12/07/2009 - 17:13
Big Fourth Leads to Win
by
Matt Martino
The young Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled in the second halves of games this year, failing to close teams out when they've had the chance. But on Saturday, Al Jefferson and Co. refused to let that happen, turning in a tremendous fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz that earned the Wolves a 108-101 victory.
Minnesota (3-17) led for the entire quarter, had no turnovers, allowed no fast-break points, converted 12 of 20 shots from the floor, and 11 of 14 free-throw attempts to down Utah and pick up their third win of the season.
And while Big Al didn't have one of his strongest shooting performances on the night (7-of-19 from the field), he was strong in the fourth, going 4-of-8 for nine points in the final frame, including back-to-back buckets with under two minutes remaining.
Big Al's clutch fourth quarter led Minnesota to victory over the Jazz (Getty Images). |
Al finished with his second straight double-double: 15 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two steals and a block.
"Al is still working through the adjustments he has to make in his game to fit in the way I want him to play," coach Kurt Rambis said. "He's so used to being on side of the court and playing offense, but we are expecting him to do a lot of things defensive wise and get rebounds, so it takes another level of conditioning to get that point.
"So for a while I expect him to be an aggressive post offense player, sometimes while he is recovering from his knee and getting his rhythm back, which still might take another month or so."
Minnesota outrebounded the Jazz 41-36 and 12-8 on the offensive glass. The return of Kevin Love has had an immediate impact in the paint and on No. 25:
"That's the best thing about having Kevin back," Big Al said. "I don't have to fight for every rebound myself. He's down there with me"
Minnesota finished the week 2-2 and produced their most efficient game of the year against the Jazz, converting 61.5 percent of their shots after halftime (and a season-best, by far, 57.1 percent for the game), mostly on the strength of a 17-0 advantage in fast-break points.
"I thought our guys did a real good job, for a huge majority of the ball game, doing the right things, sticking to the game plan defensively and moving the basketball," Rambis said. "It was nice to see."
FINISH STRONGER
Minnesota’s performance at the Target Center on Saturday was a vast turnaround from their performance just one night prior.
Despite a great night from No. 25, the New Orleans Hornets turned a 63-61 deficit into a 75-65 lead with a 14-2 run at the end of the third quarter and led by at least five points the rest of the way.
Al finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds and had his team up by as many as 11 throughout the game. The Wolves have displayed a tendency for surrendering double-digit leads, something that didn’t occur on Saturday.
If Minnesota hopes to improve their winning percentage they must continue to close out games. Al and Co. are hopeful Saturday's result signifies the end of their second half struggles.
NEXT UP
Minnesota heads north of the border on Tuesday to Toronto where they will play the Raptors (9-13).
Al hasn’t faced Toronto since Feb. 27th of the 2007-08 season. In that game, he tallied 23 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
RELATED STORIES
Love conquers all as Timberwolves upset Jazz (St. Paul Pioneer Press, December 6, 2009)
http://www.twincities.com/ci_13937107?source=most_viewed
Wolves strike for season's third win (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, December 6, 2009
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/78613032.html
Jazz win streak ends with a thud (Salt Lake Tribune, December 5, 2009)
http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_13937834
Wolves Fight Off Jazz (NBA.com, December 5, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/Wolves_Fight_Off_Jazz_2009_12_05.ht...
Love shines in second game back as Jazz's 4-game streak ends (AP, December 5, 2009)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=291205016
Paul shakes off rust for near triple-double; Love also back (AP, December 4, 2009)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=291204003
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
