02/01/2010 - 17:36
New Lineup Sparks Wins
by
Matt Martino
For the first time this season, Al Jefferson was able to sit back during the fourth quarter and enjoy watching his teammates close out a victory on Sunday.
"It's good and relaxing," Al said. "I just smiled and had a good time."
The big fella finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds as Minnesota cruised past the New York Knicks 112-91.
With a 111-97 win on Friday night versus the Los Angeles Clippers, the Wolves have strung together two consecutive double-digit victories. The recent success has come after a change in the lineup.
To start the game against the Clippers, coach Kurt Rambis inserted Ryan Hollins as the starting center with Kevin Love and Damien Wilkins coming off the bench.
The change was made to provide balance between the first and second units. It worked; in fact the shuffle has the Wolves looking like an entirely different team. One that is deep enough to afford having their franchise big man rest during the fourth quarter.
"I was very pleased with how our guys started the basketball game," Rambis told NBA.com after the victory against the Clippers. "They were doing so many of the concepts that we we've been working on, at both ends of the floor."
Of course, the Wolves success is always predicated on the play of No. 25. Al closed the door on the Clips by scoring 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. He also finished with 16 rebounds and 3 blocks.
He once again tallied 12 points in the final session against the Knicks. This time around, Al needed only four minutes to score 12, as he sat with eight minutes remaining and his team ahead by 20.
LINEUP CHANGE
Ryan Hollins has made the most of his new starting gig. The first-year Minnesota center tied a career-high with 19 points against the Clippers followed by a 16-point effort verse the Knicks.
The seven-footer has provided the much-needed length and athleticism to compliment Al’s power game. More importantly, Hollins’ solid play has allowed Rambis to confidently bring Kevin Love off the bench, making the Wolves a suddenly deep team.
Minnesota outscored New York’s bench 51-8 to go along with a 58-36 rebound advantage due in large part to Kevin Love tallying a career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds as the Wolves’ sixth man.
"I like that second unit. We've got a nice rhythm going now," Love told the Star-Tribune after routing the Knicks. "I talked to Coach [Bill] Laimbeer about it, and he said, 'You're still going to play your same minutes.' We just need a spark off the bench."
The emergence of Hollins and Love's impact off the bench has trickled down and affected Al’s performance as well. In the two games with Hollins and the starting center, No. 25 is shooting an incredibly efficient 61 percent from the field while averaging 18 points.
With Hollins and Love, opponents can no longer double-team Al every time he touches the ball.
"They take the pressure off me. I can do other things -- rebound, get some assists," Al told the Star-Tribune. "In the first half, teams are double-teaming me, and they give [Love and Hollins] opportunities to score. So teams move off me, and that frees me up."
When New York opened its early lead, reminiscent of its 15-0 start in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
"A lot of guys might have thought, 'Oh Lord, here we go again,'" Al said. "But now we feel the second unit can get us back in it. Like they did tonight."
NEXT UP
After two wins with a revamped lineup, coach Kurt Rambis and his players have marked the New Year a month late.
"We just want them to think of the rest of the season as a starting point for them," Rambis told NBA.com. "This is where we are starting from. Let's see what we can do as ball club to get ourselves into these respectable number categories. Forget everything, don't include anything that has happened in the past, just start from right now."
The Wolves have four days off before traveling to Dallas to play the Mavericks (30-17). The following day, the Wolves head back to Minnesota where they’ll face the Memphis Grizzlies (25-21).
Last season, Al averaged 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds against the Mavericks.
RELATED STORIES
Second win gives Wolves lots to love about lineup (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, January 31, 2010)
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/83217257.html?page=1&c=y
Wolves Breeze By Knicks (NBA.com, January 31, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/Wolves__Breeze__By__Knicks__2010_01...
Love posts double-double to help Timberwolves top Knicks (AP, January 31, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300131016
Jefferson, Timberwolves cruise past Clippers (AP, January 29, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300129016
Wolves Coast To Win Over Clippers (NBA.com, January 29, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/Wolves_Coast_To_Win_Over_Clippers_2...
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