<div align="center"> <font size="7">VS</font> </div> <div align="center">Minnesota Timberwolves (24-19) vs. Sacramento Kings (29-13) Game #44 Home Game #22 Target Center, January 30, 2005 at 2:30 PM CST</div> SEASON RESULTS AGAINST OPPONENT: 2004-05 vs. Sacramento (2-0) Sunday, Nov. 28 at Sacramento W121-110 Garnett 28 Webber 25 Friday, Dec. 10 at Minnesota W113-105 Garnett 35 Webber 25 Sunday, Jan. 30 at Minnesota Sunday, Apr. 3 at Sacramento The Wolves have beaten Sacramento five straight times (dating to a 125-121 OT Kings win on Nov. 5, 2003) to edge ahead 32-30 in the all-time series. Minnesota has also won 12 of the last 14 Target Center meetings. The Wolves bested Sacramento, 83-80, in Game 7 of their 2004 Western Conference semifinal series. <u>First Meeting:</u> Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell combined for 11 straight points in the closing minutes in the Wolves' 121-110 victory over Sacramento on Nov. 28 at ARCO Arena. Garnett netted 28 points and 16 rebounds for Minnesota, while Cassell tallied 25 points and Eddie Griffin added 20. The Kings were led by Chris Webber's 25 points, with Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby scoring 22 points each. <u>Second Meeting:</u> Kevin Garnett had 11 points and five assists in the fourth quarter, helping the Wolves rally past Sacramento, 113-105, on Dec. 10 at Target Center. Garnett finished with 35 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, while Eddie Griffin added 18 points and Sam Cassell had 15. Chris Webber collected 25 points to lead the Kings, with Mike Bibby scoring 21 points and Bobby Jackson tallying 19 <font color="DarkOliveGreen"><div align="center">Minnesota Timberwolves</div> STREAKS: Overall: Won 5 Home: Won 3 Road: Won 2 ( Last 10 games: 7-3) LAST GAME: Friday, Jan. 28 ? Minnesota 93, Utah 91 Record when playing on sunday: 2-0 Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach: PHIL "FLIP" SAUNDERS Overall Record: 410-319 Record with Minnesota: 410-319 Playoff Record: 17-30 Record with Minnesota: 17-30 Seasons in League: 10th Seasons with Minnesota: 10th Sidelined for Wednesday's contest vs. Atlanta with the flu, the first game he's missed in his Wolves career. Probable Starters: Forward: Latrell Sprewell 12.5PPG 2.5RPG 2.0APG Last Two Games: Had 8 points (3-12 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 23 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Pumped in a game- and season-high 32 points (12-18 FG, 5-8 3FG, 3-3 FT) -- 22 in the 3rd quarter -- with 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 31 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Forward: Kevin Garnett 22.9PPG 14.30RPG 6.0APG Last Two Games: Topped the Wolves with 25 points (8-17 FG, 9-10 FT), 14 rebounds and 5 assists, adding 3 steals and 2 blocks in 39 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Scored 17 points (8-9 FG, 1-1 FT) with a team-high 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block in 35 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Notable: Friday's outing marked the 17th time he's led Minnesota across the board (pts/reb/ast) this year. Shooting 57.7% (75-for-130) over the last nine games; however, he's attempted just 39 FTs in those nine, after getting to the line 71 times in his first seven January starts. Center: Ervin Johnson 1.4PPG 2.4RPG 0.1APG Last Two Games: Chipped in 3 points (1-1 FG, 1-4 FT) with 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 9 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Added 2 points (1-1 FG), 1 rebound and 1 assist in 8 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Guard: Trenton Hassell 5.2PPG 3.0RPG 1.7APG Last Two Games: Scoreless (0-2 FG) with 1 rebound and 2 steals in 20 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Chipped in 4 points (2-6 FG, 0-1 3FG), 3 rebounds, 1 assist and a career-high 4 steals in 27 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Guard: Anthony Carter 2.5PPG 0.8RPG 1.9PPG Last Two Games: Scoreless (0-2 FG) with 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 10 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Put in 4 points (2-6 FG, 0-1 3FG) with 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in 17 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. This lineup's record is 5-1 Reserves Sam Cassell 15.3PPG 2.7RPG 5.9APG Last Two Games: Collected 16 points (6-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 3-3 FT), 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 19 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Returned with 4 points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3FG), 1 rebound, a game-high 8 assists and 1 steal in 15 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Eddie Griffin 8.9PPG 6.7RPG 0.8APG Last Two Games: Totaled 9 points (3-5 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-2 FT), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 3 blocks in 28 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Contributed 8 points (3-7 FG, 1-3 3FG, 1-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in 26 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Notable: He's blocked 33 shots in his last nine games, and ranks 14th in the NBA in that category (1.78 bpg). Fred Hoiberg 5.6PPG 2.2RPG 0.9APG Last Two Games: Finished with 11 points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3-3 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 22 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Tallied 13 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 3FG, 2-3 FT), 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal in 18 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Notable: Scoring 11.8 ppg and shooting 66.7% (18-for-27) during the current five-game winning streak. Troy Hudson 8.7PPG 1.1RPG 3.4APG Last Two Games: Scored 7 points (3-7 FG, 1-3 3FG) with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 19 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Netted 2 points (1-5 FG, 0-2 3FG), 2 rebounds and 5 assists in 16 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. Michael Olowokandi 4.9PPG 4.5RPG 0.4APG Last Two Games: Contributed 2 points (1-4 FG) and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes Friday vs. Utah. DNP-CD Wednesday vs. Atlanta, his 3rd consecutive DNP-CD after being suspended for the previous four games. Wally Szczerbiak 15.8PPG 3.5RPG 2.3APG Last Two Games: Registered 11 points (2-7 FG, 0-1 3FG, 7-10 FT) and 4 assists in 35 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Finished with 18 points (9-15 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-1 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 31 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. John Thomas 1.7PPG 2.0RPG 0.5APG Last Two Games: Added 1 point (0-1 FG, 1-2 FT), 1 rebound and 2 steals in 8 minutes Friday vs. Utah. Did not score (0-1 FG) but added 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 16 minutes Wednesday vs. Atlanta. BY THE NUMBERS: The Wolves are? 12-4 when scoring 100+ points 12-15 when scoring less than 100 17-7 when shooting 45%+ 7-12 when shooting less than 45% 20-8 when outshooting their foe 16-13 when outrebounding their foe or tied 19-11 when committing <16 TOs 19-4 when leading or tied after 3 quarters 9-7 in games decided by 10+ points 4-11 when allowing 100+ points 20-8 when allowing less than 100 10-12 when allowing 45%+ 14-7 when allowing less than 45% 4-11 when being outshot 8-6 when being outrebounded 5-8 when committing 16+ TOs 5-15 when trailing after 3 quarters 15-12 in games decided by <10 points Timberwolves' Game Notes The Wolves have gone 7-2 since inserting guards Trenton Hassell and Anthony Carter into the starting lineup Jan. 14 at Denver. They're allowing 90.1 ppg in those nine contests, holding opponents below 85 points on four occasions. Minnesota extended its winning streak to five games with Friday's 93-91 victory over Utah, beating the Jazz for the third straight time. Four of the Wolves' five wins during their current run have been by single-digit spreads; overall, 12 of Minnesota's last 13 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer. It's the second time the Wolves have put together five consecutive wins this season; Minnesota is 7-2 in its last nine starts, after losing seven of the previous eight. The Wolves are 17-8 vs. Western Conference foes, including 6-3 vs. the Pacific Division; only Phoenix (18-6), Seattle (18-7) and San Antonio (20-8) have put together better records vs. the West. Minnesota's Western success is highlighted by a 10-3 road record; they'd won seven straight in that category prior to their 96-82 loss Dec. 23 at San Antonio. Utah outboarded the Wolves 45-39 on Friday, the fifth straight game Minnesota has come up short. They're facing a -5.6 rpg deficit (37.0-42.6) in those five; Detroit racked up a 51-36 edge on Monday. Prior to that, the Wolves had held the upper hand in five consecutive games, enjoying a +6.4 rpg advantage (44.6-38.2). Minnesota has compiled a +2.2 rpg (43.1-40.9) margin overall, ranking 8th in the league in that category. Minnesota has cut its miscues to 12.0 per game in the last seven (including Friday's 13-TO outing vs. Utah), and has allowed just 71 points off TOs in those seven contests. The Wolves had committed an average of 15.7 TOs in their previous three starts, facing a combined 56-29 deficit in points off (capped by Portland's 23-10 cushion on Jan. 15). Minnesota leads the NBA in fewest TOs (13.3 per game), but ranks 28th in steals (6.14 spg) and 29th in TOs forced (12.7).</font> <font color="Magenta"><div align="center">Sacramento Kings</div> CURRENT STREAKS Overall: Won 1 Home: Won 1 Road: Won 1 Record when playing on sunday: 5-3 SACRAMENTO KINGS HEAD COACH RICK ADELMAN Overall Record: 687-424 Record with Sacramento: 330-172 Playoffs Record Overall: 67-60 Seasons in League: 15th Seasons with Sacramento: in 7th Playoffs Record (SAC): 31-27 Probable Starters Forward: Peja Stojakovic 20.3PPG 4.3RPG 1.8APG LAST GAME: DND-back spasms on 1/28 at Houston. LAST GAME PLAYED: Recorded 25 points (9-14 FG, 2- 5 3pt, 5-6 FT), five rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 40 minutes on 1/25 vs. New Jersey. Forward:Chris Webber 21.6PPG 9.5RPG 5.0APG LAST GAME: Recorded a game-high-tying 30 points (12-25 FG, 1-1 3pt, 5-6 FT), nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals in 47 minutes on 1/28 at Houston ... hit three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Center: Brad Miller 14.6PPG 9.0RPG 3.7APG LAST GAME: Recorded 19 points (8-10 FG, 3-3 FT), a game-high 14 rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 46 minutes on 1/28 at Houston. Guard: Cuttino Mobley 16.9PPG 3.6RPG 3.6APG LAST GAME: Recorded 24 points (7-15 FG, 4-8 3pt, 6-7 FT) and three rebounds in 48 minutes on 1/28 at Houston. Guard: Mike Bibby 17.3PPG 4.3RPG 6.3APG LAST GAME: Recorded 28 points (8-20 FG, 0-3 3pt, 12-14 FT), three rebounds, a season-high 14 assists, and two steals in 44 minutes on 1/28 at Houston. Reserves Greg Ostertag 1.5PPG 2.7RPG 0.5APG LAST GAME: DNP-CD on 1/28 at Houston. LAST GAME PLAYED: Was scoreless (0-1 FG), recorded one rebound and one block in six minutes off the bench on 1/27 at San Antonio. Matt Barnes 3.3PPG 2.4RPG 1.0APG LAST GAME: Making his second start in as many games, recorded four points (2-5 FG) and five rebounds in 38 minutes on 1/28 at Houston. Erik Daniels 0.5PPG 0.9RPG 0.2APG LAST GAME: DNP-CD on 1/28 at Houston. LAST GAME PLAYED: Was scoreless (0-0 FG) in one minute off the bench on 1/27 at San Antonio. Kevin Martin 2.9PPG 1.5RPG 0.6APG LAST GAME: Recorded one point (1-2 FT), three rebounds, and one assist in 17 minutes off the bench on 1/28 at Houston. Darius Songaila 5.8PPG 3.8RPG 0.9APG LAST GAME: Recorded four points (2-4 FG), one rebound, and one assist in 13 minutes off the bench on 1/28 at Houston. Michael Bradley 1.5PPG 1.3RPG 0.3APG LAST GAME: DNP-CD on 1/28 at Houston. LAST GAME PLAYED: Was scoreless (0-0 FG) in one minute off the bench on 1/27 at San Antonio. Eddie House 3.0PPG 1.4RPG 1.0APG LAST GAME: Recorded seven points (3-6 FG, 1-2 3pt) and one rebound in 12 minutes off the bench on 1/ 28 at Houston. IN THE REGULAR SEASON, THE KINGS ARE: 20-5 when leading at the half 1-0 when tied at the half 8-8 when trailing at the half 22-3 when leading after three quarters 2-1 when tied after three quarters 5-9 when trailing after three quarters 21-5 when scoring 100+ points 8-8 when scoring under 100 points 9-10 when allowing opponent to score 100+ points 20-3 when holding opponent to under 100 points 13-4 when outrebounding opponent 0-2 when tied with opponent in rebounding 16-7 when outrebounded by opponent 4-1 when bench outscores opponent 1-1 when benches are tied 24-11 when bench outscored by opponent bench 11-6 when committing 15 or more turnovers 18-7 when committing under 15 turnovers 23-1 when outshooting opponent 0-0 when tied FG% with opponent 6-12 when outshot by opponent 11-0 when shooting .500 or better from the field 18-13 when shooting under .500 from the field 5-2 when opponent shoots .500 or better from the field 24-11 when opponent shoots under .500 from the field 16-3 when outshooting opponents in 3pt FG% 13-10 when outshot by opponents in 3pt FG% 4-0 when shooting .500 or better in 3pt FG% 23-6 when outshooting or tied with opponents in FT% 6-7 when outshot by opponents in FT% 27-9 when shooting .700 or better in FT% 7-5 when shooting 30 or more free throws Kings' Game Notes The Kings are in the midst of playing 15 of 20 games on the road. Sacramento began the season with four straight road setbacks; since then, the Kings have won 11 of the last 15 road contests. The Kings are one of six teams in the league sporting winning road marks Recently, the Timberwolves have been a road block for the Kings several times, preventing the Kings from advancing in last year?s playoff series and ending several winning streaks. With the 113-105 win over the Kings on 12/10 at the Target Center, the Wolves ended the five-game overall win streak and a four-game road win streak. Minnesota recently ended the Kings? 10-game home win streak and sevengame overall win streak with a 121-110 win at ARCO Arena (11/28). Brad Miller has recorded a double-double in three of the last four games, bring his season total to 11. Miller scored a seasonhigh 31 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in the 113-93 win over the Nets on Tuesday, going 3-of-7 from the field in the first quarter and then connecting on his next 11 field goal attempts. He fell just four straight field goals from tying Wayman Tisdale?s franchise record of 15 consecutive field goals made in a game set on 3/6/90 at Detroit. At San Antonio on Thursday, Miller made his first four field goal attempts, falling just one shy of matching Tisdale?s franchise mark of 16 made spanning two games. Miller has scored in double-figures in the last six games. In the last five games, Miller is shooting .719 (41-of-57) from the field. He has shot 60 percent or better from the field in 14 games this season. Only in nine games this season have opponents recorded more assists than the Kings ... Sacramento has reached the 100- point mark in 26 games and are 21-5 in those contests ... Sacramento is 20-3 when holding opponents under 100 points and 23-1 when outshooting its opponents from the field ... Kings are 22-3 when shooting 45 percent or better from the field. The Kings are ranked second in the NBA in free throw percentage, making 80 percent of their free throw attempts. Peja Stojakovic (.925 FT%) is second in the league in free throw accuracy behind Portland?s Damon Stoudamire (.928). The Kings have shot .800 or better from the free throw line in 25 games this season. Twice this season the Kings made all of their free throws in a game - 10-10 FT on 12/14 at Milwaukee and 10-10 FT on 1/15 versus LA Clippers. OVERTIME GAMES: The Kings are 3-2 in overtime games in 2004-05. Sacramento has won its last two overtime contests. The Kings were 1-3 in OT games in 2003-04.</font> My prediction: Wolves win by 5 in overtime.
Nice preview, it looks time consuming. And, Kings in pink? Nice. I see the Wolves taking this one also. We are on fire, and the Kings can't slow are roll.
That was a really outstanding preview I really like our records in the different situations. It looks like it took a very long time. But, now on the game. With the red hot Timberwovles vs the pink Kings. I really dont like the kings at all. So i hope we win by 10+. Spree needs to show up, and he might since hes been quiet that last few games. CWebb always likes to stand in one place on the court and they run a play for him and he makes it. We need to stop that and we will have the game in the bag, and also peja will hopefully be rusty. Wolves 106 Kings 97 Thanks for the preview
Good job, Linkin. Have fun at the game, Pure. I envy you for even going to Target Center. If I ever live in Minnesota one of these days, I will definitely go to see lot of Wolves games at Target Center. I think Target Center is one of the best arenas in the NBA.
-Summary- The T-Wolves are 2-0 against the Kings this year, and the Kings would like to even things out. In their first meeting, Minnesota rallied behind the bench scoring of Eddie Griffin to take the victory. Griffin scored 20 points, and grabbed 9 rebounds to aid Minnesota's cause. Griffin again caused havoc in the second meeting between these two teams. This time scoring 18, and taking down 7 boards. A big key to winning this game would be to stop Eddie from killing them off the bench. Guys like KG are going to put up numbers every night, but Griffin can be controlled. Look for the Kings to key in on him more than usual. Rebounding will also be a huge factor. In the 2 previous meetings, The T-Wolves have dominated the boards. November 28th - 51-37 December 10th - 45-34 It's hard to win games when you are getting outrebounded that badly. If Sacramento can keep the rebounding numbers close, their chances of winning are greatly improved. -Prediction- This is a tough one, because we're not sure who'll be playing for either team. I look for Mobley to have a big game, and show Minnesota that this is a different team now. Also, I think that Miller and Webber will do a better job on the boards, and Sacramento will end up escaping with a narrow victory. SAC 97 MIN 94 From here...
Nice job Linkin. I remember your work on the previews for the playoffs last season, you previews are awsome. This won't be easy. The Queens have been playing good basketball. In their last ten games, the Queens are 8-2. We have been playing great as well, currently on a five game win streak, and hopefully we can extend it to six. I think if we can win against the Kings, who are making a run at the Suns, then I think we can start to say we are getting back on track. I'm actually going to take us in this one, I'm trying to stay optimistic. T'Wolves:104 Queens:99
REAL dammed quarter third for us finishin behined 8 when entering it leading 6...and the kings are without peja and webber...**** that we gotta win!
yuk! i fell like puking...that ugly felling i had in the times we had few weeks ago-this game at least it came back yuk!!! were down 14!!! 80-66 and it's just getting uglier and i put some money on this one with a kings fan **** that!
UGLY! thats it it's enough for me i'm going to sleep cant watch it enymore damnnn that's a ugly one shame on the streake we had
The Kings did a good job shutting down Griffin, like I mentioned. He had only 3 points in 30 minutes of play. I also talked about rebounding, and sure enough, the Kings won the battle of the boards by one. I predicted a big game out of Mobley, and he came through with 23. Brad Miller, however, was the story of this game with 27 and 15. Great win for the Kings, especially without Peja and Webber.
i am a big fan of Garnett and the man needs some help, Sprewell is doing nothing this year (well he has one good game for every 4 bad ones) and the Wolves just don't look the same....... losing to a Kings team when they are in your arena without their 2 superstars.. wow... bad loss
Horrible lost for the Wolves. They were doing fine at the first half but it just fell apart in the second. The King's didn't have their leading scorers and two of their best players (Webber and Peja) and they still managed to win against us. It just shows that they stepped up and we didn't. Again the starters didn't produce except for KG as always and we had to rely on the bench. The Wolves looked like they were back on track but it seems not after this defeat.
Well, I just want to get out that my seats absolutely sucked, but oh well. Miller and Bibby just torched us, and the Kings very well shut down Griffin and Olowakandi. He [Olowakandi] had three airballs in a row, you know we were booing him at Target Center. This was a bad loss, considering Webber and Stojakovic didn't play.
Yea it's bad whenever we lose to the Queens, but without thier 2 best players and at home?!?! Spree thanks for playing like a 7th grader again. And Kandi thanks for being afraid of the basketball. I feel sorry for KG that he has to be surronded by retards like this. Wally had a good game, hes probly second best on the team, (unless Griffen has his normal game) which he hasnt for ahwhile hes still getting pretty good rebounds but his scoring has been way down these past few games. O well time to move on to the next game
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Pure:</div><div class="quote_post"> He [Olowakandi] had three airballs in a row, you know we were booing him at Target Center. </div> Yeah, I saw that, and he deserves it. Holy crap, Olowokandi must be one of the worst centers in the league! I mean hes always been bad, but what the hell was he doing out there? Earl Boykins could play center better than his lazy ass. Terrible loss though. I'm having a hard time beliveing this team of veteran players just got killed by a lineup thats almost all amateurs. How do you let Mike Bibby dominate you like that??? He actually swatted that lay-up from Sczcerbiak...way to go Wally, you got swatted by Bibby....badly. KG obviously tried to carry the team. He was really going at them in the paint for a while, I liked that. But he was drawing triple teams, and started losing the ball and missing, that's just too much for him to handle, and he shouldn't have to do that much. Hoiberg gets some props, he played hard and made some shots... Beside those two everyone else averaged around an F for the game. Dont even want to imagine the possible beat down we would have gotten if Webber and Peja had played, I might of had to actually turn off the game.( I almost did today, after Bibby swatted Wally)
Day games has historically been a problem for the Timberwolves and it showed again yesterday. This team looked like they slept at 4:00 a.m. and got up at 10:00 a.m. and went to shootaround. They were lousy from the start. They did not play their best and it showed. The guys were literally tired and out of gas in the third quarter. Several guys on the Wolves looked like they had no sleep yesterday. I did not like what I saw from the start even when the Wolves were leading at the half. There was no ball movement and there was no running either on offense for the Wolves. Guys did not run for loose balls and rebounds. Guys did not defend as they let Sacramento shoot from outside with ease. I did not see a body or a hand when it came to defending Sacramento's shot from the perimeter and from the paint. The guys looked lethargic. Their energy level was clearly not there and they look ill-prepared. They are a lot better than that against the Kings. Considering how sloppy they started the season, they can't afford to lose these day games or else the day games could cost them a playoff spot. These guys need to sleep very early. I like to think Sunday home games are a pride thing. Wolves draw so well on Sundays in the afternoons so it should serve a motivation for these players to perform in front of a very big crowd like yesterday.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting KG-MVP:</div><div class="quote_post">Dont even want to imagine the possible beat down we would have gotten if Webber and Peja had played, I might of had to actually turn off the game.( I almost did today, after Bibby swatted Wally)</div> As you can see, playing a team without their stars is tough because the others usually raise their game. You know with Webber, he's going to stay at the "elbow". Peja is going to be constantly moving off of screens. Songailia? (shruggs a little). The main problems were 1) I believe we got out-rebounded (especially on the offensive glass and 2) shots were not dropping....AT ALL.
