The Wolves have gone three games without a win, and have gone nearly 102 minutes without even having a lead. And so it was a fairly despondent group that headed out of the Verizon Center locker room here in Washington, D.C., tonight.
"I think we know what's going on," guard J.J. Barea said. "I think I've been through it before. I think we've all been through it. We've just got to hold on, you know, be patient, and keep fighting every game."
Fact is, the litany of Wolves injuries has taken its toll. The Wolves have struggled mightily of late, especially on defense. Tonight the lowest-scoring team in the NBA scored the most points allowed by the Wolves this season. And the the offense is hurting, too. There just aren't enough players at acting coach Terry Porter's disposal who can be depended on to score.Here are some quick thoughts on tonight's game:--Ricky Rubio played a season-high 31:01 tonight. He had four points on 1-for-8 shooting – he is still struggling to explode on drives to the hoop – with six assists and five turnovers.--Mickael Gelabale and Chris Johnson combined to score 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting with 12 rebounds. But the fact that Porter has to depend on two players just signed to 10-day deals to play a combined 47 minutes shows you what injuries have done to this team.--After getting to the free throw line just six times Wednesday, the Wolves made 33 trips there Friday. They missed 13 of them.--Derrick Williams had a double-double, with 11 rebounds and 18 points. But he needed 17 shots to get those 18 points.That's about it for tonight. I'll get back at you before tomorrow night's game in Charlotte.
