Click here for the forum’s thread for tonight’s game against the Suns.
Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site chats with JB Bickerstaff, Jason Collins, and Randy Wittman about the game (audio).
Wolves guard Rashad McCants (back) and Kevin Ollie (calf) each practiced a little on Tuesday and are considered questionable.
Shaquille O’Neal received his second prescribed rest of the season, sitting out Tuesday in preparation for tonight’s game at Minnesota. Porter said any decision to hold out O’Neal always is predicated on rest.
That said, the Suns would like O’Neal’s presence on the interior tonight against Minnesota, although the Timberwolves now start Jason Collins at center instead of Al Jefferson, who averaged 30.5 points and 15.3 rebounds in four games against the Suns last season.
Game Preview:
Tonight, they get a chance to do something they haven’t done all season: win back-to-back games.
Wolves star Al Jefferson believes his team is capable of that and more.
“I hope I don’t knock other teams by saying this, but I really believe we can go on one of those runs like Portland did last year,” he said Tuesday, referring to the Trail Blazers’ 17-1 stretch. “Especially if you look at the games we have lost and how close. … We were up in the fourth in every one of those games. We’ve just got to go finish them, and I think we can get something going here.”
Wittman reduced the playbook after Foye went 2-for-12 and the Wolves made only two baskets in the third quarter of Friday’s ugly home loss to Boston. He called the offense “pared down; the numbers don’t matter” for Sunday’s game. Rookie Kevin Love estimated the Wolves ran a dozen or fewer plays in an offense that contains as many as 75 different ones.
“It helped a lot,” Love said. “Most of us were worrying more about what play was called rather than just playing.”
At times, stats can be overblown. However, the Wolves are the top ranked team in the one of the most important statistical categories in the league. Minnesota holds an assist to turnover radio of 1.87, which is .21 higher than the second ranked Portland Trail Blazers. The Wolves are taking care of the basketball while remaining effective with ball movement to also rank second in assists per game. The statistical ranking is even more impressive considering Minnesota faced three top Eastern Conference defensive teams this past week against Philadelphia, Boston, and Detroit.
From Keloland.com:
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the Wolves game on Saturday, Nov. 29 vs. the Denver Nuggets is Mike Miller Night, presented by Sanford Health. The first 5,000 fans in attendance for Mike Miller Night will receive a Mike Miller Howl Towel, courtesy of Sanford Health.
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