The Timberwolves open up their season tonight against the Sacramento Kings at home and this match-up offers the Timberwolves a great chance to start the season off on a good note. The Kings are coming off a 38-44 season and sit in a similar situation as the Timberwolves do in terms of rebuilding. It was only a few years ago that these two teams played each other in the Western Conference Semifinals where the Timberwolves eventually prevailed in 7 games. Pay close attention to the Kings Kevin Martin who is one of the most underrated players in the league. Martin averaged 23.7 points a game last season and is quickly becoming one of the best shooting guards in the league. Martin will need to be watched closely on offense and don't be surprised if Corey Brewer is matched up against him all night because of his length. There is no better way to stop a great shooter than to put a long, athletic defender in his face. Al Jefferson should have plenty of opportunities to score down low tonight as the Kings lack a tough inside defender despite having decent size as a team. Prediction- Timberwolves 98 Kings 94
Game 1- Minnesota Timberwolves 98 vs. Sacramento Kings 96 (1-0) The Timberwolves started out with a bang on Wednesday night by winning their season opener with a win over the Sacramento Kings 98-96. On a night where the Timberwolves played their first regular season game in their new uniforms and on their new court, the Timberwolves didn't disappoint fans at Target Center as they put up plenty of points, finishing with 98. This one went down to the wire but unlike so many times last season, the Timberwolves didnt fold in crunch time. A clutch jump shot by Ryan Gomes put the Timberwolves up 97-94 with 1:17 remaining to give the T'Wolves a little cushion. The Kings quickly answered back after a 18 foot jump shot by John Salmons with 1:02 to go to keep the game within 1. This Timberwolves grinded it out on defense for the remaining minute and held the Kings scoreless to secure their first win of the season. Last season it took five games for the Timberwolves to record their first victory and ironically it was against the Kings. It was very important to start this season off on a good note after a miserable season last year. The moral in the locker room has to be good as of right now as all the hard work in the summer has paid off so far with a 1-0 start. There were some key areas that this team can improve on such as their fastbreak defense and their ability to hold their leads but overall, the Timberwolves put up a performance that Minnesota fans should be proud of. The GOOD Al Jefferson- Big Al was his usual dominant self tonight putting up a solid 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jefferson ended the first half with 18 points after an absolutely assaulting the Kings defense down low. If there was any questions that Big Al would have a reduced role or that last year's performance was a fluke, this game proved any doubters wrong. Kevin Love- OJ Mayo who? Kevin Love gave the Timberwolves a huge boost tonight off the bench scoring 12 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. I don't think Kevin Love could have started the season off any better. He was outstanding on the boards and dominant on offense when he had the ball. This was the kind of game that Timberwolves fans wanted to see, it isnt as flashy as an OJ Mayo game but hey it helped the Timberwolves get a win and thats all that matters. The BAD 3rd Quarter- The 3rd quarter play by the Timberwolves should raise some concerns amongst Timberwolves fans and coaches. The Timberwolves came out very sluggish after a very strong first half of play and ended the quarter even worse. The Kings ended the quarter on a 9-0 run and recaptured the lead 77-76. Protecting a lead is something the Timberwolves have to work on if they want to become a winning basketball team. Free Throws- The Timberwolves shot 11-22...enough said. Winning teams make their free throws, the Timberwolves got lucky that this didn't come back to haunt them tonight. On the Kings Side I was stunned when the Kings selected Jason Thompson out of Rider with their first round selection as I viewed him as a late first round pick. Well maybe I was wrong and the Kings made the right choice. Thompson had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his NBA debut and was by far the most impressive player from the Kings tonight. Thompson could play a very large role for the Kings this season as they need more scoring now that they are without Ron Artest. The other rookie that I was really excited to see play was Donte Green but he sat this one out. The combo of Greene and Thompson could be the most underrated group of rookies that play on the same team in the NBA this season. MVP- Al Jefferson 21 points 10 rebounds 2 assists 2 blocks State of the game- +20 rating for Kevin Love Other Notes- OJ Mayo finished his first NBA game with 10 points on 5-20 shooting. Mario Chalmers who the Timberwolves drafted in the 2nd round and then traded scored 17 points to go along with 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Sebastian Telfair sat this one out due to a suspension he received by the NBA for a handgun incident in 2007.
Kevin Love looked great. It was a shame to see him taken out, even if it was probably the right move to make. We HAVE to make more of our free throws. Shooting 11-22 from the line is unacceptable. The rookies played well though. Love looked great, as I said before. But also Jason Thompson probably looked even better. 18 points and 10 rebounds, not a bad first game at all. All in all a win is a win, and you can't complain about that
I'm happy that Love had such a great start (7 points, 7 Rebounds & 2 Assists in his first 10 minutes)...The 4 offensive rebounds helps out greatly. I'm really was and still trying to grasp why the Wolves traded Chalmers for essentially 1 2nd rounder (since one will be going to Detroit). We were in serious need of a PG and after seeing his line (I know it's only one game) I still don't know why we would trade/throw away a good young PG for peanuts. It's crazy since this upcoming draft looks kinda weak at PG. After Brandon Jennings, who else can they shoot for? Ricky Rubio is still another year away I think since he's 17 now....he has to be 19 by draft time! I'm sure like every year players will emerge in College and come out the woodwork. Maybe we can think ahead to some possible trades for a more than viable/competent starting PG
