01/12/2010 - 15:31
Al Doubles Up for 18th Time
by
Matt Martino
Nearly once every two times the Minnesota Timberwolves play, their opponent can expect a double-double out of big Al Jefferson.
In his 37th game, Big Al tallied his 18th double-double of the season, with 22 points and 15 rebounds Monday night against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Unfortunately, his efforts weren’t enough as Denver went on a 21-5 run in the first six minutes of the third quarter en route to a 105-94 victory.
A sluggish start to the second half continues to be the Wolves Achilles' heel, but it hasn't plagued their two big men, whose inside game continues to dominate.
No. 25’s partner in crime, Kevin Love, also chipped in a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Al and Love patrolled the interior, leading Minnesota to a 50-38 points in the paint advantage. Monday’s contests marked the 11th time this the season in which Minnesota’s frontcourt duo recorded double-doubles in the same game.
The two demonstrated they could coexist offensively as well. At the 5:26 mark of the second quarter, Al found Love in the post where he converted an old-fashion 3-point play.
Down 18 in the fourth-quarter, the Wolves battled back to within eight in the final minute but were never within striking distance of Denver.
Overall, coach Kurt Rambis was pleased with his team’s performance when talking to NBA.com:
"I thought our guys did a pretty good job tonight, at both ends of the floor. We obviously had lapses at both ends."
To go along with his 22 points and 15 boards, No. 25 had a block, a steal and two assists in 40 minutes. Of his 15 rebounds, eight came on the offensive end.
NEXT UP
The Wolves travel to Houston on the next stop of a four-game road trip. Minnesota (8-31) looks to avoid three straight losses as they battle the Rockets (21-16) this Wednesday. Tip-off of the contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.
Big Al registered a big night earlier in the season against the Rockets. He finished 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in a game lost by Minnesota.
RELATED STORIES
Timberwolves lack pop in 105-94 loss to Nuggets (Pioneer-Press, January 12, 2010)
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_14169283?source=rss
Wolves Suffer Mile High Defeat (NBA.com, January 12, 2010
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/Wolves_Suffer_Mile_High_Defeat_2010...
Nuggets put out Wolves' comeback hopes as Anthony's 3s seal victory (AP, January 11, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300111007
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