Coach Rick Adelman said after Monday’s win that defense has been the key to the team’s success, and in particular fast starts in the first quarter has really propelled the Wolves early on this season. According to TeamRankings.com, the Wolves are tied with Houston for first in the league by allowing 20.3 points per game in the first quarter. And they’re finishing strong, ranked fourth at 21.3 points allowed in the fourth. As a result they’ve cut their average opponents’ output by about 12 points per night from last season’s total. They’re ranked second in defensive field goal percentage (40.8 percent) and seventh in blocked shots (7.0 BPG). But perhaps the biggest edge the Wolves have is defensively in the paint, where Pekovic’s presence clogs the lane and makes every shot attempt a battle for the opposing team’s bigs, plus Kirilenko and Stiemsma continue to be shot-blocking menaces and the Wolves guards are staying with penetrating perimeter players and not giving them easy looks. “We’re just helping each other out and keeping the paint tight,” Ridnour said. “Everyone is on board with helping the helper and just grinding it out. Our team is really competing and it’s been working for us so far.” Put it all together and you’ve got a team battling injuries but staying afloat due to a heightened defensive acumen. The key is to keep it going while battling these injuries and when the full roster returns. “I would give credit to our character because nobody has their heads down or feels sorry about what’s happening,” Ridnour said. “I think as a team we played good team defense, and that really helps.”