Timberwolves Wrap: Embarrassed by an old flame
By Ben Beecken
The Timberwolves were dominated on national television on Friday night by an old friend and his Eastern Conference powerhouse squad.
The Wolves started the game with a bang, but from the midway point of the first quarter through the end of the contest the Cleveland Cavaliers imposed their will on the hapless young Timberwolves.
Sam Mitchell employed a defensive strategy of guarding J.R. Smith one-on-one with Ricky Rubio and allowing Tayshaun Prince to check LeBron James and Andrew Wiggins to guard Kyrie Irving. It was an interesting strategy, as Rubio’s lone defensive deficiency is fighting through screens, which played directly into the Cavs’ hands.
Time and time again, coach David Blatt called for sets that saw Smith running around multiple staggered screens and catching the ball wide open or with Rubio on his hip. The Wolves are an exceedingly poor defensive unit when it comes to help defense, and Rubio struggles to fight around picks, largely due to his size.
That meant that Smith enjoyed plenty of open looks en route to a ridiculous 10 of 12 shooting night that included a 5 of 6 showing from beyond the arc.
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The Wolves’ score sheet looked a bit like a high school game — three players scored 20+ points, one scored eight, and nobody else on the entire roster topped two points. It was far too imbalanced and inconsistent to lead to anything resembling a solid offensive attack.
Andrew Wiggins once again came to play against the team that drafted him, further confounding Wolves fans and no doubt coaches and teammates. He dropped a career-high 35 points on 12 of 19 shooting but still only contributed two rebounds and three assists on the night.
Karl-Anthony Towns was very good, scoring 22 points on an ultra-efficient 11 of 14 from the floor with six rebounds and three assists.
Kevin Love played well, scoring 20 points including 10 of 11 from the free throw line and 2 of 4 from three-point range. He didn’t shoot well in the post or in the paint and only grabbed nine rebounds, but he did his part to help get the win for the Cavs.
The Cavs dominated each and every facet of the game and the home team simply had no answer. The Timberwolves’ losing streak has now reached five, and it’s tough to see it coming to an end in the near future.
Tweet of the Night
Star of the Night
J.R. Smith — 27 points (10-12 FG, 5-6 3P, 2-2 FT), 2 steals
Smith took advantage of the Wolves’ focus on Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. Why Mitchell didn’t just leave Rubio on Irving, I’m not sure, but the Cavs’ fourth scoring option showed why he’s a dangerous weapon and will be a key to Cleveland’s title chances come April and May.
Other Notable Timberwolves Lines
Karl-Anthony Towns – 22 points (11-14 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers
Andrew Wiggins – 35 points (12-19 FG, 3-7 3P, 8-12 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds, one steal, one block, 3 turnovers
Shabazz Muhammad – 22 points (6-13 FG, 2-3 3P, 8-10 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover
Ricky Rubio – 8 points (2-6 FG, 2-2 3P, 2-2 FT), 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Who’s Next
The Timberwolves are 0-2 on the current homestand and still have a Sunday matinee against the 21-16 Dallas Mavericks and a Tuesday night showdown against the division-leading Oklahoma City Thunder before hitting the road again.
Next: No Frills Wolves Podcast: What's Wrong With the Wolves?
The upcoming road trip will be equally as tough — the second night of a back-to-back in Houston, then Oklahoma City, followed by a home game against Phoenix next Friday.
In other words…wins will be tough to come by in the near future.