Timberwolves-Jazz Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 15 2012 2:28AM

Kevin Love has been on a torrid run in March and the Minnesota Timberwolves will need of more of that from him as they press on without Ricky Rubio.

Love and the Timberwolves continue a seven-game road trip Thursday night against the Utah Jazz.

With Rubio out for the season with a torn ACL, Minnesota's chances of making the playoffs rest primarily on keeping Love healthy and productive.

While Love missed last Friday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers with back problems, he continued his hot stretch during the next two games. Love scored 31 points in Sunday's loss to New Orleans - the team's first without Rubio - and had 30 in a 127-124 win over Phoenix on Monday.

The Suns were ahead by five with 6:10 remaining, but Love scored 13 points in the fourth quarter while going 3 of 5 from 3-point range to help Minnesota (22-21) win the opener of its longest road trip of the season.

"The biggest thing for me is I didn't get a good warm up," said Love, who set a franchise mark with his 15th 30-point game of the season. "I had good looks in the first half but the ball never really felt right in my hand. I decided to get my legs under me in the second half and that was the biggest difference."

Love is leading the NBA with 32.3 points in six games this month - up from his season average of 25.7 points.

However, Love has been held below his scoring and rebounding averages in both meetings with Utah this season. He had 15 points and eight boards in a 108-98 loss in Salt Lake City on Jan. 21 and scored a season low-tying 10 with 10 rebounds in a 100-98 win at home Feb. 22.

Despite Rubio's absence, Minnesota scored its most points of the season in its last game. That may not be good news for the Jazz (20-22), who are coming off a poor defensive effort in a 120-111 loss at Phoenix on Wednesday.

Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson each scored 18 points, but Utah couldn't slow the Suns, who shot 56.4 percent overall and hit nine 3-pointers.

"We couldn't get over the hump," coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We didn't get the break we needed, but we have another one tomorrow."

The Jazz have lost three of four, but will play their next two at home, where they have won three straight and are 15-6.

While Utah has allowed at least 104 points in its last three road losses, the Jazz are giving up 93.9 points at home this season, including 90.3 in the last three contests there.

Minnesota has struggled to contain Utah's frontcourt. Millsap has averaged 25.5 points and 9.0 rebounds while Jefferson has added 18.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in two meetings this season.

The Jazz have won four straight at home against the Timberwolves.

Hayward, Millsap get Jazz past Timberwolves in OT

Posted Mar 16 2012 1:06AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) SALT LAKE CITY - Paul Millsap watched his potential game-winning layup roll off the rim at the end of regulation and hung his head in disbelief. He then promised himself he wouldn't let this game get away in overtime.

Gordon Hayward scored 18 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Millsap made a flurry of key plays in the final minute to lead the Utah Jazz past the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-105 on Thursday night.

"Our team had fought too hard to lose that game, so I had to be aggressive," Millsap said after tallying 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight steals. "We have too much on the line as we try and get into the playoffs. We're right there but we have to leave it all out on the court every game."

Millsap stole the ball twice in the final minute of overtime, made a key jumper and fed Hayward for a dunk as Utah scored the final six points.

"One word for Paul: heart! He just don't give up. Anybody, including me, could have have just felt sorry for himself when you miss a layup that could've won the game, but not Paul," Al Jefferson said.

Devin Harris scored 18 points and Alec Burks had a career-best 15 as he replaced CJ Miles in the bench rotation and played the entire fourth quarter and overtime.

Kevin Love had 25 points and 16 rebounds, Nikola Pekovic scored 20 and Luke Ridnour had 18 points and 13 assists for Minnesota.

"We just couldn't get a rebound when it mattered," Love said. "We played them tough, they played tough, but they prevailed in the end because they made the plays."

The Jazz led 84-80 in the fourth quarter and there was little energy amidst the one of the season's smallest crowds in the normally raucous Energy Solution Arena. Millsap immediately changed the tenor of the game with three consecutive steals that led to two dunks and a standing ovation.

"I don't want to be sitting there next summer, thinking of games like this and saying, `I wish I would have done this or that.' We're going to put it all on the line," Millsap said.

Millsap, who was the subject of several trade rumors, then made a 12-foot jumper, assisted on a Hayward bucket and blocked Ridnour's floater to give Utah a 92-80 lead with 4:31 to play.

The Wolves fought back with two 3-pointers by Ridnour and another from Love. Pekovic made four free throws on back-to-back possessions and Ridnour made a rebound basket with 11 seconds remaining to pull to 98-97.

Hayward made 1 of 2 from the line with 10.3 seconds to go. Millsap forced Ridnour to shoot a contested 3-point attempt as time ran down but Pekovic grabbed the air ball and banked it in with 0.7 on the clock.

After a timeout advanced the ball downcourt, Jamaal Tinsley alley-ooped the long inbounds pass to Millsap, whose wide-open layup rimmed out at the buzzer to force overtime.

"It was a great screen, a great pass. Everything was executed well. I just tricked off the layup," Millsap said.

On Feb. 22, the Wolves came back from an 18-point deficit against the Jazz and rallied to win at the buzzer on Ridnour's floater, 100-98.

Minnesota almost did it again but it couldn't overcome the Jazz's 56 points in the paint and their 55-47 rebounding advantage, highlighted by Derrick Favors' career-high 16 boards in 23 minutes of play.

"Twice, we had chances with a two-point lead to get the ball and we gave up offensive rebounds both times. That was the story all night long," Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said.

Love, who was averaging a league-best 32 points in March, shot 9 for 23 and had just two points in overtime amidst Millsap's heroics. The Wolves, who played their second game of a season-high seven-game road trip, now lead the Jazz by one-half game as they both chase the eighth playoff spot.

Hayward missed the late free throw and allowed Pekovic to get the game-tying rebound basket but redeemed himself in overtime for the Jazz, who won their fourth straight at home.

"He didn't hang his head. He continued to fight ... and made some big plays for us down the stretch," Utah coach Ty Corbin said.

But the biggest cheers and accolades belonged to the hustling Millsap.

"In that overtime performance - getting his hands on balls, making the big shot - he just showed who he is. He's a tough competitor," Corbin said.

NOTES: Love jammed his thumb in the second quarter and played with a taped left hand the rest of the game. ... Utah GM Kevin O'Connor said before the game that he received lots of calls but "wouldn't make a deal that just improved us for 20 games and not for the long term." ... Michael Beasley, who was inactive for the game, was the subject of many trade rumors but sat down with coach Rick Adelman who said, "We told him we need him to play both ends of the court. He is an offensive player, an extremely gifted offensive player. But if that's not going well for him, we still need him engaged in OT."

Notebook: Jazz 111, Wolves 105

Posted Friday March 16, 2012 12:39AM

By Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap went from goat to hero in less than an overtime period.

Millsap made up for missing what would have been a game-winning layup in regulation by coming up with a key steal, assist and jumper in overtime to help the Utah Jazz to a 111-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Millsap, who tied a career-high with eight steals, started the game's momentum-changing play with a deflection.

Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with a season-high 26 points, and point guard Devin Harris had 18 points and four assists. Kevin Love had 25 points and 16 rebounds for Minnesota.

QUOTABLE: "I had to [redeem myself]. Our team fought too hard to lose that game. Our team fought and fought. I just wanted to be aggressive and see what happened after that."
-- Paul Millsap on his play in overtime after his missed layup in regulation.

THE STAT: It isn't easy to beat Minnesota on the boards, but the Jazz did it and it was one of the reasons why they won. Utah held a 55-47 rebounding edge over the Timberwolves, who entered Thursday's game as the league's third-best rebounding team.

TURNING POINT: With the game tied at 105-105, Millsap deflected a pass intended for Love. Harris caught the deflection, and from the ground threw a looping outlet pass to Millsap. Millsap then led a two-on-one fast break and dished to Hayward for a dunk. On Utah's next possession, Millsap hit a jumper to make it 109-105 with 19.2 seconds remaining.

Minnesota forced overtime by rallying from a 12-point deficit with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter. On the final play in regulation, Millsap missed a layup after a perfectly thrown in-bounds pass by Harris that led him close to the basket.

HOT: Derrick Favors was a rebounding machine for the Jazz as he had a career-high 16 boards. He had 12 of his rebounds in the first half with eight of them coming on the offensive end, although five of the offensive boards came off of his own misses. Minnesota's Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and nine rebounds and scored on a putback with 0.7 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 99-99.

NOT: Love is probably glad he doesn't have to shoot inside EnergySolutions Arena any more this season. Although his numbers were more than respectable on Thursday, his shooting percentage was subpar. He shot 2-for-8 from 3-point range and 9-for-23 (39.1 percent) overall, which was actually an improvement from his previous appearance in Utah. In a January loss in Utah, Love shot 5-for-21, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range. Favors was Utah's worst shooter, as he was 2-for-9.

QUOTABLE II: "He showed true professionalism and toughness. It was a tough break in missing the shot (at the end of regulation). It was a point blank shot for him. But the overtime performance, getting his hands on balls, making the big shot right there at the end at the free-throw line ... he just showed who he is. He's a tough competitor."
-- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on Millsap's night.

FANTASY WATCH: Despite his poor shooting, Love showed why he's one of the league's most valuable fantasy players. He recorded his 36th double-double of the season with 25 points and 16 rebounds.

ROOKIE WATCH: Utah guard Alec Burks gave the Jazz a much-needed burst of energy. He played a career high 31 minutes and tied his career-high with 15 points. He shot 6-for-8, and played all of the fourth quarter and overtime.

GOOD MOVE: Playing Burks in crunch time was the right move by Corbin. Jazz fans have been clamoring to see more of the team's youngsters such as Burks, Favors and Enes Kanter in the lineup. Burks earned his big opportunity by getting in a rhythm in the final minutes of the third quarter when he scored six points in less than three minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "We just couldn't get a rebound when it mattered. That's really all it was. Played them tough, they played tough and they prevailed in the end. They made the plays."
-- Kevin Love on how his team's rebounding woes contributed to the loss.

NOTABLE: Michael Beasley did not play for the Timberwolves because of a sprained left big toe. Millsap's eight steals were the most by a starting forward since Jason Richardson had eight in April of 2008.

UP NEXT: For the Timberwolves, Friday @ LA. Lakers, Sunday @ Sacramento, Monday @ Golden State. For the Jazz, Saturday vs. Golden State, Sunday @ L.A. Lakers, Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City.

• Timberwolves: Beasley, Rubio
• Jazz: Watson

• Timberwolves: --
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #40 Leon Wood, #34 Kevin Cutler
• Attendance: 18053
• Duration: 2:21