Starting January Off Right? - Wolves @ Heat GDT

[60WinTim]

Losing 3 of the last 4 doesn't bode well for starting the month of January off with a bang. The vibe around this team, at least from the outside, doesn't feel good...

Herro is out for Miami, Shannon is out for Minnesota.

Trade deadline hits in a month. Are all we doing is showcasing our flaws for TC to address at the deadline?

The Wolves are right there in the standings, but they have to win at a decent clip to maintain or advance their position. This could be a tough month. 4 back-to-backs starting tonight. The next 3 end with games against the Spurs, Spurs and Thunder. The Wolves need to win the games they should win. They are 2.5 point favorites heading into the 4:00 pm game this afternoon.

[FNG]

I don't feel good about this one at all. We may be favored by 2 1/2, but I think that has a lot to do with the uncertainty around several Heat players...Herro is out, and Bam, Jaquez, Jovic and Larsson are all on the injury list. They may all play (except Herro), but that is a lot of rotation players banged up. Miami comes in having won 4 games in a row including a win over the Pistons 2 days ago.

On the other hand the Wolves have lost 3 out of 4 with an especially lackluster loss to the Hawks two days ago. And it's another afternoon game, and our Wolves traditionally don't seem to play well in afternoon games. Then there's the mystery surrounding Ant. He left the bench with 8 minutes remaining Thursday and to the best of my knowledge hasn't said anything publicly about this. Maybe it means nothing at all, but we don't know. Fortunately my sources tell me there is no night life in Miami on a Friday night, so at least Ant should be well rested for this one.

Two reasons we might win this one? We have a better chance if Bam's back is acting up and he's not 100%. Also, we played arguably our best game of the year after laying an egg against the Nets. This team is so inconsistent, but they do seem to bounce back after a bad loss. Let's hope it happens today.

[60WinTim]

And there goes Q's guy... Tristen Newton agrees to a 2-way with Houston.

But we still got Freeman!

[DNatagal]

Ant with the accidental bank for 2 and then a wet 3, after playing decent defense 2 straight trips. He doesn't look like his gregarious self. That might be a good thing.

[FNG]

Terrific start! Defense looks spirited and Rudy is dominating Bam/Ware at both ends.

[DNatagal]

DDV is going to hustle his way into making 3s. At least I hope so.

[FNG]

Mitchell is way too small to guard Ant...weird choice by Spo

Edit: Jaquez now on him

[DNatagal]

Conley can play defense for a few possessions per game, only difference is they lead to fouls now.

[60WinTim]

Both our PFs suck on the defensive end. It's a problem.

[FNG]

DDV is going to hustle his way into making 3s. At least I hope so.

I don't think anyone plays harder consistently than Donte. He's gotta start hitting his shots though.