I’m watching tonight’s Timberwolves Summer League game so you don’t have to! I’ll update this post as the Wolves-Lakers game rolls along with random observations about the evening’s events…here we go:
First Quarter:
*Nice entry pass by Kevin Love to Chris Richard…Richard lays it in to tie the game at seven. Chris also happens to be sporting a very Troy Hudson-ish hairdo.
*Richard continues to have the hot hand — the Wolves and Lakers head into the first timeout tied at nine, and Chris has scored seven of our squad’s points thus far.
*Kevin Love is on the board with a baby hook. He proceeds to immediately pick up a foul on the defensive end.
*Love has now scored the last two baskets for the Wolves, as he drains a fade-away jumper. Then, of course, he once again picked up a foul on the defensive end. Four points and two fouls for Love, as the Wolves lead 13-11.
*Pops Mensah-Bonsu checks into the game and immediately gets a hard-earned basket, laying the ball in amongst a crowd of defenders, and tying the game at 15.
*There’s your first highlight-reel play of the evening…Cory Brewer’s transition game has always been pretty dang impressive to me, and he just pulled off a one-handed slam on the break.
*Vincent Grier checks in for the Wolves, as we come out of a timeout with the Lakers leading 21-19.
*The Wolves have been on fire from the field, shooting 9-13 thus far. Only problem? The Lakers have outrebounded them 9-4.
*Pops Mensah-Bonsu breaks a Minnesota scoring drought by sinking a layup in traffic and picking up the foul. He misses the free throw, but still tightens the gap to five, as the Wolves trail the Lakers 26-21 at the end of the first quarter. I’m definitely liking the energy that Pops is displaying; he’s been very active tonight.
Second Quarter:
*Pops starts off the second quarter for the Wolves by nailing a turnaround jumper off the backboard. With six points in just under five minutes, he’s certainly been impressive tonight.
*Pops is also getting it done on the defensive end, as he did a nice job of defending a Laker big who was going strong to the basket. Pops grabbed the board, got fouled on the other end, and hit both free throws. Lakers still lead, though, 30-27.
*I’ll catch you after the jump for the rest of the game blog!
*Well, this has certainly been a much quieter quarter than the first period was. Both teams have basically been trading baskets thus far, with the Lakers holding onto a 34-29 lead. Pops currently leads the Wolves with eight points, while Kevin Love has four points and five rebounds to his credit.
*Kevin Love has scored on two straight possessions for the Wolves, and picked up a foul on the latter of those buckets. Missed the free throw, but he’s still helping to keep the Wolves close — they trail the Lakers, 39-34.
*Love continues to have the hot hand…he’s scored the last eight points for the Wolves. Unfortunately, defensive lapses on the perimeter and in transition by our squad have allowed the Lakers to retain their lead, as LA is up 44-38.
*C-Brew’s hustle in transition is once again rewarded — a dude named Pooh found him on the break for an easy layup, but the Lakers still have a 52-44 lead at the half.
Third Quarter:
*Well, that was a quick halftime. If the Wolves are gonna get back into this game, it’s gonna have to be done on the defensive end…they shot nearly 60% from the field in the first half, but the defensive intensity has been seriously lacking.
*Of course, just as I typed that, Coby Karl of the Lakers hit an open three to begin the half.
*Love continues to be the best player on the floor for the Wolves — his up-and-under gives him 14 points for the evening. Wolves trail 55-48.
*Pops is back in the game…whooo!
*Rare sight: Brew just hit a contested jumper to cut the Lakers’ lead to two (57-55). Now, if only he could do that when the games actually matter.
*Kevin Love’s doing the dirty work…grabbed an offensive rebound while being surrounded by a trio of Lakers bigs, and laid the ball in. 16 points and 13 rebounds for Love…not a bad day’s work.
*Last few minutes have been fairly quiet…a string of free throws between Pops and Vincent Grier have gave the Wolves their first lead since the first quarter at 68-67.
*Aaaaand that’s the quarter. Chris Richard picked up his seventh (!) foul of the evening, sending the Lakers back to the line to reclaim their lead. We head to the fourth with the Wolves trailing 70-68.
Fourth Quarter:
*Pops just picked up the most blatantly obvious travelling violation in the history of the NBA.
*The Lakers caught Pops and Richard napping on the interior, as Dwayne Mitchell gets an easy bucket to extend L.A.’s lead to 73-68.
*Now Brew’s on a roll, scoring the last two baskets for the Wolves, and giving his squad a 74-73 lead. He continues to be money on the fast break.
*A sweet pump fake down low gives Kevin Love the opening he needs to slam it home, giving the Wolves a three-point lead. Love now has 18 points (9-18 from the floor) and 15 rebounds.
*Please tell me this is almost over…there’s only so much Coby Karl and Pooh Jeter I can handle for one night.
*Pops seems to have two areas of strength: Making hustle plays and picking up fouls. He just picked up two fouls in a span of 30 seconds to give him seven for the evening. Lakers by six.
*Oh God…Brewer’s layup just cut the defecit to two. Let’s not take this one to overtime, eh?
*Wow…Pooh certainly has a never-say-die attitude. A basket by Pooh, foul, and technical on L.A. have tied the game at 93 as the clock winds down.
*And that’s your ballgame. Mercifully, the Lakers put points on the board before the end of regulation, giving them a 95-93 win. 18 points and 17 rebounds for Love…easily the most notable player of the night. His performance certainly wasn’t pretty, but you’ve gotta love a guy who doesn’t shy away from the dirty work.
*I’m outta here…thanks for hanging with me tonight!
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