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Minnesota Timberwolves 87, Washington Wizards 82

March 7, 2013 by
Jim Mone/Associated Press

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Game Summary:

On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves faced off at home against the Washington Wizards in a battle of two lottery-bound teams. The Wizards and Timberwolves entered the game with 19 and 20 wins, respectively, despite beginning the season with aspirations for a postseason berth. Washington was without rising rookie Bradley Beal, who injured his ankle after a nasty fall in Washington’s recent win over the 76ers. Beal narrowly escaped with only a sprained ankle, and will likely be out for up to another week.

Unsurprisingly, Minnesota was also without two of their starters in Andrei Kirilenko and Nikola Pekovic as both have been ravaged by a myriad of small injuries since the All-Star break. Mickael Gelabale and Greg Stiemsma started in their places in what was sure to be a snoozefest for the devoted fans who continue to occupy the graveyard atmosphere that the Target Center has once again become.

The matchup of Ricky Rubio and John Wall was sure to be a captivating one at that, with the first overall pick of the 2009 draft versus the fifth overall pick from the same draft. With both players standing at 6-foot-4, the game featured a matchup of two of the tallest point guards in the NBA despite having very skill sets. Wall, not known for his shooting, started off the game by knocking down several mid-range jumpers that are considered one of his weaknesses. Rubio started the game sagging off Wall by a step or two in order to take away his elite ability to get to the rim, and the former Kentucky standout responded by showing off an uncharacteristic soft touch from 16-18 feet. With the Wizards leading 29-24 after the first quarter, Wall had hit all 4 of his field goal attempts. Rubio held his own as he recorded 6 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the opening period.

The Wolves did a much better job on the defensive end in the second quarter as the tandem of Dante Cunningham and Chris Johnson provided strong interior defense. Johnson, who has received sporadic minutes since Rick Adelman returned from missed time, was pure energy and hustle during his minutes in the first half. The long and skinny Johnson pushed the tempo beating the defense down the court and converted all three of his field goal attempts. Although Johnson is mainly receiving minutes due to the absence of Pekovic from the lineup, he continues to produce in the minutes he receives and is consistently the first Pup down the court on offense and the first player back on defense.

Leading 48-43 after the first half behind 51% shooting. The two teams sparred in the third quarter as neither club was able to get hot shooting the ball or creating opportunities in the half-court offense. The Wolves headed into the final quarter of play with a 65-63 lead.

One of the highlights of the fourth quarter came from Luke Ridnour in an uncharacteristic display of frustration with the officiating as he chucked the ball down the court following a no-call on a drive. Washington shot ahead to a 73-65 lead and it began to appear as if the Wolves were headed towards another fourth-quarter collapse. However, our Catalan leader put together another near quadruple-double and JJ Barea knocked down some key looks and the Wolves ended their losing streak, winning 87-82.

Notable Performances:

Martell Webster, after being cut by Minnesota before the season, entered the game with the second-best three-point shooting percentage in the NBA. Ironically, the Wolves are currently the worst three-point shooting team in the league. Starting for the Wizards at Small Forward, Webster logged 41 minutes of playing time despite only knocking down 2 of his 8 long-range attempts.

Derrick Williams put up a respectable line of 16 points and 8 rebounds, but shot just 4-12 from the field and struggled mightily after a strong first quarter.

Trevor Ariza continued his strong play of late as he recorded 16 points (4-10 FG, 3-7 3PT), 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 38 minutes. Ariza was acquired by the Wizards along with Emeka Okafor last summer in hopes of boosting Washington into playoff contention.

Keys of the Game:

  • Turnovers - Washington shot themselves in the foot time and time again and they committed 24 turnovers to only 14 by Minnesota.
  • Personal Fouls - As if the game was not made sloppy enough by all of Washington’s turnovers, they committed an absurd 29 personal fouls and essentially handed Minnesota the game in the final period of play.

Three Stars of the Game:

  1. Ricky Rubio - This selection is a no-brainer. For the second time since the All-Star break, Ricky legitimately flirted with the mystic quadruple-double as he finished the night with 15 points (4-15 FG), 11 assists, 7 rebounds and 6 steals in 38 minutes. Although he had another tough game shooting the ball, Tricky Ricky provided for the Wolves in so many different ways on both ends of the floor and willed the team to victory.
  2. John Wall - Wall showed a lot of improvement in his game especially in his ability to knock down the mid-range jumper. As tremendous of a player as Wall is, there still remains many areas in which he will need to master if he is to become the superstar that he was predicted to be when he was selected with the first pick. Wall finished the night with 19 points (7-15 FG), 7 assists, 3 steals and 6 turnovers in 39 minutes.
  3. JJ Barea - JJ came up big in the fourth quarter and was one of the only Wolves who could make a shot in the second half. He held his own on defense despite having enormous size disadvantages in his matchups and was able to provide 12 points in 23 minutes off of the bench.
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Minnesota Timberwolves 101, Washington Wizards 114

January 26, 2013 by

Wall blocking RickyGame Summary

The 17-22 Timberwolves travelled east to take on the 9-31 Washington Wizards on Friday night.  Hope everyone set their DVR’s.  The Pups opened up with Rubio, Ridnour, Kirilenko, Williams, and Stiemsma.  The Wizards countered with John Wall, Bradley Beal, Martell Webster, Nene Hilario, and Emeka Okafor.  Wall was making his first start of the season in his eighth game of the year, as if the Wolves have not been pummeled enough by opposing PG’s.

The early minutes of the game was played at warp speed.  However, it was also terribly sloppy.  Going into the first timeout, the Wizards held a 17-9 lead.  Washington was 7-9 from the field but had three turnovers.  The Wolves were only 4-12 from the field and matched the Wizards three turnovers.

Despite struggling mightily from the field for much of the quarter and falling down by as many as eleven, the Wolves closed the quarter on a 9-2 run.  Jordan Crawford hit a floater at the buzzer to give the Wizards a 29-25 lead at the end of the 1st quarter.  Going back to Wednesday night’s game, it would be nice to see the Wolves execute in the closing seconds of any quarter.

The second quarter was full of mini-runs by both teams and the Pups drew the short straw when all was said and done.  After building their lead to nine, the Wizards allowed the Wolves to cut it back to a two possession game.  Then, both teams set NBA basketball back about thirty years with some awful play in the middle of the quarter.  As soon as that train of thought started popping into my mind, the Wizards went on a nice run to close out the quarter.

After one half of basketball, the Wolves trailed by 14 points, 60-46.  When would you like me to mention how the Wolves performed to close out the quarter?  Right here (it was awful) or through my Wolves lens and halftime thoughts …

  • At halftime, it had been at least six quarters since the Pups closed out a quarter well
  • The only reason the Wolves weren’t losing by 20 or more points is because of how well they were rebounding the ball on the offensive end, holding a 13-3 advantage over the Wolves
  • The coaching staff needs to rein Dante Cunningham’s jumper in a bit – 16 feet and in until he gets things going again (1-6 from the field in the first half)
  • FG and FT shooting are killing the Pups right now.  But other than that …

In the interest of not looking like a maniac, let’s agree that the second half was atrocious and just move on, fair?  The Wolves didn’t do anything right in the half, with Terry Porter leading the charge and just about every member of the roster following suit.  Derrick Williams finished the game with a double-double (18 & 11) but it felt completely irrelevant.  Luke Ridnour had a nice game shooting but he probably gave up double that on the other end of the court.  The Pups ten day contractors continued to put up positive results, but I’m not sure if this is actually a good thing or bad thing at this point.

Outside of rebounding the ball on both ends, the Wolves did virtually nothing well on Friday night.  The Wolves shot 44% from the field, while their defense, or lack thereof, aided in the Wizards shooting a lights out 58%.  As an added bonus, the Wolves missed thirteen (?!) free throws Friday night, going 20-33 from the “charity” line.

To complete the trifecta, the Wolves were 3-14 from 3PT range again tonight and there might be a need to ban three point shooting tomorrow night in Charlotte.  I wish I were joking, but if I were coaching this team I would consider fining anyone that shoots a three pointer tomorrow night.  The team really needs to focus on an inside out game even if their post players don’t fit the bill.

The Wizards go to ten wins on the season, beating the Pups 114-101 and it didn’t really feel like that close of a game at all in the second half.  The loss is the Wolves third in a row and eighth in their last nine.  Thankfully, Big Al is covering Saturday night’s game in Charlotte …

Keys of the Game

  • FT Shooting – I’m not sure I’ve done a recap where this hasn’t been a problem for the Wolves.  The cynic in me would point out that if the Wolves were perfect from the line, the game would have been tied and gone into OT.  I’m not that ridiculous though.
  • Energy – This might sound a little ridiculous, but the difference in energy levels and body language was very telling.  This Wolves team is obviously struggling and it is starting to show all over the place.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Bradley Beal – 16 points and a game high+24 in the box score, but more impressive was the 4 blocked shots, including one on a Wolves fast break that was probably the play of the game
  2. John Wall – Wall only played 20 minutes but he broke down defenders consistently and hit what became open jumpers.  Breaking: John Wall is good.
  3. Chris Johnson – Struggling to find a third star, so I want to give kudos to Chris Johnson, who put up 9 & 5 in a little over 20 minutes.  What I want to commend him for is banging in the paint and being some type of “presence” for the team.  Doogie sent out the note below that should be of interest to Pups fans …

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Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves at Washington Wizards, 1/25/13

January 23, 2013 by
Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

This Friday’s game sends the Timberwolves to the nation’s capital to face the Wizards.  The Pups enter the game with a 17-22 record and are coming off a loss at home to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.  Ricky Rubio was not pleased with sitting the entire 4th quarter in Wednesday’s game, so we’ll see where this season goes next with this news. It probably isn’t a good thing for an assistant coach to tick off the number one draw for the franchise.  Just a thought…

While the Wizards have the worst record in the league, their season has seemingly turned the corner with the recent return of John Wall to the lineup.  At 9-31 on the season, the team is clearly playing for pride and to show fans what the future may have in store.  Friday’s game also allows Pups fans to catch another glimpse of their former head coach, Randy Wittman.

For tonight’s preview we’re working with Abdullah Sharif from the WizardsExtreme.com team blog.  As you may have seen here on Timberpups.com, we have put together Q&A sessions with a writer from the opposition in an effort to get some inside perspective on what to expect on Friday night game nights.

Here’s our Q&A …

Wizards Question #1 for Abdullah:

First and foremost, John Wall is back in action and looks like he is close to 100% already.  What have you noticed thus far in his play – strengths, potential weaknesses, where he may be struggling, etc.? 

Abdullah:

Wall’s return has posed an immediate impact on the team, as the Wizards find themselves playing with a refreshing sense of aggression and fluidity that’s been rare to the Wizards faithful up until his recovery from the stress fracture in his knee. Over the past week and a half, the Wizards have won 5 of their last 7 games, including wins over Oklahoma City, Denver and Portland. Wall has defied several concerns regarding his conditioning, physical strength, and his overall rust from being away from the game for so long. While he displays the same speed and agility we’ve been used to, Wall has also been facilitating the offense in a more disciplined manner.

However, Wall has also proven that he still has some improvements to be made. His mid-range jump shot remains questionable, although his form has clearly improved. At times, Wall finds himself underestimating his speed down court, which usually results in making the wrong decision in transition, leading to a charging foul or a turnover. But overall, Wall’s long absence has proven his worth, as the Wizards now find themselves in the midst of newfound success, with John Wall being the catalyst.

 

Pups Question #1 for John:

How frustrating has the health of Kevin Love been this season and how have the Timberwolves been able to fill the void with the absence of his inside presence as well as threat as a shooter around the perimeter?

John:

Kevin Love’s broken hand from knuckle push-ups essentially set the tone for what was yet to come this season for the Timberwolves.  This freak accident started off a stretch of terrible luck in the injury department that has hit the vast majority of the lineup.  To be honest, before losing Budinger, Roy, Pekovic, and/or Shved (not to mention Josh Howard or the random games that JJ Barea and Andrei Kirilenko have missed … yes, this is all in a half a season) the Wolves were doing “OK” and treading water in Love’s earlier absence from the team.

However, the roster is far too deep in the water at this point and it is hard seeing this team stay afloat while Love recovers from the surgery and extended amount of time he’s now scheduled to miss (8-10 weeks after the surgery, which happened about a week after the injury occurred.  This was due to … the surgeon being sick and out of the office.  You can’t make this stuff up with how the season is going.)

At this point, they aren’t able to make up for Love’s absence.  Earlier in the season, Kirilenko, Dante Cunningham, and Derrick Williams were filling in admirably and rotating nicely based on match-ups.  Unfortunately, that isn’t happening anymore.  To your last point, the team is abysmal from beyond the arc.  Love’s hand injury led to a lot of his own struggles here when he was playing, but there really isn’t another player on the current roster that can consistently hit a three pointer right now.

 

Wizards Question #2 for Abdullah:

Tell us how you feel about Randy Wittman, but please keep it PG-13.  As a former coach for our Pups, I remember Wittman driving fans criminally insane in Minnesota.  Has he made any improvement whatsoever?  Would you like to see him return as coach next season? 

Abdullah:

Wittman’s tenure in Minnesota is very similar to his current one in DC. Besides the short stint he had coaching Kevin Garnett in 2006 and then-rookie Kevin Love in 2008, Wittman’s basketball teams have been sorely untalented. When his predecessor Flip Saunders was fired 17 games into the season last year, Wittman was called upon to take over a squad in complete disarray and misdirection. If you follow DC sports, you’ll clearly notice the blame for the team’s failure is directed more towards the men in upper management, as opposed to the coach himself. While Wittman does endure scrutiny for his questionable player rotations and strategies, many consider Wittman to be a victim of a bad culture and a coach who has had very little talent to work with. Wittman’s Wizards finished the season last year riding a six-game win streak, but several key injuries and managerial mishaps led to an underachieving lineup and the worst start in franchise history.

As mentioned in my previous answer, the Wizards are now back at full strength with John Wall back in the lineup, along with a healthy Nene and a vastly progressing rookie in Brad Beal. In his short time as Wizards coach, Wittman has proven that with the right tools and personnel, he can make for a respectable coach in the NBA.

 

Pups Question #2 for John:

What are the general outlook and opinion of Ricky Rubio and his potential success as a member of the Timberwolves? How much of a difference maker is he when on the floor and how does his game compare to John Wall’s?

John:

(Disclaimer: I’m a huge Rubio backer)

Rubio is struggling to find his form right now as he continues to fight his way past the torn ACL injury from last season.  He is passing up too many open shots and then when he is taking them, they are consistently falling flat and drawing iron.  He has shown flashes of brilliance, but you won’t see it in the box score on most occasions, as the team has been very strict in limiting his minutes and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Ricky is very clearly who David Kahn and company want to build around.  Assuming he shakes the rust off over the course of the rest of this season and comes back to form (and beyond) to what was seen in his rookie year, you can expect a maximum offer on the table waiting for Ricky to sign.  There are a lot of “what if” scenarios to play out between now and then though, so it is impossible to say whether or not he remains with the team through all of that.

His potential success is off the charts.  On the court, his vision is bar none.  He almost singlehandedly made the bounce pass cool again in the NBA last season.  From what is seen from afar, teammates love playing with him.  You can sense his leadership on the court and it seems to carry over to practice and the day to day life with teammates.

I believe he is more “valuable” than Kevin Love.  I’m not saying he is “better”, but I do believe he is more valuable to winning games for this franchise.  Frankly, they need each other to succeed in Minnesota, but Rubio definitely makes everyone else around him better and I can’t necessarily say the same thing about Love.

 

Wizards Question #3 for Abdullah:

Rumors swirled recently that Bradley Beal might be available for the right price.  What do you think of the rookie and his play thus far?  What does he need to improve on to become a complete player for this franchise (or another)?  Can the team build a contender with both Wall and Beal? 

Abdullah:

Bradley Beal got off to a bit of a slow start to his NBA career. As a player who was touted for his deadly shooting and abilities to create scoring opportunities, Wizards fans initially observed a player who lacked aggression and shot poorly from the field. Just a few weeks later, Wizards fans observed a player who was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December. During that span until now, the 19-year old has found his comfort on the floor and is no longer shy about attacking the rim. Beal shows great poise and confidence. His skill set is starting to take great shape as he has shown his ability to create offense and find open space for high percentage jumpers. These factors all led to the dismissal of potential trade offers and the decision to keep him in DC with the pursuit of eventually constructing one of the more dangerous backcourts in the league along with John Wall.

 

Pups Question #3 for John:

With the halfway point of the season approaching, the Wolves are just a few games out of the final playoff spot. What areas do the Wolves need to address in order to make their second half push and secure that spot?

John:

Simply put: Health and good luck.  Unfortunately, the former is nowhere to be found and it isn’t coming back to this roster anytime soon.  With Budinger out until February/March, Love out until March or so, Roy out indefinitely (and probably done), and Rubio still working out the kinks, it just seems like too much to overcome.  The team’s recent play suggests that they have finally hit that threshold where enough is enough.  They have not looked very good over the past few weeks and I fear that there isn’t an end in sight to this.

It also doesn’t help that Rick Adelman has left the team to be with his ailing wife and the sidelines have been left to Terry Porter.  (To clarify this so it isn’t interpreted incorrectly – Adelman needs to do whatever it is he feels best for his family.  The point I’m making here is we are very clearly “trading down” when going from Adelman to Porter on the sidelines.)  While a tremendous amount of the current situation is due to injuries, you will likely get a chance to see a few head scratchers from the coach in Friday night’s game.

To be honest, I’ve already talked myself into the fact that this team is not going to make the playoffs again this season.  Going into the trading deadline, I don’t expect to see a significant move made.  However, I wouldn’t be shocked if JJ Barea or Luke Ridnour is moved for more of a true SG.  In the offseason, I do expect at least one of them moved, potentially with Derrick Williams, as the former #2 pick in the draft will have a new home for the ‘13/’14 season.  Hopefully, those one or two moves provide the team with a significant upgrade at the SG or SF position to move into next season with.

 

We hope you enjoyed the preview for this Friday’s match-up between the Pups and Wizards.  Again, you can read more from Abdullah at WizardsExtreme.com and/or follow them on Twitter.  You can read more from John on Timberpups.com and/or follow him on Twitter as well.

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