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Re: Starting January Off Right? - Wolves @ Heat GDT
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 7:12 am
by FNG
Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2026 10:43 pm
60WinTim wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2026 10:16 pm
I guess we started January off right!
I had to take a break from the game and just finished up watching it. I can't say Bones played really well, but Finch played him 21 minutes, which would be the 7th man. Conley got his predetermined 15 minutes as 8th man and Clark got the half.
This was a really nice win playing against a hot Heat team. It sure would be nice to put an exclamation mark on this back-to-back with a win against the Wizards tomorrow.
Oh, and both the Spurs and Rockets lose tonight. Happy New Year!
I didn’t watch the game but I noticed that Bones was +16 so he was doing something right. In contrast, I think Mike Conley was a +2 in his 15 minutes. Great to get the win. I’ll have to watch the replay.
Yeah, you'll like the replay, Lip, because we played hard...unlike the Hawks game. Bones didn't shoot well, but he protected the ball and worked hard on defense. Actually you could say the same thing about a lot of the Wolves in this game. Donte is a great example...he was only 1 for 8 on treys (but oddly 4 for 5 on 2-pointers) but worked his tail off at both ends and really deserved his team-high +24.
Naz continues to be a barometer for this team...when he shoots well, we have a good chance of winning. and he shot well tonight. Very good win!
Re: Starting January Off Right? - Wolves @ Heat GDT
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:30 am
by DNatagal
DDV is a defensive tone setter. Jaden is one of the best on that end. Now if Ant starts coming to the party on defense, it won't matter as much with Randle choosing when to play defense. The Wolves cannot afford to have 2 sieves on defense. Not many teams can afford that!
Re: Starting January Off Right? - Wolves @ Heat GDT
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:53 am
by rapsuperstar31
DNatagal wrote: ↑Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:30 am
DDV is a defensive tone setter. Jaden is one of the best on that end. Now if Ant starts coming to the party on defense, it won't matter as much with Randle choosing when to play defense. The Wolves cannot afford to have 2 sieves on defense. Not many teams can afford that!
DDV can make or break the defense with his gambling/hustling. There are times he make massive steals and hustles for the ball, there are other times he jumps the passing lane at the worst times leading to easy buckets to the other team. His defense coming up to help on Austin Reaves game winner was too late, and his screen navigation on the Gillespie game winner was horrific. The Wolves need to find the correct level of hustle on both sides of the ball. As players work loads increase on offense their defense tends to suffer. NAW's offense has seen a massive tick up, and his defense has plummeted for Atlanta. Same goes for Avidja in Portland he used to be a 2 way player and now his defense has really suffered since becoming the scoring threat.
Re: Starting January Off Right? - Wolves @ Heat GDT
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 4:40 pm
by FNG
rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:53 am
DNatagal wrote: ↑Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:30 am
DDV is a defensive tone setter. Jaden is one of the best on that end. Now if Ant starts coming to the party on defense, it won't matter as much with Randle choosing when to play defense. The Wolves cannot afford to have 2 sieves on defense. Not many teams can afford that!
DDV can make or break the defense with his gambling/hustling. There are times he make massive steals and hustles for the ball, there are other times he jumps the passing lane at the worst times leading to easy buckets to the other team. His defense coming up to help on Austin Reaves game winner was too late, and his screen navigation on the Gillespie game winner was horrific. The Wolves need to find the correct level of hustle on both sides of the ball. As players work loads increase on offense their defense tends to suffer. NAW's offense has seen a massive tick up, and his defense has plummeted for Atlanta. Same goes for Avidja in Portland he used to be a 2 way player and now his defense has really suffered since becoming the scoring threat.
Yeah, DDV is a little like Clark in that regard. I'll take hustling on defense any day though over laziness, and DDV and Clark bring it every night.
One thing I don't think was mentioned was the terrific job we did against the Heat's zone. Zone offense has been a problem, but we shredded them last night. I thought Naz was especially effective either in the paint or as the middle guy or finding an open spot for a three.