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The Day After | Wolves vs. Celtics Quick Hits

Thad Young said after last night’s game that he thought it was a winnable one being that the Boston Celtics were coming off of five road games before they took on the Wolves at the Target Center. Young said that he figured the Celtics were ready to get this game over with and go home.

It’s kind of like when you’re out with your buddies. You’re not really feeling it, it’s 1:30 a.m. and you could easily call it a night. You decide to go to one more bar with your buddies. Do you get a strong drink, shots with your buddies or try to get wild?

Nope. You get a Mike’s Hard Lemonade, sip it and wait for 2 a.m. to hit.

The Celtics kind of this last night, but let’s not take anything away from the Wolves. They sensed that Boston was a bit worn down, but they also played extremely good basketball, especially late in the game with a guy who was playing in the D-League earlier this week.

The Wolves won 110-98 while SEVEN players scored 11 points or more for the Wolves. That’s pretty impressive. We’ll hit on a few topics in today’s Quick Hits, but before we do, let’s chat about a few people we won’t be talking about.

Gorgui Dieng was great again. He finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. My favorite thing about Dieng this season is that he sometimes answers your question with another question.

A few weeks ago someone asked him, “Gorgui, do you think your offensive game has developed over the last season?”

Gorgui: ���Yeah, I worked on it very hard this offseason…  Do you think it has?”

We need less Marshawn Lynch and more Gorgui Dieng.

Andrew Wiggins didn’t have his best game. He finished with 12 points, but his effort late in the game was spectacular. He’s now hit 10 or more points in 19 straight games. Not bad. When Wiggins was chatting after the game, Young tickled his ear and everyone laughed. Winning is fun, you guys. And pizza is half off!

What Can Brown Do For You?

The Wolves announced earlier in the day that they had signed point guard Lorenzo Brown to a 10-day contract. Brown was coming straight out of the D-League. We weren’t sure how much he would be used, but head coach Flip Saunders told us that he’d be playing for at least 15 minutes with Mo Williams out for personal reasons.

A big part of me didn’t think Brown would be a positive difference maker. I mean, coming from the D-League, not knowing your teammates or the offense… I mean, that’s a tough task.

And then Brown did his thing. He looked extremely confident, led Minnesota’s offense and played 24 minutes and five seconds, including the final quarter of the game, giving the Wolves their first home win since Dec. 10. He finished with 11 points and three assists.

What can Brown do for you, you ask?

Just ask Phil Pressey.

Return of K-Mart

Kevin Martin made his highly-anticipated return last night against Boston. He hadn’t played since Nov. 19, when he scored 37 points, most coming with a broken right wrist.

He was still in that mode last night as he finished with 21 points, including nine straight in the fourth quarter.

He played 29 minutes, impressive considering how much time he’s missed. Making a few shots helps too, though.

Here’s what Martin had to say before the game: “ I’ll tell you one thing, if the shots are going in, I probably won’t be tired.”

That seemed to be the case last night. It will be interesting to see when/if Saunders inserts Martin back into the lineup. If he does, he’ll have to make a decision on whether Dieng or Nikola Pekovic will start at center. With how well Dieng has played lately, that’s a tough decision.

Practicing For The Dunk Competition

Zach LaVine has hit a rookie wall as of late. His confidence hasn’t taken a hit, but something has been up with him lately. He was sick and had a sprained left elbow, so that probably had something to do with it.

This was the “Week of the Zach,” though. LaVine was named as a participant to the Slam Dunk Contest and he beat out K.J. McDaniels for a spot in the Rising Stars game. He’s got pep back in his step and it was noticeable last night.

He finished with 17 points, six assists, four rebounds and three assists. He realized that attacking the basket was his bread-and-butter, especially with Avery Bradley playing so close to him. LaVine has the speed to get by him and get to the hole.

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He was also practicing for the Slam Dunk Contest with his buddy Andrew. 

Eyes on the rise, Minnesota. Eyes on the rise.