LiveBlog: Minnesota vs. Chicago…Wolves are deeper than Chicago’s pizza

Quarter

This matchup has all the writeups of a defensive battle on it, seeing as how both teams are ranked in the top 10 defensively( Minnesota is 4th and Chicago is 5th) . This is a basketball purists fantasy. Unfortunately, I am not one.
Looks like Budinger is starting in place of the injured Roy. Hopefully, it’s more of a precaution then anything for Roy’s knees. Otherwise, this might actually be an upgrade.
The player who burned the Wolves during their postseason game was Boozer. Hopefully, Derrick Williams can contest it.
Williams is doing exactly what the team thought he wouldn’t do anymore. He’s just popping contested midrange jumpers like he can nail them all day. He can easily take a player like Boozer of the dribble.
The Wolves have looked stagnant in general, but there’s Williams looks really bad right now. Boozer isn’t a very good defender and there’s not excuse for him to not blow by him.
Looks like Noah got injured trying to take on the granite block known as Pekovic. They should pass the rock down to Pek if he’s being guarded by Gibson/Boozer.
What I would have given to see Barea vs. Nate Robinson. Those are two very explosive little bunches of energy.
Pekovic can really take over the game with no Noah. The Bulls have no one to stop him right now. Nazir Mohammed is just to small to keep him out of the paint.
As predicted, a very low scoring, defensive battle.

Quarter 2

Pek finished the quarter with 10 points and 6 rebounds but 2 fouls. Stiemsma may not have the same elite post skills, but he can still make a difference by finishing strong in the paint.
The main reason for the Wolves improved defense is Kirilenko. He’s literally everywhere you need him to be. Arguably the best help defender in the NBA right now besides Chandler.
Malcolm Lee is really starting to show some improvement. His defense has always been excellent due to his speed and now his offense is coming together. All he needs is a shooting stroke and he might be able to be a decent combo guard in the league.
Chicago has jumped up to a 6 point lead after some stupid offensive possessions.
Pek really has to improve his left handed counter moves. Otherwise defenses are going to over play his strong side. Maybe a counter spin would really help his arsenal, but he doesn’t have the foot speed for a move like that.
Dante Cunningham is really getting screwed over by the refs. He’s doing a textbook box out against Noah, and a flop job by Joakim gets the refs attention.
TWolves currently finish out the quarter with a fragile 1 point lead.

Quarter 3

Timberwolves can put this game away with solid rebounding and finishing open shots.
Driving and drawing fouls is exactly what Williams needs to do. Now it’s just about the consistency and getting repetitions in.a
Ridnour with an absolutely atrocious pass. He threw it directly to the defender. Don’t know what he was thinking.
Calling handchecking on the Wolves is pretty petty considering how often it happens in this game.
Now that Minny is starting shoot well, it really is important to create turnovers and get stops. Plays like Williams offensive charge will definitely jump start our offense.
Nate Robinson is the most Jekyll/Hyde player in the league. He either is doing something amazing or something horrible.
The Wolves just aren’t consistent enough on defense to stop the Bulls. Hamilton and Deng are really hurting Minnesota.
Pekovic is once again in foul trouble. He really has to watch them more carefully.
Malcolm Lee has once again stepped his game up. Hopefully he can maintain this higher level of playing.

Quarter 4

Minnesota has a history of stepping up during 4th quarters this year. Hopefully this is a trend that continues today.
Kirilenko’s pump fake still working just fine. Surprising that the scouting report hasn’t showed how much he does it.
Wolves somehow managed to mess up a 3-on-1. Shved made the right play, but Steamer just got rejected.
They just to get a run going. Some momentum would really help in shutting this crowd up.
Looks like Budinger is injured. Somehow, every Minnesota player is going down.
The Timberwolves switched to the 2-3 zone. Really stymied the Bulls for a couple possessions.
Unfortunately, Minnesota just looks to tired for them to take advantage of Chicago’s miscues. A couple of quick 3s would help, but all of the shooters are running cold.
Kirilenko is such a competitor. Even in the face of he defeat, AK is just hustling his butt off. Refreshing to see.
With the less than a minute left and down by 5, there is still a chance for Minny to come back into this. A quick jumper, a stop and a buzzerbeater could really help this team.
Just a little late with the timing. Wolves were definitely on a roll there but couldn’t come up with the big play. Hopefully, the injuries aren’t what they seem like.