Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat: Game Preview

If you’re still recovering from last night’s sobering loss and Ricky Rubio‘s apparently severely sprained ankle, well, you aren’t the only one. And tonight, we have

The Wolves lost Rubio in the second quarter to a devastating left ankle injury that the team called a sprain after initial x-rays came back negative. They managed to take a late lead, up two points with possession and under thirty seconds left in regulation. After a Kevin Martin turnover and a pair of free throws by Nikola Vucevic, the Martin missed a mid-range shot at the buzzer.

The Wolves were beat soundly in overtime, ultimately losing by the final score of 112-103.

It was a game that the Wolves should have won with or without their star point guard, but the likely long term loss of Rubio only adds insult to the disappointing loss.

As of noon on Saturday, we still haven’t heard any further news from the Wolves regarding Rubio’s status moving forward, but Boston Celtics’ rookie guard Marcus Smart had an even nastier looking ankle injury that caused him to leave the court on a stretcher last night, and he will be out 2-3 weeks with a sprained ankle and bone bruise.

So there’s hope that this won’t be more than a two week injury. Tonight’s road back-to-back in South Beach was likely a loss with or without Rubio, and playing the 6-0 Houston Rockets in Mexico City on Wednesday was almost assuredly a loss, too.

Next Friday in New Orleans would have been a great game with Rubio, and the Wolves would have had a real shot to beat a decent team on the road. The back-to-back in Dallas a week from tonight would have been rough even with Rubio.

Wolves fans should hope that their point guard can make a quick recovery and return to play the New York Knicks at Target Center on Wednesday, November 19th. That may be a bit soon, but depending on the swelling and ultimate severity of the injury, it probably isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

As for tonight’s game…it’s gonna be a tough one. The Miami Heat started the season at 3-0 with solid home wins over Washington and Toronto along with an easy road win in Philadelphia. They were beaten badly at home by Houston and then dropped an ugly game in Charlotte on Wednesday night.

That said, the Wolves will need to rely heavily on Nikola Pekovic in the post. The Heat don’t really have a center other than Chris Bosh, and Bosh will struggle to guard Big Pek. The Wolves’ center only played 28 minutes on Friday night in Orlando, so he should be available for 30+ minutes tonight.

The offense will certainly be uneven, with the shoot-first Mo Williams running the point in Rubio’s stead. In turn, the natural shooting guard Zach LaVine will be asked to pilot the second unit. And that will be equally interesting and potentially tough to watch.

Defending the Heat is never easy, and Dwyane Wade will be a rough match-up for both Andrew Wiggins and Corey Brewer. Pekovic will struggle to guard Bosh on the perimeter, so look for Flip Saunders to try and find a way for Thaddeus Young to hang with him when possible.

The Wolves will lose in Miami, but it will be encouraging if they can be in the game late as they have been through the first five games so far this season. It’s an interesting road test for this team, especially after losing their best player to injury just 24 hours prior.

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