Re: GAME THREAD: TIMBERWOLVES @ BLAZERS - NOVEMBER 30, 2014 - SUNDAY, 6:00 PM (PST),
Blazers vs. Minnesota Game Preview (11/30/14):
Them: 4-10, 5th in Northwest Division
Our Last game: v. MEM 11/28/14, L 112-99
ESPN said:
Wesley Matthews scored 26 points for the Blazers, who lost just their second game at home. LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
"It's just one game. We can't let this set us back like it's the end of the world." Matthews said. "The Beauty of the NBA? In 48 hours we've got another game."
The Grizzlies led by as many as 15 points. But Matthews nailed a 3-pointer to narrow it before Chris Kaman's layup cut the Grizzlies' lead to 89-85 with 7:26 to go.
Kaman had a season-best 16 points and 11 rebounds, for his second double-double of the season. Fans at the Moda Center gave him a standing ovation when he fouled out in the final quarter, recognizing the spark he brought off the bench. Kaman has led Portland's reserves in scoring in 13 of 16 games.
Their Last game: @ LAL, W 120-119 11/28/14
ESPN said:
Zach LaVine scored 18 of his team-high 28 points in the second quarter, and Mo Williams had 25 points and 11 assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 120-119 victory Friday night. It wasn't sealed until K*be Bryant missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
"It was really cool coming back here and being able to play here. I was even playing against my childhood idol out there," LaVine said. "I'm really surprised he missed that shot. That scared me at the end."
Thaddeus Young had 22 points for the Wolves, who have been hit by a recent rash of injuries including Kevin Martin's broken right wrist and Ricky Rubio's sprained left ankle. Martin, the team's leading scorer, is sidelined six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery. The club has gone 1-3 in his absence. Rubio missed his ninth straight game.
Saunders used his eighth starting lineup in eight games and his 10th in 14 overall. Andrew Wiggins, the top pick in this year's draft and the only player to start in every game, had three points in 30 minutes.
Changes to their roster:
CanisHoopus said:
After yet another disappointing year out of the playoffs for the Wolves, superstar power forward Kevin Love made it clear to the Wolves that he wanted out. With a year remaining on his deal before he could become an unrestricted free agent, he informed the Wolves that he had no intention of re-signing, and he would prefer an immediate trade somewhere he could win.
Early in the off-season, it seemed likely that he would go to a team such as the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics (remember his weekend visit?) or Golden State Warriors, for a collection of young talent and draft picks. None of those teams made an offer that President Flip Saunders liked, however, and he showed patience in waiting until after the draft. Things changed once LeBron James decided to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, making them both an attractive destination for Love and a team looking to win sooner rather than later.
The result was the blockbuster of the summer, as the Wolves traded Love to Cleveland and spare parts to Philadelphia in exchange for the last two #1 overall picks from the Cavs--Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett--and a young veteran forward from the Sixers, Thaddeus Young.
The other significant off-season move was on the bench, where the retirement of Rick Adelman led to a coaching search that failed to generate a hire. The Wolves flirted with David Joerger, who wound up staying in Memphis, but didn't appear to entertain any other candidates seriously. President Flip Saunders finally settled on hiring Coach Flip Saunders to take over as head coach. There remain questions about how President Saunders and Coach Saunders will mesh philosophically...
Injuries
POR: CJ McCollum out broken finger will miss 3-4 more weeks
Damian Lillard probable with unheated turkey leftovers syndrome
MIN: Kevin Martin 2014-11-21 right wrist surgery will miss 6-8 weeks
Nikola Pekovic 2014-11-29 sprained right wrist/sore right foot is doubtful for Sunday's game against Portland
Ricky Rubio 2014-11-08 sprained left ankle is out indefinitely
Ronny Turiaf 2014-11-29 sore hip is questionable for Sunday's game against Portland
Matchups:
PG: Damian Lillard v. Mo Williams (9.8ppg, 6.3apg)/Zach Lavine (8ppg, 2rpg, 2apg)
SG: Wesley Matthews v. Corey Brewer (11.1ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.4apg, 2.1steals per game)
[b}SF[/b]: Nic Batum v. Andrew Wiggins (11.9ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.1apg)
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge v. Thaddeus Young (13.9ppg, 4.7rpg)
C: Robin Lopez v. Gorgui Dieng (7.8ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.6bpg)
Give-a-Rip (City) Factor—a.k.a. why you should watch: To forget about Friday night. To take a look at the #1 pick in the draft and the guy CLE gave up for K-Love. To get more ammunition for when TimberTrolls come around with their, uh, “glamour shots”. To relive the summer of 2012 “Kaaaaaahn!” saga every time we see Nic drive to the hoop (then again, if you have the Dwight Jaynes/Bouma Ndiaye/Jerry Zgoda Voodoo Doll set, it might be a good time to break them out). To see if we can pull 140 out of our keisters against a turrrrrble MIN defense.
Current Power Rankings:
RipCityTwo (PtldPlatypus): (21) I actually think they have a chance to be good, and fun, and soon--but not for a couple months.
ESPN: (28) No Rubio. No Pekovic. And now no Kevin Martin. So there's no reason for the Wolves to focus on anything other than letting Andrew Wiggins go to make the most of a bad situation ... just as they did in Saturday night's home loss to Sacramento that saw the rook ring up a career-high 29 points.
NBA.com (25) Pace: 98.4 (6), OffRtg: 101.5 (22), DefRtg: 111.5 (29), NetRtg: -10.0 (28)
Kevin Martin hit seven 3-pointers in a game in which he broke his wrist. At that point, none of his teammates had hit as many as seven 3-pointers all season. So yeah, Martin will be missed and the Wolves will have spacing issues in his absence. Andrew Wiggins (29 points against the Kings on Saturday) has had his moments, but the Wolves' defense still stinks.
covers.com (26) The T-Wolves have one win in their last eight games. It came at the expense of the Knicks, 115-99 as one-point favorites.
Link to Grandpa Blaze's Prediction Game
No MediocreMan's Over/Under game on weekends, which is probably good based on my recent record.
Links to other team’s site(s) NBA.com
Canis Hoopus
Timberwolves Game Preview LInk
Final Thoughts I’m predicting a 30-point win, and I think that might be too low. MIN just gave up 119 to a horrible L*kers offense, and has not shown the ability to have a cohesive defense or consistent scorers. Wiggins gets 28 one night and 3 the next. Lavine doesn’t play forever and then pulls 28 out of his butt. They have a lot of “young potential athletes”, but that’s about it, especially with Rubio, Martin and Pekovic gone with injuries. This
should be a bloodbath, and we should see extended Truck Robinson Time with a cameo by Meyers Leonar_’s Moustache. If you’re into the Twitter thing, Zach Harper (@talkhoops) is a fun read during any NBA evening, but especially when his Wolves are doing what Wolves do.
Blazers 126
MIN 96
- VS –
BLAZERS' GAME NOTES 
