Wolves beat injury-riddled Thunder

TULSA, OKLA. – Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders repeatedly has said thus far he wants a team that played almost no zone defense last season to at least dabble in it this season.

If the concepts work like they did during Sunday's 112-94 preseason victory over injury-strapped Oklahoma City, they might do more than that.

"If we have the success we had tonight, we'll probably use it a lot," he said.

Refined during recent practices, those zone defenses held a Thunder team missing injured superstar Kevin Durant for the next two months to 36 percent shooting and 40 points in the first half on a night when Russell Westbrook, the opponent's other All-Star, made just three of 10 shots, scored 11 points and played only 23 minutes at the BOK Center.

Six Wolves players had two steals each and rookie forward Andrew Wiggins had three in zone defenses that also trapped Thunder players at three-quarters and half-court. Afterward, Saunders praised Wiggins' assertiveness and Kevin Martin's activeness.

"You try to use that to control the tempo of the game," said Saunders, whose team led 49-40 at halftime and by as many as 22 points late in the game. "We've been practicing it. We decided to use a little bit and play with it. It's another way you can get your guys moving a little bit defensively. We have a lot of guys who are long and quick."

Saunders said it's also another way to get three players — Ricky Rubio, Corey Brewer and Thaddeus Young, all among the NBA's steals leaders last season — he jokes should be in Gambler's Anonymous to defend with more discipline.

It helped that the Thunder had seven players, including Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison, injured, and that Westbrook shot poorly and didn't play at all in the fourth quarter.

"Man, we were really good at it tonight," Wolves forward Robbie Hummel said when asked about his team's zone. "It helps when Westbrook is struggling to shoot from the perimeter; we can stay in that zone and keep defending that way. And obviously with Durant out, it's a different team. But it gives their offense another thing to think about and prepare for. I can see us definitely doing that again."

Saunders unveiled a new — and unusual — starting lineup. Martin, J.J. Barea, Brewer, Young and Ronny Turiaf began the game because they won the most scrimmages from among three teams drafted at Saturday's practice in Tulsa.

"We've talked about how every practice counts," Saunders said. "How every time you go on the floor you compete."

So Sunday afternoon, he told players the guys who won the most Saturday would start Sunday.

Martin played 21 ½ minutes in his preseason debut Sunday and scored 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting even though it was his defensive effort that Saunders praised afterward. He missed the preseason's first three games because of a groin injury sustained at training camp in Mankato.

"My wind, getting some rust off," Martin said, referring to things he struggled with Sunday. "But it felt good."

Hummel wore a purple shirt — not black, as you might have expected — to Sunday's game after his alma mater Purdue lost an 11-point lead and the game to the Gophers football team.

"Flip and Ryan were pretty easy on me," Hummel said, referring to the father-son coaching tag team that both attended the University of Minnesota. "But my cousins from Minnesota were brutal."

Hummel played 19 minutes in his first preseason action since the opener at Indiana. He did so partly because power forward Anthony Bennett was bothered by a sore knee and played just 11 minutes as a precaution, and partly because he was active and productive at both ends. He scored 13 points and had seven rebounds.

• Saunders said the Wolves likely will make cuts this week. Their roster still is at 18 players. Obvious decisions are rookie guard Brady Heslip and center Kyrylo Fesenko, who has been ill the past several days and didn't travel on the two-game trip that ended Sunday. The Wolves must get to a 15-man roster before the Oct. 29 opener at Memphis.

• Bennett said he felt soreness in his knee during Saturday's practice and Saunders called his 11 minutes played Sunday a precaution intended to get the Wolves to their season opener healthy.

• Rookie Zach LaVine and veteran Chase Budinger didn't play at all Sunday. Muhammad also didn't play because of a heel injury that's caused him to miss the past three games. He likely will play Tuesday against Indiana.