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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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Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets, 1/19/13

January 19, 2013 by

MN HoopsSetting the stage:

For the second time this season, the Timberwolves host the Rockets at the Target Center.  Back on 12/26, the Rockets stunned the Wolves with a heavyweight performance from James Harden in the 4th quarter.  Harden scored 17 of his 30 points in the final frame and helped put his team over the hump.

Saturday’s match-up is going to look quite different for the Wolves, as injuries continue to ravage the lineup.  Add Nikola Pekovic to the list of injured Pups who will not be playing in Saturday’s game.  Pekovic went down with a strained quad on Thursday night and the team announced he is likely to miss the next 7-10 days.  Alexey Shved will likely be a game time decision with his sprained ankle, which also occurred in Thursday’s loss to the Clippers.  This would be funny if it weren’t so depressing.

Adding insult to injury, the Pups come into Saturday’s game on a five game losing streak.  The bandwagon has seen a mass exodus over the past few weeks.  While there is no official news on Mickael Gelabale (as of writing this on Friday night) it is expected that he will take the place of Lazar Hayward on the roster.  If he is in the United States, I hope he is ready to suit up tomorrow night and put in a few minutes on the court.  Beyond Gelabale, you can start throwing names against the wall and see what sticks.  Here are a few worth mentioning: Jonny Flynn, Ryan Gomes, Troy Hudson, Kenyon Martin, and Michael Redd.  Any and all of these guys need to be, at the very least, considered right now.

Would you like a bit of good news?  The Rockets are actually on a slightly longer losing streak right now than the Wolves are.  So there’s that.  As seen the night after Christmas, the Rockets are clearly led by James Harden and everyone else has a role to fill.  Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik bring it on most nights, but beyond these two, there are a lot of question marks throughout the roster.  The Rockets are currently right there for that 8th slot in the Western Conference and will be looking to put more distance between themselves and the Wolves Saturday.

Player to watch:

James Harden – Not knowing who is playing for the Wolves night in and night out is going to mean that these previews will largely focus on an opponent for some time.  As mentioned above, Harden is clearly the catalyst for this Rockets team.  With Shved either not playing, or at the very least, hampered by his sprained ankle, it will be interesting to see what the Wolves do on the defensive end of the floor.  Paging Andrei Kirilenko, please move over to the SG position for an evening.

Match-up to watch:

Ricky Rubio vs. Jeremy Lin.  Linsanity vs. Rubio-oops.  Neither has necessarily set the house on fire this season but it is the most intriguing matchup among the expected starting fives.  Rubio provided a few quotes after Thursday’s loss and you can sense his frustration with losing and not performing to what he is accustomed to.  I don’t see Rubio as someone who will press himself and play worse (like Barea).  I see this actually being a good thing / turning point.  (Because my Pups predictions have been fairing so well these past few weeks…)

Predictions:

Despite the Rockets playing on Friday night in Atlanta, I just have to see the Wolves win a game before I believe it, given the latest injury news.

Final score prediction: Twolves 82, Rockets 94

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. James Harden
  2. Ricky Rubio
  3. Omer Asik

Let’s go Wolves!

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Minnesota Timberwolves 84 – Houston Rockets 87

December 26, 2012 by
Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

So much for welcome returns. Greeted by a Target Center crowd of 20,340, Kevin Love returned to the starting lineup only to have arguably his worst performance of the season as the Minnesota Timberwolves blew a late fourth-quarter lead, falling to the Houston Rockets by a score of 87-84.

Game Summary

After missing Sunday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to a scratched eye, K-Love struggled mightily on both ends of the floor and shot a miserable 3-14 FG including 0-7 from beyond the arc. Throw in 5 turnovers and poor pick-and-roll defense and you’ve got yourself a James Harden-led comeback, stunning a Target Center crowd and snapping the Timberwolves’ 5-game home win streak.

While I could ramble on and on about how poorly Love played tonight, I would simply like to highlight a few disturbing themes that were evident in his play. Although he shot very poorly from the field, I am not in any way angry about his shot selection because the shots he was missing are shots that we have grown accustomed to seeing K-Love bury time and time again. It very well may be the case that his wrist is causing discomfort in his shot, and in that case it is very understandable for his relatively poor shooting percentages this season. However, one thing that is independent of any external factors that may be currently influencing Love’s game is his effort and intensity on defense, which he has very inconsistently displayed this season. On multiple occasions following a missed shot, instead of sprinting back on defense, Love jogged and attempted to slow down the opposing ball handler, creating easy 3 on 2 transition opportunities for the Rockets (who happen to be one of the best in the NBA in transition). Too often we have witnessed Love choosing to whine and chirp at the officials, allowing the player he is matched up against to run seams down the court for easy lay ups. When has challenging an official after a no-call contributed to favorable officiating in the future?

I will point out that in the first quarter, Love did a very good job of directing the offense and finding teammates on backdoor cuts – something I wish he would do much more often. But after Love continued to misfire on shot attempts, his lack of confidence on offense became extremely evident to all those watching the game; by the fourth quarter he was blatantly passive, almost unwilling to shoot. I was very happy to see him attempt a step-back three late in the fourth quarter, despite once again missing. I never want to see the day where Love is not confident enough to take charge late in games, but the fact that he got burned weak side on two consecutive pick-and-rolls – securing the win for Houston – makes me wonder about Love’s overall intensity on the defensive end.

The Timberwolves inability to manage the game in the fourth quarter led to their late-game demise, and JJ Barea was a main culprit. Despite playing a very good game through the first three quarters, Barea fell into his detrimental zone of over-dribbling on offense and finding himself in traps in the opposing defense, resulting in turnovers. With the Timberwolves down 1 point with less than a minute remaining, Barea almost immediately coughed the ball up after taking the ball up the court, leading to a James Harden layup which secured the Rockets victory. Barea added 18 points (7-14 FG), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 4 turnovers in 28 minutes.

The man Barea was backing up, Luke Ridnour, had a night to forget. In 19 minutes of play, Ridnour shot just 3-10 from the field, with most of his misses coming from wide-open, spotted-up attempts. Luke is now shooting below NBA league average from three-point range at 32.9%.

Andrei Kirilenko made his 500th career start tonight, a very impressive milestone that very few NBA players have accomplished. AK-47 had a quiet but efficient night, finishing with 8 points (2-6 FG), 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 turnovers in 29 minutes of action. His Russian teammate Alexey Shved was arguably the Timberwolves greatest asset on offense, as he was once again effective on the pick-and-roll. Shved continues to prove that he is one of the league’s top rookies, and finished the night with a line of 16 points (7-15 FG), 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 turnover in 30 minutes.

The Timberpups out-rebounded (50-47), out-stole (10-7) and out-blocked (4-2) the Rockets while committing 2 less turnovers and 7 less personal fouls. However, the Pups shot a miserable 38% from the field and were ice-cold tonight.

Ricky Rubio, as anticipated, was given an increased work load and played a season-high 21 minutes tonight. Despite being a game-low -9 on the floor, I thought that Rubio played well and looked slightly more explosive on his cuts than he had in his earlier performances this season. In the second half, Head Coach Rick Adelman had Rubio matched up on rising superstar James Harden, and Rubio did a very nice job on a tough cover. In limited action, Tricky Ricky finished with 8 points (2-5 FG), 2 assists, 1 steal and zero turnovers.

Nikola Pekovic left the game after the first half due to illness, and his first-half performance presumably spoke to how he was feeling. Faced against an excellent low-post defender in Omer Asik, Pek posted only 2 points on 1-7 shooting while pulling down 7 rebounds in 23 minutes.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. James Harden – Man, how far James Harden has come. Yeah, he may have been the 6-man of the year last season and was heavily recognized as one of the top young shooting guards in the league, but the level that Harden is reaching is true superstardom – and he even appears to be developing veteran maturity at the age of 23. Through the first three periods, Harden focused on directing traffic and setting up teammates for buckets, acting more as a facilitator than scorer, scoring only when presented with high-percentage opportunities to do so. And just as Chris Paul tends to save his scoring for the fourth quarter, Harden led a fourth-quarter charge and got to the rim so effectively that made it seem like he had been saving his energy for the final plays. No player was better when given an open spot-up opportunity, and Harden added to his sensational 2012-13 campaign with a line of 30 points (11-22 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 3 turnovers in 38 minutes played.
  2. Omer Asik - After being a part of one of the best second units in the NBA spending the past two seasons in Chicago, Asik has come into his own in Houston and has become one of the top centers in the Western Conference. Asik completely shut down Pekovic, while recording 9 points (4-6 FG), 17 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block and only 1 turnover in 35 minutes. Houston’s high-priced free agent addition has been a core component to the Rockets’ success and provides production to a frontcourt that was in desperate need for consistency spanning the past few seasons.
  3. Dante Cunningham – DC Hustle was at it again tonight, providing steals, blocks, rebounding and effective cutting. To put it simply, Cunningham was all over the court and was the only Pup that I can say played a tremendous game. The dividends that the trade for Cunningham continues to pay must be keeping Timberwolves management sufficiently satisfied, given the much different state of affairs surrounding Wayne Ellington in Memphis. Dante earned every single minute that he played tonight, and finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks and no turnovers in 37 minutes.

The Pups are set to host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday beginning at 7PM CT. Oh yeah, and Mike Beasley is coming back to town!

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Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves Host Houston Rockets, 12/26/12

December 26, 2012 by

It looks like the Minnesota Timberwolves will be getting back an important set of eyes as they host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Kevin Love, who sustained an injury to his eye late in Minnesota’s victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, is set to start against a surging Rockets team fresh off a Christmas dismantling of the Chicago Bulls.

The Rockets have been one of the biggest surprises of this NBA season. After shocking the basketball world by obtaining rising superstar James Harden from the Thunder, the Rockets have turned what was supposed to be strictly a rebuilding season into legitimate Playoff contention. Houston, 15-12, currently sits one seeding ahead of the 13-12 Timberwolves, and will battle former head coach Rick Adelman in an important Western Conference showdown.

Led by new acquisitions Harden, Jeremy Lin, and Omer Asik, the Rockets march into the Target Center hoping to end Minnesota’s 5 game home winning streak. Should the Timberwolves win, it would mark their longest home winning streak in six seasons.

Do not be surprised if Ricky Rubio plays more than 18 minutes tonight, as the Wolves coaching staff has stated that they will begin to slowly increase his workload as he begins to strengthen his lower body and his surgically-repaired knee. Rubio has struggled getting back up to speed since his impressive debut against Dallas, and his previous 18 minute limit has kept him from getting in a rhythm with his new teammates. Rubio has shot just 3 for 16 from the field since returning to action, and has displayed decreased explosiveness and cutting ability, which was anticipated given his predicament.

Nikola Pekovic has enjoyed a breakout season and is quickly becoming one of the top interior forces in the Western Conference. He faces an excellent up-and-coming center in Asik, and will need to be on his game if he is to effectively score on one of the top interior defenders in the league.

The key to this game for the Timberpups will be containing Harden, as it is impossible to completely shut him down. Since joining the Rockets, Harden has looked every bit as fierce as he was at Arizona State, where he played the role of primary scorer and distributer. The athletic SG can score from anywhere on the floor and is at his best when he is running in transition, effectively finding open teammates and exploiting holes in opposing defenses. Lin has progressively improved as well this season, and is beginning to find his shot that he showed off so well last season for the New York Knicks.

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