Game Report - Wolves v. Spurs

[Lipoli390]

Sparse crowd tonight, but the few of us who showed up were treated to terrific play from the Wolves on both sides of the ball. The Wolves finally get a blowout victory as they extended their winning streak to four games, the longest of the season so far for this team. Some of the 40-point margin can be attributed to some poor shooting and overall poor energy from the Spurs. But a healthy portion of it resulted from some tremendous team and individual defense by the Wolves as well as unusually good ball movement by the Wolves on the offensive end.

The most important point in tonight's win was that it wasn't an anomaly, but instead a continuation of the trend we've seen from this team since the Butler trade -- excellent team defense, high energy and great team chemistry. These guys genuinely like each other and like playing together. You can see it on the court and on the bench -- not just in the way they play, but also in the way they interact.

I'd say that every single player to took the floor tonight for the Wolves played well. Andrew's offense looked bad again, but he defended well. Gorgui continued his renaissance, making a significant positive contribution to the team off the bench and showing the abilities that prompted Flip to draft him in the first place and that he showed in his first couple seasons -- blocking or changing shots, drawing charges, setting picks, etc. He looks like he has his confidence or mojo back. Tyus just did what he does -- playing smart, hard-nosed and winning basketball on both ends. He's just a positive force almost every time he's on the court and it showed again tonight. Teague actually played well on both ends tonight. That was good to see. Does he facilitate the offense and raise the level of the team's play as well as Tyus or Rose? No. But he still played well tonight.

The big three tonight, as usual, were Towns, Rose and Covington. I can't say enough about Covington's defense. He is the best defender I've seen on the Wolves since Kevin Garnet. Watching RoCo play - his defense, rebounding, 3-point shooting and overall demeanor -- is such a treat. His play and his attitude are clearly infectious. He's made me forget all about Josh Richardson. :) Towns was terrific again with 16 points, 11 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals in only 28 minutes tonight. And those stats uncharacteisticallhy UNDERSTATE his contribution to the team tonight. But it's not just one game with KAT. He's been showing vastly improved defense from the beginning of the season and has reclaimed his dominant offensive presence since Butler's departure. We can see KAT moving from allstar tosuperstar before our very eyes. Finally, what can you say about Derrick Rose. 16 points on 75% shooting in only 17 minutes. He's not too far from the player he was as a young MVP. At the same time, he's now a great teammate. I loved how he ran onto the court to greet Wiggins after Andrew's quarter-ending three-pointer. The joy and genuine love for Andrew at that moment spoke volumes about Rose as a team leader and about the developing character of this team generally.

To cap off a great night, we got to see Okogie get a decent 10-minute chunk of minutes. The crowed went crazy when Okogie too the floor for the first time in the 4th quarter. And thankfully, Okogie did not disappoint as he scored 12 points, including 9 points on 75% shooting from behind the arc and a thunderous dunk. He also had 2 rebounds and 2 assists. I actually though his best moment was when he dished he ball to Gorgui for a layup. That play was yet another example of Okogie's excellent instincts or high basketball IQ. Note he was quick with the ball against tonight, never holding it too long.

Boston on Saturday night will be a much tougher game. Beating Boston will, I think, require the Wolves A game. But I don't think this team is done improving. I think they are, for the first time since Thibodeau got here, developing and identity. I think they finally see themselves as a tough, defensive team which is what Thibodeau has always wanted. Covington and Saric give Thibodeau two guys that help the team forge that defensive identify. We traded one great defender in Butler for an equally great or possibly even better defender in Covington and a very good defender in Saric. A two-for-one deal. Meanwhile, Covington's personality and approach make his defense contagious among his teammates in a way Butler's did not.

It's fun again to watch the Wolves play basketball at Target Center. The Wolves are no at .500. I hope this run continues. This is a team you can't help but root for.

[Wolvesfan21]

Feeling better about the Butler trade?

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

I went back and watched the last few twolf games, and i think andrew is hurting.

If you watch him go up, he isnt bending his knees to get that 2 foot explosion hes known for. Hes now barely getting any lift. I think its also impacting his shot mechanics.

1 or 2 times, i saw him massaging his quad while walking back to the bench, especially after missing something at the rim.

Im wondering if you've seen anything that we might not catch.

Or i could be totally wrong, but there is something going on there.

[Lipoli390]

Feeling better about the Butler trade?

Nope. I hate the trade. :)

[Lipoli390]

I went back and watched the last few twolf games, and i think andrew is hurting.

If you watch him go up, he isnt bending his knees to get that 2 foot explosion hes known for. Hes now barely getting any lift. I think its also impacting his shot mechanics.

1 or 2 times, i saw him massaging his quad while walking back to the bench, especially after missing something at the rim.

Im wondering if you've seen anything that we might not catch.

Or i could be totally wrong, but there is something going on there.

CC - I haven't noticed any visible signs of a lingering leg or quad problem. Doesn't mean there isn't a problem. I just haven't seen anything. I'll look for it next game and let you know if I see anything. He actually seems to be moving well on defense. I thought his defense last night was terrific.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Must have been a fun one, Lip...too bad the fans haven't caught on yet that this team is really good and fun to watch...no excuse to not have the building full for this team against the Spurs. I'll be there Monday for a big game against Houston and expect a much better crowd (although the halftime show by Coolio might have a lot to do with the crowd size...Glen is a huge Coolio guy :))

I only watched the 4th quarter on replay, but it was fun to watch Okogie and the bench reaction...these guys are clearly having a lot of fun.

Thanks for recognizing the resurgence in Gorgui...a plus 27 in 15 minutes tells you something about how he is contributing at both ends. I also note modestly good stats by KAT, but I'm more interested in his 5 assists and pure joy on the bench in the 4th quarter.

But I'll end this post with this amazing stat: in the first half, Roco scored 13 points...and the Spurs scored only 13 when he was on the court.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

I went back and watched the last few twolf games, and i think andrew is hurting.

If you watch him go up, he isnt bending his knees to get that 2 foot explosion hes known for. Hes now barely getting any lift. I think its also impacting his shot mechanics.

1 or 2 times, i saw him massaging his quad while walking back to the bench, especially after missing something at the rim.

Im wondering if you've seen anything that we might not catch.

Or i could be totally wrong, but there is something going on there.

CC - I haven't noticed any visible signs of a lingering leg or quad problem. Doesn't mean there isn't a problem. I just haven't seen anything. I'll look for it next game and let you know if I see anything. He actually seems to be moving well on defense. I thought his defense last night was terrific.

Thanks

Laterally, he looks fine.

Hes a 2 foot jumper that wont jump off 2 feet anymore. Its either hes still protecting that quad or thibs is trying to convert him into more of a 1 foot leaper.

[kekgeek]

I went back and watched the last few twolf games, and i think andrew is hurting.

If you watch him go up, he isnt bending his knees to get that 2 foot explosion hes known for. Hes now barely getting any lift. I think its also impacting his shot mechanics.

1 or 2 times, i saw him massaging his quad while walking back to the bench, especially after missing something at the rim.

Im wondering if you've seen anything that we might not catch.

Or i could be totally wrong, but there is something going on there.

CC - I haven't noticed any visible signs of a lingering leg or quad problem. Doesn't mean there isn't a problem. I just haven't seen anything. I'll look for it next game and let you know if I see anything. He actually seems to be moving well on defense. I thought his defense last night was terrific.

I think it is amazing that we are winning at a consistent rate when Wiggins is going through his yearly slump offensively.

Think there is 2 reasons for this. 1) it feels like Wiggins has been engaged on defense this year outside of the bulls game (I couldn't watch that game but I'll take your word). 2) Derrick Rose is playing like an all star. When is the last time if ever we got this much production off of a bench player, he is also on a min contract. I think Rose is changing this team culture, he is a leader now.

I love this team.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Late Late DVR Review... (not counting the 4th quarter... I fell asleep)

- Great win. The Spurs came in to this "scheduled loss" looking like they were ready to be home after a 4-game road stretch. The Wolves played well and gave them their wish... early. They didn't dink around in this one and let it be competitive for awhile like vs. the Bulls and Cavs. The Spurs didn't want to compete.... the Wolves didn't let them change their minds.

- DeMar DeRozan was the primary "quitter" for the Spurs. He didn't want to be there. For the record... I did like Wiggins cutting off a couple of his drives early... which basically made DeRozan shut it down.

- I know their PG is out for the season (Murray)... and it showed they don't have a viable replacement for him yet.

- I think Covington is now 2 - 2 on his walking/hanging/heaving 3 pointers from the top of the key in the past two games. I doubt that efficiency continues on that sort of shot. Defensively... wow... defensively... I heart Robert Covington. Defense is contagious? Who knew!

- F Jimmy Butler. And Glen Taylor and Thibs... for letting that situation fester. So now, even with the drastic improvement, the team is still trying to overcome a huge hole they caused with their collective crap. If the team loses out on the playoffs by a game or two... I blame Thibs + Taylor exclusively. I don't care if Wiggins and Towns and Covington shoot 0 - 76 in the last game of the season to miss the playoffs. This lost season would be entirely on management.

- With 10 of the next 13 games on the road... I think the next three games are important for the Wolves. The Celtics and Rockets aren't at their best. The Wolves get the C's on the second night of a back-to-back. Houston has lost 4 in a row... don't know if Chris Paul will be back by then though. Charlotte is Kemba Walker and a bunch of "meh." All these games are winnable. If a new Wolves team has arrived... we should expect to do well and win multiple games.

- The team simply looks more engaged. There will still be issues... but rooting for the Wolves is fun again.

[60WinTim]

At some point, fans are going to stop booing Thibs... :)