Wolves record: 7-25
There were plenty of heroes to go around for the Wolves (7-25), who won for the third time in five games and improved to 3-10 under Kevin McHale.
Al Jefferson had 32 points and 10 rebounds, rookie forward Kevin Love added 19 points off the bench and Mike Miller pitched in with seven points in his first game back after missing the previous five because of a sprained right ankle.
“It was a good bounce-back win after what happened in Dallas,” McHale said. “I’m happy. I’m proud of the guys.”
The Wolves led this one by seven at the start of the fourth and were able to increase the lead with a 10-3 run that Jefferson ended with a layup for a 101-89 lead with 6:21 to play.
“We couldn’t handle Iron Man,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said. “I just watched the movie with my grandkids. That’s who he reminds me of. He had his way with us.”
-Exiled Knicks guard, and former Timberwolf, Stephon Marbury attended the game and even sat in on the local television broadcast in the second quarter. Marbury is a cousin of Wolves G Sebastian Telfair.
“They gotta be able to compete when you’re tired, and that’s what we kept talking about: trying to play every possession of every game like it’s your last,” McHale said.
Though he scored only six points, a display of acrobatics by Rodney Carney brought to life what McHale was preaching. A soaring dunk in the second quarter and a gravity-defying alley-oop layup in the fourth brought the Target Center crowd and Wolves’ bench to their feet.
“Things are happier in the locker room,” said rookie Kevin Love, who had 19 points, one off his season high. “Guys are playing better and knocking down shots to end the game.”
Joining Jefferson in the double-double category was forward Ryan Gomes, who finished with 21 points and ten rebounds. Kevin Love provided a big boost to the Wolves bench with 19 points, just one point shy of his career-high.
McHale was pleased to see the aggressive play from his Wolves squad who has won three of their last five games. Minnesota reached the free throw line 39 times while hitting 76.9 percent of its attempts. The Wolves also beat Golden State on the boards 50-39.
Anyone else get that spooky feeling early in the third? You know – that ‘oh, crap. Here we go again’ feel? You weren’t alone. It looked for a moment like we were in for another slide.
Enter Gomes.
How clutch was he in the third? Thirteen points on 5 of 7 shooting, 2 for 2 from downtown. Very on the road at Dallas first-half-esque. Except, I think, better. He kept the Wolves in this one with his showing, not got them started. Plus, his 21 points total were a season high.
“(Minnesota) is going through the same hardships that we’re going through,” said Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson, who finished with 25 points and seven assists. “But at the same time, coming into this game, we thought we were the better team.”
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