Wolves Remain Hot, Win Fourth Straight
Jonah BallowWolves Editor/Writer
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"They played better, in the fourth quarter guys did a really good job defensively, for the most part doing their jobs and adhering to their responsibilities: contesting shots, rebounding the basketball, and then guys stepped up and made big plays, big shots," head coach Kurt Rambis said.
Facing a three-point deficit at the 3:14 mark of the fourth period, Ramon Sessions drove and kicked out a pass to Ryan Gomes, who drilled the long bomb to tie the game at 97 apiece. Gomes was the main contributor in the first half with 20 of his team-high 26 points but his clutch play in the waning moments shifted the momentum to the Wolves side. He then hit a deep two from the corner to lift Minnesota ahead of the Grizzlies 101-99 with 1:57 remaining in the contest.
As Memphis began to unravel, the Wolves gained steam at the most critical time of the ballgame. Kevin Love secured the victory by sliding off a pick-and-pop for a successful shot behind the arc and solid 104-99 Minnesota lead. Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins called a timeout while Love jogged to the sidelines where he was greeted by rookie Jonny Flynn jumping on the big man for a gigantic hug.
The Wolves were able to leap over Memphis due to the spectacular fourth quarter performance from Al Jefferson. Despite being held to just seven points through three periods, Big Al reminded everybody in attendance that he is still a dominant force. Jefferson was scorching hot by connecting on all eight of his field goal attempts; resulting in 16 points and helping the Wolves finish 76.5 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter.
"He just came to life. He just blossomed, and he came to life when we really needed him," Rambis said.
The Minnesota center was just about unstoppable with his patent hook, jumpers from 20-feet, and putback rebounds. Memphis' frontline tandem of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph had no defensive answer to stop Jefferson as he finished with 23 points.
Another feel-good aspect to the thrilling win was the unselfish act from Flynn. On this night, Sessions seemed to have a better command of the offense and was effective running alongside Corey Brewer, Gomes, Love, and Jefferson. Rambis planned on placing Flynn back in the lineup in the fourth quarter to give Sessions a breather but the 20-year old felt the backup point guard was the best option.
"There was a point when I thought Ramon was getting tired late in the fourth quarter, and I was going to sub him in, and Jonny came back to the huddle and said, 'No, coach, he's playing well. Leave him in.' That means a lot to me as a coach, that players will make sacrifices for the benefit of the team, even when it costs them playing time," Rambis proudly stated. "That shows a lot of growth and maturity, and I really appreciate that from Jonny."
Sessions damaged the Grizzlies defense by attacking the basket and scoring 19 points off the bench in 27 minutes of court time. The first-year member of the Wolves also dished out six assists in game where both points guards only committed one turnover.
Brewer was crucial to the win as well with 15 second half points and Love added 12. Fans received quite a scare when Randolph fell on Love in the third period. Ryan Hollins inadvertently tripped Randolph, which created the collision and forced Love to limp back to the locker room. Luckily Love did not sustain a serious injury as he returned to the floor with nine minutes left in the game.
"They're starting to build confidence, they're starting to believe in themselves, they're playing together better, and so it's a really good blossoming aspect for me to see as a coach. I'm enjoying watching them perform out there. And they care. They care about each other," Rambis said.
The Wolves practice on Sunday and Monday before heading out to Philadelphia for the final matchup of the year against the Sixers.
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