Wolves Battle, Beaten by Nuggets
Jonah BallowWolves Editor/Writer
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Denver's prolific offense was held in-check until the Nuggets broke the game open with a crucial 15-0 run from the third and beginning of the fourth quarter. When Minnesota mounted a late-game comeback, Mr. Big Shot shut the door on a three-pointer to hand Denver a 110-102 victory at the Target Center.
"There was no fight or determination to try and close the ballgame out," head coach Kurt Rambis said. "That's when teams have to really tighten up, find ways to get stops, rebound the basketball; we gave them second-chance opportunities at that time, and a couple of them killed us."
The Wolves were forced to adjust their lineup in dealing with the small frontcourt Denver featured down the stretch. Substitute head coach Adrian Dantley, utilized Chauncey Billups, Arron Afflalo, and J.R. Smith while Carmelo Anthony and Nene worked in the paint.
"I think they went small and that was what killed us. When they made their little run it was hard to come back being down on a team like that, especially when they have it turned on," Al Jefferson said.
Smith sparked the third quarter offense for the Nuggets, drilling three long bombs in less than two minutes of game action. The streaky sixth man caught fire to help jumpstart a pedestrian offensive effort from Denver. Even the hometown crowd gasped when Billups trotted down the court on a fastbreak opportunity and threw an alley-oop to Smith. On the right side of the floor, Smith launched into the air and caught the ball mid-flight for a 360-degree finish. Smith finished with 15 points despite being held scoreless in the first half.
"Well, they're a good team. They got fast-break opportunities, we turned the ball over, they do a good job playing defense, they got after us with their athleticism, they put their small unit out there on the floor so we lose some of our identity as a ballclub because now we have to go small. That causes us problems," Rambis said.
Minnesota displayed the right mix of energy and ball control during the first 24 minutes of the contest. A prime example was a no-look bounce pass from Kevin Love to a curling Jonny Flynn in the first quarter. Flynn quickly reached the paint and connected on an old fashioned three-point play. The Wolves shot 40 percent from the floor but only committed four turnovers while holding Denver to just 48 first half points.
Defensively, Minnesota crowded Anthony, holding him way below his season average. Anthony struggled from the field, shooting 6-for-16 and 19 points. Billups led the Nuggets with 25 points on night where he made 2-of-9 attempts behind the arc.
Darko Milicic replaced Ryan Hollins in the starting lineup when the league handed down a two-game suspension on the big man for the altercations against Dallas on Monday night. In 26 minutes, Milicic attacked the glass with 12 boards and affected countless close looks from the Nuggets. He could not find the range on his jump hook; however, the former No. 2 overall pick added a much-needed defensive presence for the shorthanded Wolves.
Corey Brewer extended his franchise-record streak to 29 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer and scored a team-high 21 points in the defeat. In a backup role, Wayne Ellington relieved Brewer off the bench after missing three consecutive games with an ankle injury. The rookie tallied six points and five boards as Minnesota fell to 14-51 on the season.
"It felt pretty good. It was different trying to get my timing back a little bit. When you don't play in games for a little while you start to lose timing of the game and the little things," Ellington said.
One more home game remains on the docket for the Wolves with San Antonio heading to town on Friday night. Minnesota will practice Thursday afternoon in preparation for the Spurs.
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