Warriors-Timberwolves Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Nov 15 2012 11:05PM

With four starters and six key players out with injuries, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been searching for help.

They'd like to see Josh Howard provide some as soon as Friday night.

A day after signing the former All-Star to a one-year deal, Howard is expected to be in uniform when short-handed Minnesota hosts Golden State on Friday night.

Brandon Roy (sore knee), JJ Barea (sprained foot) and Nikola Pekovic (sprained ankle) missed Wednesday's 89-87 home loss to Charlotte, joining Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio and Chase Budinger among the walking wounded for Minnesota.

Down to nine healthy players on the roster and with Roy, Barea and Pekovic unlikely to return Friday, the Timberwolves (5-3) made a move Thursday in signing Howard to a one-year deal. The 32-year-old, who averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 43 games with Utah last season, worked out for the Wolves on Monday in Dallas.

"We need somebody at that spot," coach Rick Adelman said. "We looked around and he seemed to be a good candidate."

Though Howard is unlikely to play heavy minutes Friday, he could spell Andrei Kirilenko, who has played more than 42 minutes in three consecutive games as Minnesota's lone healthy starter. He finished with a season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds against Charlotte for his third consecutive double-double.

"It's been hard, but you have to give our guys credit," Adelman said. "We talked to them today about the fact that we can win games, even though you're short-handed."

Despite the barrage of injuries, the Wolves are staying competitive by being one of the league's top defensive teams. Minnesota, which had won four of five before falling to the visiting Bobcats, leads the Western Conference in points allowed (88.5) and opponent field goal percentage (41.4).

"Offensively, we don't have a lot of firepower," Adelman said. "But if you defend well enough, it helps your offense."

Defense and rebounding have also been the keys for the Warriors (4-4), who are also among the NBA leaders in opponent field goal percentage (41.9) and are 4-0 when they outrebound their opponent.

Rookie Harrison Barnes played a major role in the effort on the boards Wednesday as Golden State held a 44-29 advantage in a 92-88 victory over Atlanta.

The seventh overall pick had a breakout performance with 19 points and 13 rebounds after failing to record more than 14 points or five boards in his first seven games.

David Lee added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, which snapped a two-game skid before starting a three-game road trip that includes stops in Oklahoma City and Dallas.

"We go on a road trip with some tough stops and we're excited to have some momentum going for sure," Lee said.

The Warriors have beaten the Timberwolves in eight of the last 10 meetings, including both in Minnesota last season.

Golden State, however, learned that center Andrew Bogut, who has missed the last three games, will be out longer than expected while he continues to rehab his surgically repaired left ankle.

The team is already without guard Brandon Rush, who tore his ACL on Nov. 2.

"We're missing two of our best five players, so we're in a similar situation (as Minnesota)," coach Mark Jackson said. "But you still have to find a way to handle your business until those get back healthy."

Warriors dominate paint in 106-98 win over Wolves

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Posted Nov 17 2012 12:06AM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Mark Jackson's Golden State Warriors have started flexing their muscles and picking up steam after being pushed around in a loss to Denver last weekend.

Rick Adelman's "magnificent nine" Minnesota Timberwolves have finally started to wear down after a spirited start to the season and desperately need the break they have coming up.

David Lee had 18 points and 13 rebounds and the Warriors dominated inside during a 106-98 victory over the Timberwolves on Friday night.

Carl Landry added 15 points and seven boards and Stephen Curry had 17 points and six assists for the Warriors (5-4), who outscored Minnesota 58-22 in the paint.

After the Nuggets owned them inside in a double-overtime win on Saturday, the Warriors have responded with two decisive performances in the paint in wins over the Hawks and Wolves.

"We talked about it losing to Denver a couple of games ago because they outrebounded us and they dominated us," Jackson said. "So we made the adjustments and fortunately the last two games we've been doing a good job of securing the basketball, closing out defensive possessions."

Alexey Shved had 22 points and seven assists and Derrick Williams had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves (5-4), who are starting to succumb to the injuries that have ravaged them early this season. Now they have four much-needed days off to try to recuperate.

"We're running out of gas a little bit," said Andrei Kirilenko, who had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks.

The Wolves have been playing with just nine players for the last three games. Nikola Pekovic (sprained left ankle), J.J. Barea (sprained left foot) and Brandon Roy (sore right knee) are out for the short term. Kevin Love (right hand) and Ricky Rubio (left knee) aren't expected to make their season debuts until December and Chase Budinger (left knee) is out for three to four months.

Harrison Barnes had 18 points and nine rebounds and the Warriors outrebounded Minnesota 50-34. Golden State led 90-76 with eight minutes to play, but the scrappy Wolves clawed back in it, just as they've done all season.

Shved's runner cut it to 92-89 with four minutes to go, but the short-handed Wolves just didn't have enough in the tank to finish it off.

Lee hit a short jumper and Charles Jenkins and Barnes both scored on easy drives to close it out. It was a nice win for the Warriors to start a tough three-game road trip that includes games at Oklahoma City and Dallas.

Without Pekovic out there to clog the paint, the Warriors attacked the rim relentlessly and pounded the Wolves on the glass. During one possession in the third quarter, the Warriors had three offensive rebounds before Barnes converted a tough layup for a 67-60 lead. And they just kept coming.

Lee with a dunk, Klay Thompson with an easy layup off a screen, Jarrett Jack with a pull-up jumper just outside the lane. Suddenly it was 80-64 and the Warriors were rolling against a Timberwolves team that entered the game leading the NBA in scoring defense.

"We've got to be a grinding ballclub," Jack said. "It's not always going to be a shirt and tie. ... We've got to be a team that's going to be able to grit our teeth."

With six of his top seven players out, Adelman has been forced to elevate the minutes of role players, and it's starting to take its toll.

"We're playing with guys that are support players around our team and they're playing big minutes," Adelman said. "We didn't react the way we needed to."

Desperate for healthy bodies, the Wolves signed Josh Howard on Thursday.

He grabbed a rebound and knocked down a baseline jumper in his first 27 seconds on the court, then added a steal and another long two in a six-minute stint. It was exactly what Adelman was looking for, some competent wing play to allow a little bit of rest for Kirilenko, who played 88 minutes the previous two games.

Howard cooled off considerably in the second half, finishing with six points on 3-of-10 shooting.

The Wolves will get no sympathy from Golden State, which is missing center Andrew Bogut and swingman Brandon Rush.

"Nobody's going to take any pity on you, any mercy on you because you're not at full strength," Jack said.

NOTES: During a video in the first quarter, Kirilenko told the story of how he got the nickname AK47. He said he originally had No. 13 when he came to the Jazz, but gave it up to Jackson, who now coaches the Warriors. Jazz teammate and former University of Minnesota star Quincy Lewis told Kirilenko about the gun, so Kirilenko chose the No. 47 and the nickname was born. ... Former Wolves, Pistons and Wizards coach Flip Saunders watched a game from the seats at Target Center for the first time since he was fired by Minnesota in 2005. ... The Warriors improved to 4-0 when Jack, who scored 13 points, reaches double figures.

Notebook: Warriors 106, Timberwolves 98

Tom Coyer, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:18 PM - Updated Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:18 PM

THE FACTS: The Golden State Warriors used a balanced attack to pull away from the Minnesota Timberwolves and finish with a 106-98 road victory. Six different Warriors scored in double-digits. David Lee recording a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards to pair with rookie Harrison Barnes who also had 18. Stephen Curry was right behind those two with 17 points and six assists. The Warriors took the lead seconds before halftime and didn't look back leading by as much as 15 in the final two quarters. The win was the second in a row for Golden State who was playing their first of a three-game road trip. Minnesota was led by Derrick Williams, who recorded a season high 23 points and rookie Alexey Shved also scored a season and career high with 22.

QUOTABLE: "We don't have a 30 point scorer on this team so I think the balanced attack is the way we need to go. Everybody shared the ball tonight and everybody made big plays and that's the way it has to be, that's the way we are most effective." - Lee

THE STAT: The Warriors dominated the rebounding tonight as they held a 49-34 advantage over Minnesota, including 17 offensive boards. On one particular possession in the third quarter Golden State grabbed three offensive rebounds before finally finishing the possession with a Barnes lay-up. This stat was a significant reason they were able to control the tempo and keep Minnesota at arm's length in the final two quarters.

TURNING POINT: Minnesota led for nearly all of the first half, but Golden State went on a small 7-0 run to end the half and take a three point lead into the break. This was the beginning of the turning point but then their run continued into the third quarter and was ultimately a 15-2 run spanning the 2nd and 3rd quarters to go up nine and they didn't trail the rest of the way.

HOT: Slow starts by rookies are nothing new, but Barnes is quickly acclimating to the NBA and has led the Warriors in scoring in back-to-back games. 18 points and nine rebounds tonight after recording 19 points and 13 rebounds on Wednesday against Atlanta.

NOTABLE: Minnesota did make a late run to make the game interesting in the final few minutes. Part of what made this Golden State win impressive is that they finished the game without their point guard. Curry fouled out with 2:49 remaining and his team leading by just three after the made free-throws. At that point Minnesota had momentum and then an energized home crowd behind their 11-2 run. But Golden State managed to hold the lead and extend it without their primary ball-handler and scorer. Charles Jenkins replaced Curry at point and contributed four points and two rebounds in the final minutes.

UP NEXT: For the Timberwolves: Wednesday vs. Denver, Friday @ Portland and Saturday @ Golden State. For the Warriors: Sunday @ Oklahoma City, Monday @ Dallas and Wednesday vs. Brooklyn.

• Warriors: Bogut, Rush
• Timberwolves: Love, Roy, Rubio

• Warriors: --
• Timberwolves: Shved

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #15 Bennett Salvatore, #60 James Williams, #59 Gary Zielinski
• Attendance: 16013
• Duration: 2:12