Home  /  Archives for Ricky Rubio

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 at Cleveland Cavs, 2/11/13

February 10, 2013 by
Photo Credit: Elite Daily

Photo Credit: Elite Daily

The Timberwolves will complete the latter portion of their back-to-back Monday night in Cleveland after Sunday’s loss to the Grizzlies in Memphis.  Earlier this season, the Wolves took care of the Cavs rather easily on the Target Center floor.  Kyrie Irving missed the first match-up so this will be the first opportunity for Wolves fans to see last season’s Rookie of the Year against their hometown favorite.  Kyrie is having a whale of a season since returning from his injury, averaging 24 points and 5.5 assists per game.

The Cavs come into Monday’s match-up with a 16-35 record, dropping their last game on Saturday night at home against the Nuggets.  Prior to Saturday’s loss the team had won three in a row, including a victory on 2/2 against the OKC Thunder.

As discussed ad nauseum at this point, the Wolves are in the midst of a long stretch of bad basketball going into the All Star weekend.  The team desperately needs the break to get here quickly in an effort to recharge the battery a bit.  Similar to the past few games, the team will be without Andrei Kirilenko against the Cavs.  After JJ Barea skipped Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies, it will be interesting to see if he tries to give it a go on Monday night.

Player to watch:

Dion Waiters – Similar to Irving, the rookie missed this season’s earlier match-up against the Wolves.  Waiters is out of Syracuse, which of course is the bane of current Wolves’ fans existence given the utter failure of their own, recent draft picks (Flynn and Johnson).  Naturally, Waiters is performing much better than those two and is having a solid rookie season, averaging 14 ppg.  The match-up against Ridnour and Shved should lead to big night from Waiters.

Match-up to watch:

Ricky Rubio vs. Kyrie Irving.  There wasn’t any doubt here, was there?  Monday night affords us another opportunity to watch two, young PG’s that are likely to be a main part of the NBA’s marketing plans for the next decade.  As mentioned earlier, Kyrie has been phenomenal this year for the Cavs.  At the same time, Rubio has turned the corner in the past week or two and is looking like him old self.  This should be a tremendous match-up to watch.

Predictions:

Without Kirilenko again and coming off of a game Sunday night, I expect the Wolves to look flat.

Final score prediction: Twolves 86, Cavs 94

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. Kyrie Irving
  2. Ricky Rubio
  3. Dion Waiters

Let’s go Wolves!

Filed Under: Game Previews Tagged With: , , ,

Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies, 2/10/13

February 10, 2013 by
Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

Setting the stage:

The Timberwolves are back out on the road after a wildly unsuccessful six game home stretch, with the team losing 5 of 6 at home.  Going further back the team has lost 14 of its last 16 games in total and it looks like the ship has sailed on this season.  The current streak has moved the Wolves 11 games under .500 and to 18-29 on the season, 7.5 games behind the Jazz and Rockets for the last two seeds in the Western Conference playoff race.

If you are looking for a silver bullet for the remainder of the season, it is the return of the real Ricky Rubio.  Over the past week Rubio has averaged 14 points and 12 assists while playing well over 30 minutes per game.  He is getting teammates the ball where they want/need it and has added to the highlight reel in each game.  Rubio’s play is just about the only thing left to look forward to right now until Love and Budinger return.

For the first time this season, the Grizzlies match up against our Wolves.  Memphis comes into today’s game off of a win Friday night against Golden State, improving their record to 31-18 on the season.  The Grizzlies made news less than two weeks ago when they unofficially opened up the NBA trade season by shipping Rudy Gay out along with other pieces that in return netted Tayshaun Prince, Ed Davis, and Austin Daye.  I like Rudy a lot, but this was a pretty good deal for Memphis for the long term.

Player to watch:

Zach Randolph – Randolph has been playing well this season and will likely have a larger role in the offense without Gay.  Without Love and Kirilenko playing for the Wolves, it will be interesting to see what Derrick Williams can do against the crafty left hander.  I would expect a big night from the veteran in this favorable match-up.

Match-up to watch:

Nikola Pekovic vs. Marc Gasol.  Per my venting from Friday’s game against the Knicks, the Wolves must feed Pek the ball in the paint.  Pek needs to have a monster game in order for the team to have any chance of winning this evening and his teammates need to put much more of an effort in getting him the ball.  Gasol’s numbers are down this season vs. last but he is still having a very good year, averaging 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.

Predictions:

As mentioned earlier, Andrei Kirilenko will not play again this evening and that takes away the vast majority of the chance the Wolves had at pulling this one out.

Final score prediction: Twolves 94, Grizzlies 106

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. Zach Randolph
  2. Tony Allen
  3. Ricky Rubio

Let’s go Wolves!

Filed Under: Game Previews Tagged With: , ,

Minnesota Timberwolves 94, New York Knicks 100

February 9, 2013 by
Melo

Photo Credit: CRAIG LASSIG

Game Summary

The Minnesota Timberwolves concluded their unsuccessful homestand Friday night and will be going on the road as losers of five of their six.  Friday night’s game was against the somewhat surprising NY Knicks.  Here is how things progressed.

The Pups opened up with a similar lineup to Wednesday night’s game with Rubio, Ridnour, Gelabale, Williams, and Pekovic.  In other words, Kirilenko was not available again due to his injury.  The Knicks opened up with Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson Chandler.  Looking at those opening lineups it felt like a night where the Wolves wouldn’t be eaten up in the backcourt.  However, the team sorely missed AK47 given what was to come from Melo.

The 1st quarter could be described as the Carmelo Anthony show, as he took nine shots in his first twelve minutes of the game, finishing the quarter with 11 points.  The Wolves countered with Pekovic who grabbed an early advantage vs. Tyson Chandler.  Chandler looks a step behind right now.  I’m not sure if that is because of being banged up, the Olympics, or a combination of items.  In any case, while Pekovic was looking good, his teammates failed to look for him enough.  Let’s get one thing straight moving forward; Pekovic needs the ball in the paint much, much more often.  At the end of the 1st quarter, the Knicks held a 25-23 lead.

At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Amare Stoudemire posterized Greg Stiemsma with a vicious dunk.  That led to a small run from the Knicks to build their lead up to 8 points.  However, the Wolves fought back thanks to the efforts and hustle of Cunningham and Shved.  Ricky Rubio drove ninety four feet to the basket to make a layup and draw a foul against Carmelo, which led to this immediate thought:

Let that one resonate for a while and tell me what you think of Carmelo in the comments below.  I know that many feel differently and I can understand why, I just can’t get behind a guy that has the amount of talent he does and he doesn’t leave it both ends of the floor.

After the Wolves grabbed the lead for a few seconds, the Knicks came storming back and finished the 2nd quarter on an 11-3 run to take a 52-45 lead into halftime.  Here are my HT thoughts through a Wolves lens:

  • The Wolves must feed Pek the ball.  This isn’t rocket science.
  • Why is Rick Adelman not giving minutes to Chris Johnson?

Well, I can tell you that the ‘halftime lens’ was typed up during halftime and I don’t have a wire right into the Wolves locker room.  Why do I mention this?  The 3rd quarter was filled with direct responses to my questions and comments, as Pek dominated the early minutes of the quarter against Chandler.  After Cunningham picked up a foul (and technical), we saw the emergence of Chris Johnson.  Finally!

Despite Carmelo’s best efforts (24 points through three), the Wolves owned much of the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Knicks 31-18 and finished on an 8-0 run going into the final quarter.  At the end of three, the Wolves held a 76-70 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Pups to give up all of the good vibes from the 3rd quarter in the final frame.  There is virtually nothing left that can be said at this point.  After outscoring the Knicks 31-18 in the 3rd, the Wolves were outscored in the 4th by a score of 30-18.  For those fortunate enough to miss the game, here is a quick summation of what transpired – another choke job by the team at the FT line.  What drill needs to be eliminated from the team’s practice schedule so that they can spend more time on the line?  You almost missed the total disappearance of Pekovic.  It would be nice to have set plays for Pekovic to ensure the Wolves’ guards get him the ball.

This is just the latest collapse from the Wolves team that is decimated by injury.  I can’t imagine there is much confidence left in the locker room either.  The Knicks finished the game on a 24-7 run to escape Minnesota with a 100-94 win.

Keys of the Game

  • Shooting – I say the same thing in every loss so I’m just combining this into one bullet point.  1-13 from 3PT range and 8 more missed FT’s.  Let’s just move on…
  • Ridnour & Barea – Ridnour had a nice shooting night but choked at the end.  Barea stunk again.  Neither gets the ball into the paint to the Wolves front court.  One of these two needs to go for some type of future asset.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Carmelo Anthony – A no-brainer with 36 points and 9 rebounds.  He was essentially the entire Knicks offense tonight.  (I still don’t like him)
  2. Nikola Pekovic – 16 & 11 on only 10 shots.  Similar to Wednesday night, the team needs to start running plays for Pek and the set offense through him.  Please!
  3. Ricky Rubio – I have a hard time picking a second Knick because no one stood out beyond Anthony.  Rubio gets the nod here for his 18 point, 11 assist performance.  However, he missed crucial FT’s in this game and got shutdown by Chandler at the end of the game.
Filed Under: Game Recaps Tagged With: , ,

Timberwolves Video of the Week: Wolves Devour Pelicans 2/3/13

February 8, 2013 by

Welcome back to our Timberwolves Video of the Week (VOTW) series and what a better way to re-launch the series than with visual highlights from a much needed win against the Hornets last Saturday.  The Wolves were on a six game losing streak going into last Saturday’s match-up.  However, they got off to a fast and furious start and never looked back.  It was the first comfortable win for the team in quite some time.

As you will see in the highlights, the Unicorn looks to be making his way back to form.  Shades of Pistol Pete are showing up more frequently as the weeks go by and it looks like Rubio’s confidence is starting to grow in his legs. It is always nice to get a win, hopefully we see a bit more of it this homestretch. 

Let’s go Wolves!

Filed Under: Video of the Week Tagged With:

Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves host San Antonio Spurs, 2/6/13

February 6, 2013 by

Tony ParkerSetting the stage:

The Timberwolves will host the league-best San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night and hope to bring the same effort and energy that they displayed in the fourth-quarter in their latest loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Coming off his best performance of the season in which he recorded 15 points and 14 assists, Ricky Rubio will be matched up against perennial All-Star and future Hall of Fame point guard Tony Parker.

Tim Duncan is expected to play after an MRI on his injured right ankle showed no structural damage. Once again Minnesota will face one of the top power forwards in the NBA and will have their hands full in the paint. Derrick Williams, who has really struggled since the return of Wolves head coach Rick Adelman, will need to really step up on the defensive end if the Pups are to have a decent chance tonight. The undersized “tweener” forward will defend a taller, longer and stronger player in Duncan who is probably the best power forward to ever play the game. At the tender age of 36, Timmy D is not only enjoying an All-Star season, but also arguably his best season in the past five years. Give a lot of credit to San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich for knowing how to take care of his aging team.

Andrei Kirilenko will sit tonight due to a strained quad and rebounding will definitely be an issue for the shorthanded Pups. I do not like to be pessimistic, but unless Ricky and Dante have breakout games, tonight could be a tough 48 minutes for Minnesota.

Player to watch:

Kawhi Leonard – With no AK-47, the second year player out of San Diego State has an opportunity to exploit the Wolves on the perimeter and in the paint. A tremendous rebounder and defender, Leonard meshed well with the Spurs group of veterans since day 1 and made many teams pay for allowing him to slip to the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Many have compared him to former Spurs defensive specialist Bruce Bowen, and at only 21 years of age the sky is the limit for the young forward.

Match-up to watch:

Ricky Rubio vs. Tony Parker – Parker is one of the top transition playmakers in the NBA, and at the age of 30 does not appear to have lost a step. However, he will not have an easy day with Rubio defending him, and Tricky Ricky hopes to ride the confidence from his good last week of play into a game that very few expect the T-Wolves to win. Although the Spaniard is still not 100% as he regains strength in his knee, his ability to pick apart slower defenses should provide him with a few opportunities tonight. Last season we saw Ricky enjoy success against older teams that included the Spurs, but that was back when he had fellow star Kevin Love at his side.

Predictions:

The Pups have steadily improved since Adelman returned to his head coaching duties, but face a very tough opponent in a nationally televised game. I expect Minnesota to put up a good fight and I predict that Rubio and Dante will both have solid performances, but I cannot see the Pups escaping this one.

Final score prediction: Timberwolves 82, Spurs 91

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. Tim Duncan
  2. Kawhi Leonard
  3. Ricky Rubio
Filed Under: Game Previews Tagged With: , ,

Minnesota Timberwolves 98, Portland Trail Blazers 100

February 5, 2013 by
Photo Credit: Hannah Foslien

Photo Credit: Hannah Foslien

Game Summary

Too little, too late. Hosting the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves nearly overcame a 19-point fourth quarter deficit but ultimately fell by a score of 100-98 to their division rivals. After enduring a 3-12 month of January, the Pups are now 1-2 in the month of February despite having played all 3 games at the Target Center. To add to the misery, Andrei Kirilenko suffered a strained quadriceps in the second quarter on Monday night, and he is expected to miss at least a few games before returning.

The Pups got off to a very slow start and fell behind early, trailing 59-38 at the half. LaMarcus Aldridge really stood out in this game, and made mincemeat out of Minnesota’s interior defense. Matched up against Derrick Williams and Dante Cunningham throughout much of the contest, Aldridge was able to use his length to drain baskets all night on the pair of undersized power forwards. I can imagine it must have been a lot of fun for LaMarcus.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves trailed 77-58. Despite facing a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Pups, led by Ricky Rubio, staged an impressive run but ultimately fell by a single basket. The Trail Blazers got lazy in the second half and fell into a turnover frenzy that the Pups were able to take advantage of. Fortunately for Portland, they had a closer in Aldridge and he came up big on the offensive and defensive ends on the last few possessions of the game.

As if the loss was not enough, yet again one of Minnesota’s floor leaders has fallen to injury. Andrei Kirilenko suffered a strain to his right quadriceps and will likely be out for as much as a week or more. The Timberwolves just can’t catch a break. The Wolves did see some chemistry forming between Ricky Rubio and Dante Cunningham, as Ricky tossed out 14 assists and Dante netted 23 points in 29 minutes.

Nikola was able to play 35 big minutes, and notched a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Pek was guarded by former Cav and King JJ Hickson, who has enjoyed a breakout season after being dumped by the lowly Sacramento Kings not too long ago. Now averaging 12.9 ppg and 10.7 rpg, Hickson is set to be a free agent after this season and could land a sizable contract this summer. Hickson ultimately got the better of the matchup, and finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds in 36 minutes played.

Once again, Chris Johnson received a DNP-CD and does not appear to be in Adelman’s rotation, despite his stellar play in all of his opportunities. Meanwhile, Mickael Gelabale logged 19 minutes and finished with 5 points.

JJ Barea had a very nice night for Minnesota and continues to be Mr. inconsistency as of late. In 27 minutes, Barea scored 17 points while turning the ball over once, meshing well with Rubio and running the floor very well. Minnesota’s comeback can largely be attributed to their decision to go with a smaller lineup in the fourth, and it was encouraging to see our favorite Spanish backcourt feeding off each other.

Keys of the Game

  • Shot-Blocking: POR 8, MN 2 - Highlighted by LaMarcus Aldridge’s block of Rubio on Minnesota’s second to last possession, Portland had a clear advantage due to their length and athleticism, especially following Andrei Kirilenko’s departure due to injury in the first half. 
  • Rebounding: POR 39, MN 29 - The loss of AK-47 greatly impacted Minnesota’s physicality in the paint, and Portland bigs Aldridge and JJ Hickson established themselves on the defensive glass, holding the Timberwolves to a relatively few 10 offensive rebounds.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. LaMarcus Aldridge - Playing against the Kevin Love-less Timberwolves must be a breath of fresh air for Portland’s All-Star power forward, and he took full advantage of his mismatch on the low block. Portland’s former number-2 overall pick scored 25 points (12-17 FG) and pulled down 13 rebounds, and his late jumper and block of Rubio with 7.9 seconds remaining helped Portland to close out what would have been a huge come-from-behind win for Minnesota. The 6-foot-11 Aldridge tallied 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal and 2 turnovers in 39 minutes of playing time.
  2. Wesley Matthews - Matthews embodies everything that the Wolves are currently missing from the shooting guard position: three-point shooting, size, strength and athleticism. Portland did a good job of attacking Minnesota’s weaknesses and using off-ball screens to free up space for Matthews, who alone converted 4 of the Blazers 7 three-point field goals. The former Madison (WI) Memorial HS star tallied 5 assists, but also committed 5 of the teams 28 turnovers. Nonetheless, he shot 7-11 from the field on his way to 22 points in 39 minutes for the Blazers.
  3. Ricky Rubio - If there is one thing for Timberwolves fans to take from this game, it was the superb play of Rubio, especially in the second half. Rubio recorded 10 of his career-high-tying 14 assists in the fourth quarter and fueled a vicious comeback in which the Timberwolves outscored the Blazers 40-23 in the final period of play. Although the comeback ultimately proved futile, Tricky Ricky deserves a lot of praise for his late-game heroics despite playing with a shorthanded roster. The Spaniard  recorded double digit scoring for just the second time this season, and scored 15 points on 4-9 shooting in 33 minutes of playing time.
Filed Under: Game Recaps Tagged With: , ,
«Older Posts
Newer Posts»