04/01/2010 - 15:15
Al, Wolves Work the Post
by
Matt Martino
Big Al Jefferson led the charge down low Wednesday night, but a little help from his friends provided the Minnesota Wolves with a much-needed win.
Minnesota defeated the Sacramento Kings, 108-99, ending a franchise record-tying 16-game losing streak and winning for the first time since Feb. 23 and for the first time at Target Center since Feb. 6.
"I'm happy. Yeah I'm happy," said Al, who led Minnesota with 19 points and 12 rebounds. "It's good to get this win. It's real good to get the win and to prove to the other teams that we can play the right way."
Al doing work down low (Getty Image). |
It was Al's 34th double-double of the season. But he wasn't the only one to double up.
Darko Milicic finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Kevin Love tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds. Those three double-doubles provided a 46-33 rebounding advantage verse the Kings.
"I think the biggest reason is Milicic, Jefferson and Love really played great," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "I'm not so sure we would have out-rebounded them had we had Spencer (Hawes). It would have been nice to have him. Give those guys credit, they were outstanding on the boards."
Big Al was happy to share the bucket and the glass with his two longest teammates as they turned into the three amigos in the post. He was quick to acknowledge the contributions of his teammates, in particular, his fellow big men.
"Great to see three guys in double figures, rebounding, sharing the ball," Al told Star-Tribune. "It just proves we can play well and play the right way. One thing I have to realize: We play well when I play great defense. If I set a great example on the defensive end that makes all the guys step up and play great `D.' It gives us a great chance to win."
No. 25's defense was on point as he recorded a career-high-tying 6 blocks, three of them in one sequence against Kings forward Carl Landry early in the fourth quarter.
"That's what's going to win a lot of games for us," No. 25 said.
Milicic added four rejections of his own, resulting in a season-high 10 blocked shots for Minnesota.
"I got here a month ago and I see these guys here, nobody really wants to lose," Milicic told NBA.com. "These guys got a lot of talent and they want to win. It is tough on all of us, we have to focus and finish the season as strong as we can."
MOST IMPROVED
Late this season Minnesota has been campaigning for Corey Brewer as the NBA’s Most Improved Player and Brewer made an impression on Big Al Wednesday night that he conveyed to the voters.
"It has been a while to see anybody score in the clutch on our team," No. 25 told the Star-Tribune.
The Wolves accumulated a 20-point lead at the 8-minute mark only to allow a 16-2 Sacramento run. It was at that point in which Brewer came off the bench to score the team's final 10 points, starting with a three-pointer and ending with an emphatic slam dunk with 34.7 seconds remaining.
That dunk was the result of pick-pocketing Rookie of the Year favorite Tyreke Evans, who Brewer had been harassing all-night.
"Corey does a great job on Tyreke," Al said. "He makes Tyreke think a lot because he's so long and quick. Corey played great on him. He's a great point guard. I don't think no one will be able to stop him, but Corey did a great job maintaining him and making him think a lot."
NEXT UP
Wednesday's victory was the Wolves' first since Feb. 23, when they won in Miami against a Heat team that was without star guard Dwyane Wade.
Seven games remain in the season and Minnesota hopes to build a winning streak. Their next contest challenge comes Saturday against Miami, and presumably Wade, at Target Center as they look for a season sweep of the Heat.
RELATED STORIES
No April Fool's joke: Wolves win (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, April 1, 2010)
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/89640642.html?page=1&c=y
Streak's over: Wolves win, 108-99 (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, April 1, 2010)
http://www.startribune.com/blogs/On_the_Wolves.html
Wolves Topple Kings (NBA.com, March 31, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/Wolves_Topple_Kings_2010_03_31.html...
Jefferson, Milicic double-doubles help Wolves end slide (AP, March 31, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300331016
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