The AP reports: Randy Foye scored 19 points, Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes each scored 16 points and Kevin Love had 15 points and 11 rebounds as Minnesota beat Indiana 116-111 on Tuesday night. Al Jefferson, who averages 23 points per game, had 12 points and 15 rebounds… Danny Granger scored 28 points, Mike Dunleavy scored 20 and Troy Murphy added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost back-to-back home games.
Category: Minnesota T-Wolves Blog
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Celtics win 11th straight, top Wolves 109-101
The AP reports: “I just try to give the game what it needs. Today, I thought it needed my scoring,” Paul Pierce said after his 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists helped Boston extend its winning streak to 11 games with a 109-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves… Al Jefferson, the centerpiece of the trade that brought Garnett to Boston, scored 34 points for the Timberwolves, who lost their third in a row since winning 10 of 12… Randy Foye had 21 points and nine assists, and Jefferson also had 11 rebounds—the 26th double-double of the season for a player who was a surprise exclusion from this month’s All-Star game in Phoenix… Ray Allen scored 22, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals while playing in place of Kevin Garnett.
Bynum, Lakers too big for T-wolves in 132-119 win
The AP reports: Andrew Bynum bulled his way inside to 27 points and 15 rebounds, providing the perfect complement to Kobe Bryant and his 30 points, and the Lakers started a six-game road trip with a 132-119 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night… Minnesota’s recent resurgence has been fueled by rebounding and reliable inside play, but L.A. was simply too deep and too tall. Al Jefferson finished with 34 points and 13 rebounds, but Bynum proved to be just a bit stronger inside. The Lakers have another 7-footer, Pau Gasol, who backed up his All-Star selection with 21 points and nine rebounds… Randy Foye scored 27 points for the Wolves, who rallied from a 20-point hole with an 18-7 run in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get any closer.
Al Jefferson not picked for All-Star reserves
The 2009 NBA All-Star reserves are official, and a young star big-man likely came close to getting picked, but big old Shaq won out instead. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jerry Zgoda) reports: Western Conference coaches passed over Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson and chose now 15-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal as the reserve center for next month’s All-Star Game. Jefferson’s averages of 22.7 points and 10.5 rebounds — he’s one of only three NBA players averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game — and the Wolves’ 16-28 record didn’t convince the coaches. They instead chose O’Neal, who at age 36 often doesn’t play in back-to-back games. The Feb. 15 game is in Phoenix, where O’Neal now plays.
Rasheed helps Pistons rock Wolves
The AP reports: Looking like the ‘Sheed who helped the Pistons to the title in 2004, Wallace tied a season high with 25 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 98-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Allen Iverson added 19 points and Antonio McDyess had 14 points and 10 boards off the bench for the Pistons, who had lost two in a row and seven of nine… Al Jefferson had 24 points and six rebounds for the Wolves, who entered the night with the best record (10-2) in the NBA in January and a three-game winning streak. Rookie Kevin Love had 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Minnesota had no answer for Wallace most of the game.
Jefferson’s double-double leads Wolves over Bucks
The AP reports: Al Jefferson had 23 points and 10 rebounds as he roamed the paint freely and Ryan Gomes added 22 points, lifting the Timberwolves over the short-handed Bucks 90-83. Minnesota improved to an NBA-best 10-2 in 2009 and Jefferson thwarted the Bucks when it counted in the fourth quarter with Milwaukee also missing center Andrew Bogut for the seventh straight game with back spasms… Richard Jefferson, who finished 3-of-15 from the field, hit a jumper, but Al Jefferson answered when he kicked out a pass to Gomes for a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 1:46 left… Milwaukee’s Ramon Sessions, who had 18 points replacing Redd, said Gomes’ shot was deflating.
Jefferson scores 39 as T-Wolves beat Bulls in OT
The AP reports: Al Jefferson scored a season-high 39 points and carried the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 109-108 overtime victory over the Bulls on Sunday night for their ninth win in 11 games… Rookie Kevin Love added 19 points and a tied a career high with 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who completed their biggest comeback of the season… Joakim Noah—who bounced back from his scoreless performance against Toronto to score 14 points and had a career-high seven blocked shots—had the unfortunate task of guarding Jefferson for most of the night… Ben Gordon led six Chicago players in double figures with 23 points. Luol Deng had 22 points for Chicago, while Rose added 18 and Andres Nocioni 15.
Wolves rally to beat Hornets
The AP reports: Al Jefferson had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Minnesota controlled the paint in a 116-108 victory over the Hornets… Randy Foye had 24 points and eight assists and Rodney Carney scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter for Minnesota. The Timberwolves scored 52 points in the paint against the league’s best post defense and held a 42-26 rebounding advantage to improve to 8-2 this month, tied with Orlando for best in the NBA. James Posey had 24 points and tied a career high with seven 3-pointers for New Orleans. Chris Paul added 23 points and 12 assists. New Orleans was able to overcome the absences of Chandler (left ankle) and West (back) down low against New Jersey on Wednesday, but not on this night.
Okur and Jazz beat Wolves 112-107
The AP reports: Mehmet Okur scored 22 points and hit consecutive late 3-pointers to boost the Utah Jazz past the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-107 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight home win. Paul Millsap led Utah with 28 points and 15 rebounds and his dunk gave the Jazz a 97-89 lead midway through the fourth quarter… With a chance to claim their first lead, Al Jefferson, who had 25 points and eight rebounds, missed a jump hook and Okur grabbed the rebound. He then made his consecutive 3s and added a free throw. Deron Williams, who had 17 points and 11 assists, drained a jumper to expand the advantage to 106-97. Ryan Gomes and Foye led Minnesota’s rally with late 3-pointers and each finished with 19 points. Sebastian Telfair scored 17, but couldn’t keep the Timberwolves from losing a sixth consecutive game in Salt Lake.
Jefferson helps Timberwolves beat Clippers 94-86
The AP reports: The Minnesota Timberwolves may be able to thank the Los Angeles Clippers for the wakeup call six weeks ago that provided them with the turning point to their season. Not that they showed much gratitude Monday. Al Jefferson scored 20 points and tied a season high with 17 rebounds, and Craig Smith also had 20 points for the Timberwolves in their 94-86 victory over the Clippers. Minnesota has won seven of its past eight after losing 15 of 17… Rookie Eric Gordon led Los Angeles with 25 points and reserve Steve Novak had a career-high 18. The loss was the 13th in 14 games for the Clippers, coming off a 101-92 win against Milwaukee on Saturday that ended a 12-game skid.