Wolves Tripped Up By Spurs

Wolves Postgame Audio
Kevin McHale

Mike Miller

Craig Smith

Randy Foye

Tony Parker didn't score 55 points but he managed to lead the Spurs to another victory over the Wolves. With 16 4th quarter points, Parker lifted San Antonio over Minnesota 98-86 as the Wolves suffered their eighth consecutive loss.

"He got in there, guys weren't doing their assignments and that opened up the floor for him," McHale said. "When that happens, they get a little bit back on their heels and then we start chasing."

Rashad McCants missed two point blank layups late in the game that displayed the type of evening Minnesota would endure. Despite Mike Miller returning to the lineup after missing three games due to an ankle injury, the Wolves only shot 40 percent from the field. McCants could not buy a basket and finished 3-of-13 for seven points off the bench.

"You can't allow some misfortune on the offensive end to allow you to give in on the defensive end, that's unacceptable," McHale added. "We had some mental breakdowns and we can't have that."

The third quarter is when the trouble began for Minnesota. In fact, the third quarter has been the Achilles' heel for the Wolves during the eight-game losing skid. After a 41-41-tie game heading into halftime, the Spurs jumped on top 66-57 to complete a nine-point advantage in the third period. During the eight losses, the Wolves have been outscored 252-171 in that critical quarter coming out of the locker room.

"We had some decent looks, had some wide-open shots, got some layups that didn't go in and that seems to create a snowball effect. To the kids' credit, they kind of get mad and then they start playing hard again. It's that deflation period that usually allows the other team to get a little bit of separation. In this case, it was a nine point separation going into the fourth, and they were trading baskets from that point on," McHale said.

Parker finished the game with 17 points and nine assists while Tim Duncan added 13 rebounds. Minnesota dominated inside the post with 54 points in the paint to the Spurs 26. Most of the damage was courtesy of Al Jefferson and his 29 points and 13 boards.

Manu Ginobili picked his spots during 28 minutes of play. The Argentinean led the Spurs bench with 16 points and San Antonio has now won five straight games to improve to a 14-8 record on the season.

Randy Foye played tough defense on Parker through the first three quarters. In the second half, Foye established himself on the offensive side of the floor with 15 points. Kevin Love, again, pounded the glass for ten rebounds but struggled offensively with four points on 2-8 shooting from the field.

"Tomorrow will be the first day where we've actually had a few days under our belt where we get a couple hours in the gym together. There's going to be some things we try to do a little differently but you need to have floor time to do it. Like I said, this team has to grow a lot and we can't have the mental lapses when things aren't going for us on the offensive end," McHale said.

The Wolves will practice tomorrow at the Target Center and then hit the road for a contest against the Lakers on Sunday night.

Matt's Stats

--Mike Miller made his return and started at shooting guard. He played 32 minutes, but was just 1-for-5 from the floor. Rashad McCants, who had started the past two games at shooting guard, played 22 minutes off the bench and finished with seven points on 3-for-13 shooting.

--Jefferson and Duncan, two of the best power forwards in the league, battled each other head-to-head all night. Jefferson had the edge on the offensive end, finishing with 29 points to Duncan's 17, but Duncan finished with five blocks to Jefferson's one. Both finished with 13 rebounds.

--The Spurs finished with 12 blocks, while the Wolves managed just two.

--Though Kevin Love once again struggled on the offensive end, he continued his strong rebounding. He finished with 10 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive end. He now has 100 rebounds in the last eight games, with 47 of them coming at the offensive end.

--The two teams combined for just four free throws through the first half. The Spurs finished 16-22 from the line, and the Wolves finished 12-18 from the stripe.

--The Wolves outscored the Spurs 54-26 in the paint, but the Spurs' bench outscored the Wolves' bench 35-13, led by Manu Ginobli's 16 points.

--Craig Smith had another strong start for the Wolves. He six points and three rebounds in the first quarter, and finished with 12 points and six rebounds overall.

--Sebastian Telfair had not made a field goal since the final seconds of the Wolves' loss to the Clippers on December 6th. He broke that drought at 6:31 remaining in the second quarter with an 18-foot jumper. He finished with two points in 12 minutes.

--The Spurs got a big boost from role player Matt Bonner. The lanky red head, who is leading the league in three-point shooting at 51%, finished with two threes and 12 points.

--Tony Parker, who scored a career-high 55 points against the Wolves on November 5th, had just one point through three quarters. He exploded for 16 in the fourth, including the first eight points of the quarter for the Spurs.

--The Wolves were outscored 25 to 16 in the third quarter. Over the last eight games, the Wolves have been outscored 227 to 155 in the third. The Wolves have lost all eight games.

--Though the Wolves showed more of the transition-style play that Kevin McHale has been encouraging, they were often unsuccessful in finishing at the basket. One particularly egregious miss in the fourth quarter by Rashad McCants brought forth the loudest boos of the evening from the Target Center crowd.

--Matt Everhart