Game Report - Wolves v. Hornets
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 12:29 am
Nice win again tonight. Target Center crowd wasn't as big as last night, but it was a decent size crowd and plenty loud. The Hornets aren't a top team and they weren't at full strength tonight with MKG and Batum out. But they're still a fairly talented team with Howard, Kemba and some really good shooters. They also have nice length with Howard, Zeller and Kaminsky. So the Wolves definitely deserve credit for a 20-point home win tonight.
As the first quarter progressed, it looked like the Wolves would have to slug it out down to the wire and hope to win another close one. But things got going in the 2nd quarter thanks to my player of the game, Jeff Teague. Again, he had terrific stats with 18 points, 12 assists and 5 boards. But he was better than the sum of his box score stats. He's the guy who ignited the team in the 2nd quarter with his big 3-pointers and his nifty no-look to Butler for another three during a big 12-2 run for the Wolves.
All the starters played well. Wiggins got us started with his scoring in the 1st and ended up with 20 points, shooting 66% from the field. KAT didn't have a great night, but he was very solid with 16 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks in 29 minutes. His two blocks were great as he both blocked and controlled the ball at the same time. He defended Howard pretty well, at one point drawing an offensive foul as he held his ground while Howard tried to bully his way to the bucket. Taj was his usual steady self with 8 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. He got some really nice rebounds when we need them. He teamed with KAT and Gorgui to give us a huge rebounding edge tonight -- another key to our big win.
The bench was really good tonight. Bazz was the only Wolves player on the bench or otherwise who shot poorly, but he did grab 4 boards in only 9 minutes. He missed a couple wide open 3-point looks, including a corner three. I'd really like to see him get going. But he wasn't bad tonight.
The rest of the bench was terrific. Gorgui led the bench with 15 points and 11 boards in only 19 minutes. Gorgui is a guy you have to watch in person to fully appreciate. He's almost always in the right place at the right time, making smart decisions, grabbing loose balls and rebounds, drawing fouls and hitting his foul shots. Gorgui was back in form tonight, showcasing the things that led Thibs to give him the big contract at the beginning of last season and then refer to him as the Wolves most improved player at the end of the season. Belly didn't take any threes and only scored 5 points tonight, but he did a nice job moving the ball on the offensive end and he played well defensively. Crawford was Crawford, hitting improbable shots and helping with ball-handling duties and playmaking.
As good as all the aforementioned bench players were, my play of the night came from Tyus Jones, who didn't show up well in the box score. Late 3rd quarter as the Hornets were making a run, Tyus ran back and turned what would have been a 2-0 break into a 2 on 1 break. He sprinted down the court, planted himself in front of the ball handler and disrupted the play enough to force a miss. Overall, Tyus was terrific, defending well and running the offense jointly with Crawford. The box score didn't do Tyus justice tonight.
A few tidbits you probably didn't see on TV:
- As the team came off the court following a Gorgui pick-and-roll dunk with 9:48 left in the 4th quarter, Thibs greeted Gorgui and exchanged some worlds with him. Gorgui then patted Thibs on the back before taking his seat on the bench. I got a kick out of it, because usually you'll see the coach pat the player on the back after a good play with the team doing well. In this case, it was the other way around. Kind of amusing.
- Right after KAT returned to the court in the 4th quarter, he threw a wild pass intended for Butler in the paint. As the Wolves sprinted back on defense, Thibs muttered to himself "what the fuck was he thinking!" I didnt' hear it, but my wife and I both read his lips and it was obvious.
- As the bench players were starting to return to the court after a timeout, Butler went out beyond the sideline and started talking to each of them. It looked like a bit of a pep talk. Butler talks a lot and I like it.
- I've noticed tonight and all season so far, that Cole Aldrich and Butler are almost inseparable during the pre-game shoot-around. Cole seems to function as Butler's caddie during shoot-around, taking rebounds under the hoop and feeding Butler the ball. Then sometimes he seems to function as Butler's sparring partner as Butler tells Cole to guard him while he shoots. It's pretty funny. You can see the two get along well. But it's also clear that the entire team really likes Cole. And Butler talks to everyone.
Anyway, this was a nice win leading into our upcoming 3-game road trip. It's nice to be 7-3, but we could return from this road trip only barely above .500 at 7-6. So let's hope this team can keep it rolling and come away with 2 of the next 3.
As the first quarter progressed, it looked like the Wolves would have to slug it out down to the wire and hope to win another close one. But things got going in the 2nd quarter thanks to my player of the game, Jeff Teague. Again, he had terrific stats with 18 points, 12 assists and 5 boards. But he was better than the sum of his box score stats. He's the guy who ignited the team in the 2nd quarter with his big 3-pointers and his nifty no-look to Butler for another three during a big 12-2 run for the Wolves.
All the starters played well. Wiggins got us started with his scoring in the 1st and ended up with 20 points, shooting 66% from the field. KAT didn't have a great night, but he was very solid with 16 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks in 29 minutes. His two blocks were great as he both blocked and controlled the ball at the same time. He defended Howard pretty well, at one point drawing an offensive foul as he held his ground while Howard tried to bully his way to the bucket. Taj was his usual steady self with 8 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. He got some really nice rebounds when we need them. He teamed with KAT and Gorgui to give us a huge rebounding edge tonight -- another key to our big win.
The bench was really good tonight. Bazz was the only Wolves player on the bench or otherwise who shot poorly, but he did grab 4 boards in only 9 minutes. He missed a couple wide open 3-point looks, including a corner three. I'd really like to see him get going. But he wasn't bad tonight.
The rest of the bench was terrific. Gorgui led the bench with 15 points and 11 boards in only 19 minutes. Gorgui is a guy you have to watch in person to fully appreciate. He's almost always in the right place at the right time, making smart decisions, grabbing loose balls and rebounds, drawing fouls and hitting his foul shots. Gorgui was back in form tonight, showcasing the things that led Thibs to give him the big contract at the beginning of last season and then refer to him as the Wolves most improved player at the end of the season. Belly didn't take any threes and only scored 5 points tonight, but he did a nice job moving the ball on the offensive end and he played well defensively. Crawford was Crawford, hitting improbable shots and helping with ball-handling duties and playmaking.
As good as all the aforementioned bench players were, my play of the night came from Tyus Jones, who didn't show up well in the box score. Late 3rd quarter as the Hornets were making a run, Tyus ran back and turned what would have been a 2-0 break into a 2 on 1 break. He sprinted down the court, planted himself in front of the ball handler and disrupted the play enough to force a miss. Overall, Tyus was terrific, defending well and running the offense jointly with Crawford. The box score didn't do Tyus justice tonight.
A few tidbits you probably didn't see on TV:
- As the team came off the court following a Gorgui pick-and-roll dunk with 9:48 left in the 4th quarter, Thibs greeted Gorgui and exchanged some worlds with him. Gorgui then patted Thibs on the back before taking his seat on the bench. I got a kick out of it, because usually you'll see the coach pat the player on the back after a good play with the team doing well. In this case, it was the other way around. Kind of amusing.
- Right after KAT returned to the court in the 4th quarter, he threw a wild pass intended for Butler in the paint. As the Wolves sprinted back on defense, Thibs muttered to himself "what the fuck was he thinking!" I didnt' hear it, but my wife and I both read his lips and it was obvious.
- As the bench players were starting to return to the court after a timeout, Butler went out beyond the sideline and started talking to each of them. It looked like a bit of a pep talk. Butler talks a lot and I like it.
- I've noticed tonight and all season so far, that Cole Aldrich and Butler are almost inseparable during the pre-game shoot-around. Cole seems to function as Butler's caddie during shoot-around, taking rebounds under the hoop and feeding Butler the ball. Then sometimes he seems to function as Butler's sparring partner as Butler tells Cole to guard him while he shoots. It's pretty funny. You can see the two get along well. But it's also clear that the entire team really likes Cole. And Butler talks to everyone.
Anyway, this was a nice win leading into our upcoming 3-game road trip. It's nice to be 7-3, but we could return from this road trip only barely above .500 at 7-6. So let's hope this team can keep it rolling and come away with 2 of the next 3.