JJ Barea returned from injury Wednesday night and the Timberwolves knocked off the Detroit Pistons 93-85 for their second straight victory. The Timberwolves, 6-8, are off to their best start in five years displaying significant improvement. When you factor in all of the near wins against the great teams the Timberpups have faced thus far, the Pups very well could have a winning record at this point in the season.

The improvement in Minnesota’s defense is impossible to deny. Last season the Timberwolves’ defense ranked dead last in the NBA, giving up an average 107.7 points per game. So far this year, Minnesota’s defense is an astonishing 11^th in the NBA giving up only 93.1 points per game. Clearly Rick Adelman has made defense a priority and the rapid improvement on the defensive end, despite the shortened season, has exposed ex-coach Kurt Rambis for his flawed defensive scheme and inability to motivate his players to play intense defense.

Tonight was the best overall game for the Pups this year and they displayed the best teamwork I have seen from a Timberwolves team since the KG era. They overcame a brutal shooting first half (30% from the field) in which they scored just 36 points, and were able to move the ball and create easy opportunities for each other in the second half.

Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio had yet another highlight-filled game and filled the stat sheet with 9 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and a ridiculous 6 steals. His help defense and anticipation of passes lead a vastly improved team defense and he made the Target Center roar after a spectacular drive to the hoop where he spun the ball around his waist and finished at the hoop with his left hand.

Kevin Love was unable to record his fourth 30-point game in a row, but was still able to finish with 20 points and 17 rebounds, owning the offensive glass and working very hard on defense. Love had a team best +/- of +16 on the court tonight and his and Rubio’s leadership are helping to overcome the culture of losing that has been ever-present in Minnesota over the last several years.
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Make it Wayne! The Timberpups returned home Monday night and overcame a sloppy first half to beat a raw Sacramento Kings team by 13. Leading the way for the Pups were Kevin Love and Luke “pop-a-shot” Ridnour, leading the team with a combined +/- of +42. Love recorded his 13^th double-double of the season with 33 points and 11 rebounds, overcoming an early technical foul and questionable officiating towards him all night. Ridnour topped off a fabulous night with 25 points on 10-14 shooting, including 4-4 from three and a season high 9 assists. His shooting has been nothing short of excellent this year and he continues to play well at SG with Ricky Rubio on the floor.

In what felt like an off night for Rubio, the Spaniard scored 9 points going 3-10 from the field, tallying 8 assists and pulling down 8 rebounds. You know you are pretty darn good when you nearly record a triple-double on an off night.

The X factor for the Pups was young Wayne Ellington, perfectly filling the SG void that the team so desperately needs. He scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting including 3-5 from three. Not only was Wayne hitting his open looks, but he was also very active on the defensive end. Wayne hit a few very clutch, contested shots that were key to Minnesota down the stretch. Despite winning by 13, the game was neck and neck with only a few minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Nikola Pekovic played a very nice game, once again taking most of Darko’s minutes after yet another atrocious game by the Serbian. Darko played only 15 minutes for his second game in a row, despite starting both games. He took and missed one shot all night, a wide-open layup that he attempted and failed to finger-roll in. The most sickening part of the play was that Darko could have very easily dunked the ball, but chose not to and instead missed an uncontested look. Plays like that are unacceptable at this level and it is truly a reflection of Darko’s absolute lack of basketball intelligence.

Although it was a nice win for the Pups, the fact is that Sacramento is not a very good team. They possess many young, gifted players much like the Timberwolves do, but the Kings are not playing very good basketball at this point in the season. Coming off a game where they scored only 60 points in Dallas, the Kings were the first team in some time to get outrebounded by the Timberwolves. No one player scored over 12 points, and All Star Tyreke Evans struggled, shooting 3-11 from the field and scoring just 9 points in 39 minutes. Former college sensation Jimmer Fredette made his Minnesota debut tonight and also struggled, missing all three of his three point attempts.
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