Craig Smith provided 23 points off the bench on a night when Randy Wittman turned to him, Al Jefferson and Kevin Love to keep the Thunder from clobbering them on the offensive boards like they did the last time: On Nov. 2, Oklahoma City won that contest 19-9. This time, the Wolves prevailed, 13-7. Four of Smith’s eight rebounds were on the offensive boards.
The Wolves now have won three of five after losing eight of their first nine and flew home after Friday’s game to play Denver tonight at Target Center.
The two teams will rely on their bench production tonight. As stated above, Smith will play a bulk of the minutes at the shooting guard position. The Wolves utilize Telfair and Craig Smith off the bench and the team seems to find the win side of the column with a big game from C. Smith. In the victory over Oklahoma City, C. Smith scored 23 points with eight rebounds in 34 minutes of play. The last time C. Smith scored 20-plus points, Minnesota defeated Philadelphia at home over a week ago. His size and intensity with the second team is a key for the Wolves inside the Target Center tonight at 7 PM.
STAR TRIBUNE’S STAR OF THE WEEK
Randy Foye, guard: Al Jefferson’s three-week reign here ends because Foye, after struggling so in the season’s opening three weeks, played so free and easy after the team’s playbook was pared for Sunday’s game at Detroit. It showed in his 23 points (a season high) and 14 assists (by four a career high).
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