Wolves preseason record: 5-2
After playing their first six exhibition games on the road, the Wolves came home to Target Center and played their worst quarter of the preseason in an 85-75 loss to the Chicago Bulls…
How bad was it?
Love and Corey Brewer each went 0 for 4, and new sharpshooter Mike Miller went 0 for 3 and even missed a free throw after a technical foul.
My colleague, the always affable Patrick Reusse, called Wednesday’s first quarter the worst quarter or period of a sports event he has seen in 40 years of sportswriting. And remember, this guy has seen how many Gopher football games?
Eight days after coming from 19 points back to beat the Bulls in Chicago, the Wolves this time spotted them 20. They trailed 29-9 after that first quarter. That’s right: 29-9! Then they duplicated that feat by scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, too. The disparity in that closing quarter, though, was only 13-9…
The best thing about the night: Al Jefferson looked like he’s ready for next Wednesday’s opener against Sacramento at Target Center. He was his old, unstoppable self, with 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting and 11 rebounds…
Rookie Kevin Love made his Target Center debut when he checked into the game as the first player off the bench and received polite applause from the sparse crowd. Love, though, did not impress. He finished with four points on 1-for-10 shooting. His lone made field goal was a slam dunk with 2:19 left.
“Most of them were right there,” he said of the nine misses. “The easy shots you make 80-90 percent of the time I just missed. Hopefully [today] they’ll fall.”
…Center Calvin Booth (back spasms) and forward Brian Cardinal (calf) were both cleared to play following the morning shoot around. Neither had seen preseason game action prior to Wednesday. However, only Cardinal got into the game against the Bulls. He played four minutes, picking up two quick fouls.
From the Associated Press:
Al Jefferson scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Minnesota, which lost its Target Center preseason debut. McCants also scored 19, including 11 straight in a 2-minute stretch late in the third quarter to pull the Timberwolves within four points after trailing by double-digits for most of the first half. Randy Foye also finished in double figures with 12 points.
K.C. Johnson/Chicago Tribune on Chicago’s Larry Hughes:
Team sources said Hughes would miss six to eight weeks after dislocating his right shoulder late in the third quarter of the Bulls’ 85-75 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night at Target Center.
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