From the AP Recap:
The San Antonio Spurs needed all of Manu Ginobili’s 44 points to hold off the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves.
Ginobili hit a jumper from the top of the key with 6.2 seconds left for his final points, leading the Spurs to their fourth straight win with a 100-99 victory over Minnesota on Thursday night.
Ginobili’s
latest heroics included a step-back, 16-foot jumper with 6.2 seconds
left to beat a Timberwolves team that hardly played like the Western
Conference’s worst.
latest heroics included a step-back, 16-foot jumper with 6.2 seconds
left to beat a Timberwolves team that hardly played like the Western
Conference’s worst.
Wolves record: 11-42
Wolves Watch recap
Pounding The Rock recap
Al Jefferson scored five unanswered points, including a three-point
play, that gave the Wolves a 99-98 lead with 39.2 seconds left. But the
Wolves sandwiched missed shots by Randy Foye and Telfair (rimmed out
just before the buzzer) around Ginobili’s game-winner and lost at the
very end against a top-notch team (Boston twice, the Spurs once) for
the third time in a month.
play, that gave the Wolves a 99-98 lead with 39.2 seconds left. But the
Wolves sandwiched missed shots by Randy Foye and Telfair (rimmed out
just before the buzzer) around Ginobili’s game-winner and lost at the
very end against a top-notch team (Boston twice, the Spurs once) for
the third time in a month.
The Wolves had lost five straight games before the
all-star break last weekend. But after the four-day break, the Wolves
appear refocused.
all-star break last weekend. But after the four-day break, the Wolves
appear refocused.
Minnesota pushed the Spurs, but couldn’t overcome Ginobili’s big night…
Also from Alonzo:
Wolves veteran center Theo Ratliff had eight points
and two rebounds in 14 minutes in his first game since Nov. 16. He had
right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus Dec. 18.
and two rebounds in 14 minutes in his first game since Nov. 16. He had
right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus Dec. 18.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Al Jefferson, who had a 28-point,
5-rebound night: “He’s a helluva player, that’s for sure. He’s hard to
guard. He can hit that medium-range shot and he drives really well. His
balance and footwork and when you add quickness to that, he’s a tough
cover, no doubt about it. They’re different players, but the
fundamental sense that he has is just like Timmy’s (Tim Duncan).”
5-rebound night: “He’s a helluva player, that’s for sure. He’s hard to
guard. He can hit that medium-range shot and he drives really well. His
balance and footwork and when you add quickness to that, he’s a tough
cover, no doubt about it. They’re different players, but the
fundamental sense that he has is just like Timmy’s (Tim Duncan).”