Starting Line-ups
Kings
- Tyreke Evans
- Beno Udrih
- Omri Casspi
- Carl Landry
- Samuel Dalembert
Reserves: Francisco Garcia, DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, Luther Head, Darnell Jackson, Donté Greene, Antoine Wright.
Inactives: Pooh Jeter, Hassan Whiteside.
T-Wolves
- Sebastian Telfair
- Wesley Johnson
- Michael Beasley
- Kevin Love
- Darko Milicic
Reserves: Cory Brewer, Anthony Tolliver, Nikola Pekovic, Maurice Ager, Lazar Hayward, Kosta Koufas.
Injuries: Luke Ridnour (hamstring)- out, Jonny Flynn (hip)- out, Martell Webster (back)- out, Wayne Ellington (thigh)- out.
First Quarter Recap
The first quarter belonged to Michael Beasley. The T-Wolves small forward shot a blistering 8-11 from the field and cut through every player the Kings threw at him including Omri Casspi and the seldom used Donté Greene. Coach Westphal replaced the ineffective Carl Landry at the six minute mark after he went 0-4. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins came in and scored five points and three rebounds in his six minutes. A late flurry by the T-Wolves pushed the lead to five to end the first.
Kings 22 T-Wolves 27
Leaders
Kings- Cousins/Garcia (5) Points; Cousins (3) Rebounds; Evans (4) Assists.
T-Wolves- Beasley (18) Points; Love (4) Rebounds; 4 players (1) Assists.
FG%- Kings 42.1% T-Wolves 60.0%
Rebounds- Kings 10 T-Wolves 11
Assists/TO- Kings 6/5 T-Wolves 4/5
Second Quarter Recap
The Kings figured out the way to slow Beasley- have him sit out the first 4:18 of the quarter. Kings reserve forward Darnell Jackson came off the bench to light a fire under the Kings, scoring nine points in the quarter. Francisco Garcia added ten points but missed four of his five three point attempts. Beasley continued his big night, finishing the half with 27 and four rebounds to help the Wolves push the lead to six.
Kings 45 T-Wolves 51
Leaders
Kings- Garcia (10) Points; Cousins (5) Rebounds; Evans/Udrih (5) Assists.
T-Wolves- Beasley (27) Points; Love (5) Rebounds; Tolliver/Milicic (2) Assists.
FG%- Kings 44.1% T-Wolves 51.2%
Rebounds- Kings 23 T-Wolves 19
Assists/TO- Kings 11/13 T-Wolves 10/8
Third Quarter Recap
Like the first two quarters, Michael Beasley came out burning hot in the third, scoring eight points to pace the Wolves. The Kings answered with nine from Casspi and six from Udrih as the lead went back and forth. Antoine Wright made first appearance for the Kings after last weeks arrest, playing a total of one minute 44 seconds while Westphal threw everything but the kitchen sink at Beasley. Sebastian Telfair added six points by breaking down the defense and hitting short jumpers. T-Wolves continued to lead but the Kings cut it to two to end the third.
Kings 72 T-Wolves 74
Leaders
Kings- Udrih (14) Points; Cousins/Dalembert (6) Rebounds; Evans (8) Assists.
T-Wolves- Beasley (35) Points; Beasley (8) Rebounds; Milicic (3) Assists.
FG%- Kings 47.4% T-Wolves 46.4%
Rebounds- Kings 33 T-Wolves 32
Assists/TO- Kings 20/15 T-Wolves 13/12
Fourth Quarter Recap
The wheels fell off the bus for the Kings in the fourth. After being limited to just 27 minutes of play due to foul trouble, Kings second year guard Tyreke Evans fouled out at the 9:02 mark in the fourth, ending one of the worst offensive games of his career. The T-Wolves pulled away, getting another seven points from Beasley to push his total to 42. Casspi scored six in the fourth but missed a big three pointer at the 2:20 mark that would have made it close. Samuel Dalembert had his best all around game of the young season, kicking in 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. The T-Wolves pulled away beating the home team soundly by nine.
Kings Lose!
Kings 89 T-Wolves 98
Leaders
Kings- Casspi (17) Points; Dalembert (9) Rebounds; Evans/Udrih (9) Assists.
T-Wolves- Beasley (42) Points; Beasley/Love (9) Rebounds; Milicic (4) Assists.
FG%- Kings 44.4% T-Wolves 47.1%
Rebounds- Kings 41 T-Wolves 41
Assists/TO- Kings 25/19 T-Wolves 15/15
Stats That Stick Out
- Michael Beasley- 42 points, 9 rebounds.
- Kings win block shot battle 9-2.
- Casspi 3-7 from three, the rest of the team 2-13.
- Donté Greene 3:40 minutes played.
- Antoine Wright 2:22 minutes played.
- Kings 62.5% free throw shooting.
Player of the Game- Michael Beasley, by a long shot. Beasley began the game shooting 8-11 from the field in the first quarter. Coach Westphal used Casspi, Greene, Thompson, Garcia and Wright as well as zone defenses to slow him to no avail. Of the players charged with defending him, Jason Thompson did the best job, playing him most of the second quarter and holding him to seven points during that stint.
Game Changer- Sebastian Telfair scored 16 points for the game and although he was the only point guard on the roster and only came up with one assists, he was the game changer tonight. Telfair answered the Kings crucial runs with short jumpers and quick moves to the basket to compliment the shooting display by Beasley.
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