Wolves record: 14-49
Associated Press recap
Ryan Hollins made all seven of his shots. Kevin Love led the Timberwolves in scoring, rebounding, blocks and nearly assists. Darko Milicic grabbed a season-high number of rebounds.
Yes, give the Wolves’ big men credit for trying to compensate for Al Jefferson’s sizable absence. But realistically, how likely is it that a 14-49 team can win without its central offensive force?
“Well, you know it’s not going to be easy,” forward Ryan Gomes understated. “I guess we knew that.”
Nobody knows it better than Luis Scola. The Rockets forward, without Jefferson to wrestle for position under the basket, erupted for 25 points and a career-high 21 rebounds Saturday as the Rockets throttled the Wolves for the 11th consecutive meeting, 112-98.
Yes, give the Wolves’ big men credit for trying to compensate for Al Jefferson’s sizable absence. But realistically, how likely is it that a 14-49 team can win without its central offensive force?
“Well, you know it’s not going to be easy,” forward Ryan Gomes understated. “I guess we knew that.”
Nobody knows it better than Luis Scola. The Rockets forward, without Jefferson to wrestle for position under the basket, erupted for 25 points and a career-high 21 rebounds Saturday as the Rockets throttled the Wolves for the 11th consecutive meeting, 112-98.
From Jim Beilby/NBA.com:
“It was a fairly typical game for us,” Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis said. “Pockets of playing really well and pockets of playing really poorly. Turnovers once again hurt us. … But [Houston] does a good job of playing together as a team. They move the ball, they keep the basket clear and they read defenses really well. They did a good job out there. They deserved to win. They earned the win.”
Love’s frontcourt mates, Ryan Gomes, Ryan Hollins, and Darko Milicic helped Minnesota outscore Houston in the paint 52-32. Gomes aggressively fought to reach the free throw line, earning eight trips to the charity stripe, where he connected on seven of his 17 points. The home crowd was also treated to a taped Happy Birthday serenade from Gomes to his wife on the video board during the first half.
Hollins finished with 15 points and was perfect from the field, hitting 7-for-7 and following up missed shots for putback dunks. Milicic continues to work on polishing his low-post game but the Wolves center managed to snag nine boards and dish out five assists in his second consecutive start in place of Jefferson.
Hollins finished with 15 points and was perfect from the field, hitting 7-for-7 and following up missed shots for putback dunks. Milicic continues to work on polishing his low-post game but the Wolves center managed to snag nine boards and dish out five assists in his second consecutive start in place of Jefferson.
Corey Brewer kept the streak alive tonight by draining a trey at the 4:31 mark of the third period. The Minnesota guard has now hit a trey in 27 consecutive games, which is a franchise record. On the opposite side, Brooks’ owns a current streak of 34 games with a 3-pointer that continued in the Rockets win.