicality on defense (with the exception of Rubio) kept the momentum in Utah’s favor.

After falling behind by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, Tricky Ricky fueled a comeback that brought this game down to the last seconds. The Jazz were able to make their free throws in crunch time and Ricky’s dazzling passes were not enough to ultimately win this one. As cliche as this is beginning to sound, the Timberwolves are simply not big enough to compete with a number of teams as injuries have taken away much of their size and versatility.

Timberpups Notable Performances

  • Derrick Williams finished with his best line this season of 24 points and 16 boards. Not only did he finish with only 1 turnover in 37 minutes, but he was even +6 on the court despite his difficulties defending Utah’s frontcourt. All was not perfect for the former Wildcat, however, as he shot just 7-17 from the floor and struggled mightily around the rim. What I did enjoy seeing was how much improved he was at getting to the free throw line, regardless of if some of his shots should have resulted in and-1s instead of 2 free throws. The more Derrick can make the game easier on himself by getting more and more free trips to the charity stripe, the easier it will be for him to build his confidence and continue to grow as a professional player.
  • Luke Ridnour is so much more appeasable as a shooting guard than as a point guard, and I have been thoroughly pleased with his play as of late. Starting side-by-side with Ricky, Luke was a game high +14 on the floor and finished the night with 18 points on 7-15 shooting while turning the ball over once. Meanwhile, JJ Barea had a nightmarish performance on 2-10 shooting in 24 minutes.
  • Nikola Pekovic was initially overwhelmed by the interior defense brought on by Utah, but turned it on late in the game to finish with 19 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes. His inability to play above the rim helped the long and athletic Jazz frontcourt slow him down, but he did face more double teams and help defense without Kevin Love by his side. To his credit, Nikola had a strong performance and is starting to really get into a rhythm since returning from injury.

Keys of the Game

  • Points in the Paint - The combination of Millsap and Jefferson combined for 41 points and 19 rebounds, and as a whole the Utah Jazz scored 54 of their 97 points in the paint – the Timberwolves recorded only 30 in the interior. Utah took advantage of Minnesota’s lack of size and athleticism and did a very good job establishing inside position and creating second-chance opportunities.
  • Shot-Blocking - Utah out-blocked the Pups 9-3 with an astounding 7 different players recording at least 1 block. Minnesota’s most talented shot blocker, Chris Johnson, received less than a minute of playing time.
  • Bench Scoring - The Jazz bench outscored Minnesota’s bench 43-12. Yes, you read that correctly. Alexey Shved’s tailspin leading into All-Star weekend culminated in an 0-4, 0 point performance last night and he appears to have totally lost his confidence in his shot. Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, and Derrick Favors all provided important minutes for the Jazz in the second half and helped set the tone on defense and in transition.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Paul Millsap - Surrounded with trade rumors for the past month, Millsap has kept his mind clear and was the key to last night’s W for Utah. Asked to play both small forward, power forward, and even center at times, the versatile 6-foot-8 tweener forward scored 21 points with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in 36 minutes. What Millsap lacks in ability he makes up for with a tireless work ethic and tremendous attitude. D-Will should take a page from Millsap’s book and realize that he does not need to be 6-foot-10 in order to be a very effective player in this league.
  2. Al Jefferson - The former face of Minnesota’s franchise continues to dominate on his old home floor, finishing last night with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals in 34 minutes. Jefferson, who is making $15 million this season, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and will likely demand top dollar from a number of suitors. The question remains if Utah will keep both Jefferson and Millsap (who will also become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end) before the trade deadline in an attempt to strengthen their postseason run, or if it will be more feasible to trade one of the two for young assets.
  3. Ricky Rubio - Good news in Wolves land: Ricky is getting his confidence back. La Pistola continues to play his best ball at the end of games, and last night he missed out on his first career triple-double by 1 rebound. Our favorite floppy-haired point guard finished the ball game with 18 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 1 block in a season-high 40 minutes on the floor. For those who watched the game, Ricky could have easily tallied 15+ assists if his teammates could have finished more layups and drained more open shots, but the important thing is that he is regaining his swagger and he continues to put his teammates, namely Ridnour, in more and more opportunities for easy success.
Filed Under: Game Recaps Tagged With: , ,

Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz, 2/13/13

February 13, 2013 by

Photo Credit. UtahPhotojournalism.com

Photo Credit. UtahPhotojournalism.com

Setting the stage:

The All Star break is upon us as the Wolves take on the Jazz Wednesday night before the extended layoff.  The Pups were able to hold on Monday night to defeat the Cavs in Cleveland to improve their record to 19-30.  The Jazz come into Wednesday’s game off of a win Tuesday night at home against the reigning conference champions, the OKC Thunder.  The win moved Utah’s record to 29-24 on the season.

Earlier this season, the Pups took it on the chin in Utah, getting blown out by the Jazz 106-84.  The Jazz front line dominated the Wolves in that game, and that was when the Wolves were playing with Kirilenko, Love, and Pekovic in the starting lineup.  Since that meeting in early January, the Wolves have essentially fallen out of the playoff picture, while the Jazz remain in the hunt, fighting with the Rockets and others for the last two seeds in the Western Conference.

Player to watch:

Alec Burks – Curveball alert!  Burks is the player to watch because I would like him to be on the Timberwolves roster by the time the trading deadline comes and goes.  The 6’6 swingman has not progressed in his second year in the league, still struggling to get minutes on the Jazz.  He is shooting under 40% from the field, but is shooting 34% from 3PT range, which would put him near the top of the Wolves roster.

Match-up to watch:

Nikola Pekovic vs. Al Jefferson.  The matchup in the middle is clearly the most appealing coming into Wednesday’s game.  Jefferson leads the Jazz in scoring and rebounding this season.  However, his name has popped up in trade rumors, given the crowded frontcourt the Jazz possess.  During his time with the Wolves, Big Al showcased his offensive repertoire on a nightly basis and it will be important for Pek to night bite on too many of the fakes and to stay out of foul trouble.

Predictions:

I would normally take the Wolves in this game given the Jazz are coming off a game Tuesday night and now travelling to Minnesota.  I think (see: hope) this game will be a lot closer and the Wolves can steal it, but I’ll go on record and say the Jazz are able to pull this off.  (In other words, the Wolves are a lock!)

Final score prediction: Twolves 98, Jazz 102

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. Paul Millsap
  2. Gordon Hayward
  3. Ricky Rubio

Let’s go Wolves!

Filed Under: Game Previews Tagged With: , , ,

All-Time Timberwolves 1st & 2nd Teams

October 1, 2012 by

The team here at Timberpups.com thought it would be a good introduction to the new site if we introduced a topic that each and every one of you has an opinion on: who would you put on your all-time Timberwolves team?  With that in mind, here are my own, personal thoughts on who should be included on this list, along with some perspective:

ALL TIMBERWOLVES 1st TEAM:

PG: Stephon Marbury

SG: Isaiah Rider

SF: Wally Szczerbiak

PF: Kevin Garnett

C: Kevin Love
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Minnesota Timberwolves Draft: Top 5 Targets

June 22, 2012 by

The Minnesota Timberwolves got a bit of luck this season as Utah narrowly made it into the playoffs, sending Utah’s first round draft pick to the team as conditioned in the Al Jefferson trade. With the 18th overall selection in the deep 2012 NBA Draft, the Wolves will certainly have their options when they are on the clock. Due to their draft position, we will never know if a high profile prospect will fall to them until draft day, but in the meantime, here are five realistic options who may be available for the team at 18.

5. Terrence Jones
Position: SF/PF  |  School: Kentucky  |  Year: Sophomore  |  Age: 20

 

The Timberwolves saw virtually no offensive production out of starting SF Wesley Johnson this season and desperately need consistent scoring out of the 3 spot. While Derrick Williams is undergoing rigorous two a day, 5 day a week workouts with his goals being to lose 15 pounds and come back next year as the teams starting SF, the Pups need to have a vital plan B and prepare as if D-Will will be unable to make the transition. Enter Terrence Jones. Jones has ideal size (6-9, 252 lbs) , length (7-2 wingspan), athleticism (34.5 inch vertical leap), and an extremely unique skill set that is very similar to that of Josh Smith. A classic “tweener” forward, Jones was a main contributor to Kentucky’s national championship run and would bring a shot-blocking presence that the Pups certainly lack. He is very comfortable as a ball-handler and can knock down shots extending out to three-point range. Most importantly, Jones can get to the hoop and can be a rebounding force, which would add to Minnesota’s dominance in the paint when paired with Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic. The Wolves may decide that their need at the 2 guard position is much more dire, but if Jones happens to fall to 18, they may not have a choice. Jones projects to chosen anywhere from number 7 (Golden State) to number 19 (Orlando). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Rumors Tagged With: , , , , ,