Pelicans-Wolves game report

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I'm tired of waiting for Lip or Kek to file an in person report, so I guess I have to step up.
Great win last night in a game we needed to win against a team that had won three in a row by double digits. And we did it without Covington and Rose! WARNING TO CAM: I'M GOING TO SAY SOME NICE THINGS ABOUT RYAN SAUNDERS AND NOT ABOUT THIBS, SO STOP READING IF THAT WILL BE PAINFUL FOR YOU!

The first thing I looked for when I came into the arena was whether KAT was warming up or not since he had said Friday night he might not be able to go. What a relief when I saw him under the basket joking around with teammates...obviously, we don't win last night without KAT's incredible 27-27 and tough defense against the remarkable Davis...4 blocks for the second consecutive night.

Not the biggest crowd for a Saturday night, but the energy level was there My long-time seatmate to the left commented on how the fun was back in Target Center now that Thibs was gone (he was at the Dallas loss the night before and commented on the positive energy even in a loss).

This was clearly KAT's night, but I'll cover some other things that stood out last night. The differences between Saunders and Thibs were palpable last night, and I may cover some of them in the "differences" thread. But the moment that stands out most to me was when Luol Deng entered the game...Thibs had clearly forgotten he was on the roster. Now Luol is not going to get many minutes this year, but using him to buy a precious 5 minutes of rest for tired starters on the back end of a BTB was brilliant (at Greer's suggestion apparently...who knew coaches were allowed to collaborate!). And he responded. His body to body defense was remindful of the tough defense we used to see in his prime, and he even contributed 5 points on his 2 shots. And I can't begin to describe the joy in the arena when Ryan greeted him at midcourt after Luol's big 3-pointer! Not a sight we ever would have seen during the Thibs Dark Ages. Not every move is going to work so well for Ryan as his Deng move, but maybe we don't win last night without Deng's team-leading +12 in his five minutes. And it also gave us the chance to see an NBA first (I would guess)...3 African-born players on the court at the same time!

I recognize that Teague might have been a little gimpy (although he didn't look like it when he returned from halftime) but I wonder if Tyus playing the last 17 minutes down the stretch might be a sign of a changing of the guard. Tyus played under control and was more aggressive than we have seen him (I'm guessing under encouragement from Ryan to look for his shot). He played solid defense, kept the ball moving, added 14 points on 9 shots, and again had ZERO turnovers. I continue to think Tyus will always do what he needs to win, and that he should be our starting PG...maybe Ryan agrees.

The most misleading stat in the box score is Taj's 2 rebounds, because he was involved in keeping alive at least 8-9 more. KAT was grabbing every rebound in sight, but Taj's tough work on the boards was a big factor in our 15 offensive rebounds. And his footwork on the few times he gets involved in the offense is a joy to watch...led to his 5-7 shooting. And it was terrific to have our other PF Saric back contributing, and I give Ryan a lot of credit for that. I had the binoculars on Ryan during a timeout (really fun to watch how the team responds to him compared to, well, you know who) and he was clearly designing a play to get Saric an open look...he knew that he needed to get Saric going. And it worked, and it was clear that Saric got him mojo back...14 points and 4 rebounds in only 15 minutes.

So, a great win that we needed to stay in the playoff hunt. And the fun is back in Target Center!

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Great report Lip, er, LST. Deng can still play and was glad to hear him get some burn. 27 boards for KAT! If he goes down we're screwed. I hope you're right about Tyus taking over. Its obvious to us and others here he's ready.

[Duke13]

Can we just call it 20 rebounds, as he stole about 7 away from teammates.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Can we just call it 20 rebounds, as he stole about 7 away from teammates.

Ha, fair comment, Duke! He's lucky that Taj is such an unselfish teammate, and gave KAT at least 7 more rebounds. I mentioned that Taj's 3 rebounds did not reflect how solid he was tonight.
But that doesn't detract at all from what a great game he had. Even 20 rebounds against a guy like Davis is huge, and many of them were "man's rebounds" in traffic. He has such incredible hands...if he gets them on a loose ball, that ball is his.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Can we just call it 20 rebounds, as he stole about 7 away from teammates.

Ha, fair comment, Duke! He's lucky that Taj is such an unselfish teammate, and gave KAT at least 7 more rebounds. I mentioned that Taj's 3 rebounds did not reflect how solid he was tonight.
But that doesn't detract at all from what a great game he had. Even 20 rebounds against a guy like Davis is huge, and many of them were "man's rebounds" in traffic. He has such incredible hands...if he gets them on a loose ball, that ball is his.

We need a 'man's rebound' stat. So many get stolen or just fall in their laps. It's a misleading stat I agree completely.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

If you are getting 27 rebounds, I can guarantee you there are plenty of "man" rebounds in there! KAT was really good at corralling the rebound and then immediately look for an outlet. We definitely have the makings of a higher paced offense, but you need a push PG and wings willing to run. That's a bit of a mixed bag with us.

[Duke13]

I agree with that. He got plenty of tough rebounds and yes I particularly liked how quick he got the ball to Tyus on the outlet. Another thing I like about Okogie, when he get a rebound he pushes it hard. We don't have many "grab and go" guys. He's out of control at times but often forces the defense to react.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I agree with that. He got plenty of tough rebounds and yes I particularly liked how quick he got the ball to Tyus on the outlet. Another thing I like about Okogie, when he get a rebound he pushes it hard. We don't have many "grab and go" guys. He's out of control at times but often forces the defense to react.

The thing with Okogie is that he is a pretty good passer, so I think he can eventually be a reall good "grab and go" guy assuming he doesn't trip over his own feet!

[Coolbreeze44]

Great job LST. I'm not going to try to back this up with statistics, but i just feel like we're a better team when Tyus is running things. I like Teague and Rose and feel we need at least one of those going well, but I wish it was Tyus' team.

Here's the great thing about KAT, he simply shows up. I guarantee you Giannis would have sat out last night with the injury. Not only did KAT play but he willed himself to a spectacular game. I've said it many times because i truly believe it, the best ability is availability. We know KAT and Wig are going to be there pretty much every night. It's a huge advantage to have your best players on the court every night.

Happy for Ryan and really pulling for him. Let's get this group into the playoffs. And let's start to see more of Thibs stuff disappear from the offense. I know that will be hard this year due to the lack of practice time. But I hope Ryan continues to put his own stamp on the team.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Great job LST. I'm not going to try to back this up with statistics, but i just feel like we're a better team when Tyus is running things. I like Teague and Rose and feel we need at least one of those going well, but I wish it was Tyus' team.

Here's the great thing about KAT, he simply shows up. I guarantee you Giannis would have sat out last night with the injury. Not only did KAT play but he willed himself to a spectacular game. I've said it many times because i truly believe it, the best ability is availability. We know KAT and Wig are going to be there pretty much every night. It's a huge advantage to have your best players on the court every night.

Happy for Ryan and really pulling for him. Let's get this group into the playoffs. And let's start to see more of Thibs stuff disappear from the offense. I know that will be hard this year due to the lack of practice time. But I hope Ryan continues to put his own stamp on the team.

It's a blessing to have three talented PGs on this team, even if they all have certain features that annoy us. Definitely a luxury that sets up (Laydon?) well at the trade deadline.
I like "the best ability is availability". And two things make you available...durability, and heart.

In related news, Jimmy Butler is a game time decision tonight with sore ribs (and he walked into MSG earlier today with his agent...hopefully his agent can get Brown's offense fixed). It must be hard on the ribs to clang two free throws in the closing seconds of a loss.