“Overall our guys did a really good job, they kept playing hard, the Knicks made some runs and they just kept playing hard,” head coach Kurt Rambis said.
The hometown fans started to grimace when New York put together a 16-6 run to start the first period. After the Wolves fell behind by 15 points, Rambis called a timeout and the team responded, scoring 16 of the next 20 points of the quarter.
“They have some strong guys inside,” David Lee said. “Al Jefferson, of course, is a beast down there. And Hollins has had a good couple last games. His length gave us some trouble. Then they come off the bench with Kevin Love, who would be a starter on two-thirds of the teams in this league.”
On Friday night against the Clippers, Hollins match his career high with 20 points. Sunday, he gave Minnesota three blocks and 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
“They take the pressure off me. I can do other things — rebound, get some assists,” Jefferson said. “In the first half, teams are double-teaming me, and they give [Love and Hollins] opportunities to score. So teams move off me, and that frees me up.”