Trail Blazers, Timberwolves – Second Meeting, Same Result?
By Ryan Allison
Tonight at 5:00 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers meet the Minnesota Timberwolves for the second time this season. Ten days ago, the Trail Blazers used a visit from the Timberwolves to start a new win streak. The Timberwolves have not won since losing to the Trail Blazers and have lost six in a row overall. The game can be viewed on CSNNW or heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
In case anyone was wondering, the Trail Blazers are playing pretty good basketball right now. They won their fifth consecutive game last night in Detroit and have won 14 of their last 15 games. They are getting production from multiple people and in many different facets of the game. Aldridge continues to rewrite the Trail Blazers’ record book yet he seemed to force his offense last night. I say that but he was the go-to player when the Pistons pulled within four with seven minutes left.
Aldridge led the way against the Timberwolves in the first meeting and was very efficient in doing so. He was 11-17 from the field and finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Just another note on how good he’s been, last night he recorded his sixth consecutive double-double and now has 10+ rebounds in nine straight games, the longest streak in the NBA this season. Feed the beast!
I also have to give a tip of the cap to Lillard. He is playing with two sprained fingers on his shooting hand and he continues to be effective. He has averaged 17.0 points in the two games since his injury and has had five rebounds in each game as well. Tonight, I hope to see Lillard take advantage of his opposing rookie defender, LaVine. This is will be LaVine’s fourth NBA start (started the last three games because Williams is out with bask spasms) and I’m not sure he’s ready to defend Lillard or handle Lillard’s improved defense.
The Timberwolves are just trying to get by while a big chunk of their players are sidelined. Rubio, Pekovic, Martin, and Turiaf all missed the last meeting against Portland. Most of those guys have missed quite a bit of time due to their injuries. Head Coach Flip Saunders must be throwing his hands up and saying, “What do you expect me to do?” Not much you can do when you are starting two rookies (Wiggins, LaVine) and one second year player (Dieng). The only things that play into the Timberwolves are that they are at home and this is the second of a back-to-back for the Trail Blazers.
Two areas the Trail Blazers can improve on from their last meeting with the Timberwolves would be turnovers and defending the paint. It seems like turnovers have grown from a small problem to a big problem. The Trail Blazers have only been able to manage single-digit turnovers in three games this season. Three! The Pistons only had six last night while the Trail Blazers had 13. Against the Timberwolves, the Trail Blazers gave up 18 turnovers, which luckily only led to 13 points. They must take care of the ball and stop handing their opponents extra possessions.
Finally, defending the paint was a huge issue against the Timberwolves in the first meeting. Minnesota had 60 of their 93 total points in the paint. The Trail Blazers only managed 34 points which is a little lopsided if you ask me. As mentioned, the Timberwolves are once again without Pekovic and Turiaf, so the paint should not be that difficult to control. Lopez and Chris Kaman need to do a better job of protecting the rim. Even though it’s a second game of a back-to-back and the third of a five-game road trip, this should be another Trail Blazers victory.