Wolves record: 17-31
Stephen Litel/MinnesotaSCORE posted notes on the game after each quarter.
Whether it was fatigue, a zone defense or a combination of both, the Timberwolves couldn’t say.
Whatever the reason, they sleepwalked through the first three quarters of Wednesday night’s game against an undermanned Atlanta Hawks team playing without all-star guard Joe Johnson, losing 94-86 at Target Center.
Led by the unlikely pair of Mike Miller and Rashad McCants, the Wolves woke up in the fourth quarter and cut a 17-point Atlanta lead to 85-83 on Randy Foye’s layup with 1:46 to play.
The Timberwolves entered the night just 3-10 in the second game of a back-to-back, with all three victories coming in a 10-win January that earned McHale coach of the month honors.
But with Williams and Smith having their way inside, the Hawks outscored Minnesota 18-6 in the first five minutes of the second quarter to take a 40-24 lead.
Kevin Love and Mike Miller combined to shoot 13-for-20 from the field, Love finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds (nine offensive) starting in place of injured Craig Smith.
Rashad McCants also provided a spark. Playing for the first time since Jan. 7, McCants scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting in just 15 minutes, all in the second half.
However, mix in Sebastian Telfair’s 0-for-9 night, a 1-for-10 effort from Ryan Gomes and a 4-for-19 display from Foye and it’s easy to see how this one got away.
Just when Atlanta looked to run away with the win, McCants ignited the crowd with a big blocked shot on Acie Law.
“I was happy for Rashad. He’s been taking care of his game, and that’s a tough thing to do when you’re not playing, I know how frustrating it is. I gave him credit for taking care of his game. He’s been coming in early, staying late, working on his game, working one-on-one afterwards, so he was ready to go when his number was called,” McHale said.
Here’s all you need to know about tonight’s game, courtesy of coach Kevin McHale:
“Off the top of my head I can think of seven or eight or nine wide-open shots we missed.”
Yup – that about sums it up there, coach. Make even a fraction of the easy buckets that were thrown away tonight (more than nine, for sure) and this one is a different story.