Wolves record: 3-18
From Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site:
The somber feeling inside the locker room was the complete opposite emotion from the first half of action. Minnesota closed the second quarter on a 12-5 run to take a 64-53 lead and produce one of the most efficient offensive performances of the season. Led by Jonny Flynn’s terrific court vision, the Wolves ran the floor, hitting 64.4 percent from the field. Flynn dished out seven of his nine assists in the first 24 minutes. Fans at the Target Center were treated to several highlight reel dunks courtesy of Ryan Hollins and fast break finishes from Corey Brewer.
The somber feeling inside the locker room was the complete opposite emotion from the first half of action. Minnesota closed the second quarter on a 12-5 run to take a 64-53 lead and produce one of the most efficient offensive performances of the season. Led by Jonny Flynn’s terrific court vision, the Wolves ran the floor, hitting 64.4 percent from the field. Flynn dished out seven of his nine assists in the first 24 minutes. Fans at the Target Center were treated to several highlight reel dunks courtesy of Ryan Hollins and fast break finishes from Corey Brewer.
Thirteen second-half turnovers, including four in a row in the third quarter and two critical errors in the final two minutes, bear that out. Minnesota gave up on its move-the-ball success — Flynn had seven first-half assists, but none in the fourth quarter — and New Orleans picked off one Al Jefferson-bound entry pass after another.
“We get stagnant,” Rambis said, stuck in a pattern of feeding Jefferson “where everyone on the planet knows what we’re doing.”
From Jon Cooper/NBA.com:
Minnesota, however, seemed to retake the lead with 2:47 to play in the game. A block by Kevin Love on a Darren Collison layup was followed by an offensive rebound and a putback to make the score 97-95 in favor of Minnesota.
Or so it seemed, until a basket by Corey Brewer two minutes earlier was disallowed after a video review showed that the shot clock had expired.
Or so it seemed, until a basket by Corey Brewer two minutes earlier was disallowed after a video review showed that the shot clock had expired.
Al Jefferson did take the lead 40 seconds later, but he made only the front end of a pair of free throws, setting up Chris Paul’s last minute heroics.
Rambis was less proud after seeing his team blow a 16-point lead in the third quarter and make “errors in judgment” on an inbounds play with 3.9 seconds left in the game.
The defensive breakdown led to a surprisingly easy basket for all-star point guard Chris Paul and allowed New Orleans to slip out of Target Center with a 97-96 victory in front of 12,056 fans who braved winter storm conditions to see the Wolves fall to 3-19.
“Our execution got sloppy, and we stopped getting the ball inside,” Rambis said. “Everything went downhill from there.”
The defensive breakdown led to a surprisingly easy basket for all-star point guard Chris Paul and allowed New Orleans to slip out of Target Center with a 97-96 victory in front of 12,056 fans who braved winter storm conditions to see the Wolves fall to 3-19.
“Our execution got sloppy, and we stopped getting the ball inside,” Rambis said. “Everything went downhill from there.”
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