In a season that’s shifted from what coach Flip Saunders called a “blend” at the start of the year, to what he’s called a “build” over the last few weeks, the goal of the year is now focused almost solely on development. That means on some nights moral victories are going to be OK, as long as the team shows glimpses of growth in that span.
This was not one of those nights.
It was very apparent postgame that no moral victories were to be had on Sunday night at Target Center after the Wolves fell 100-96 at the hands of the Pacers.
Postgame Interview: Flip Saunders
Not after the way the team started the game.
“We had no energy to start the game,” Saunders said. “We didn’t play as hard as we needed to play in the first half and that’s disappointing.”
Mo Williams finished with 24 points and 10 assists in the loss. He started the game on the bench, but played more than 30 minutes on the night.
“Thank God for Mo,” Saunders said. “He had a bad back and played and was effective.”
While the Pacers played a game in Denver on Saturday night, Minnesota actually looked like the team coming off the back-to-back early in the game. It sleepwalked through most of the first half and trailed 52-38 at halftime after the starters combined for a mere 11 points. That in and of itself took away from the fact that the Wolves made it a came down the stretch.
Saunders said his team needs to start with a better sense of urgency. He seemed to have said all the right things in the locker room during the break in action because his team came out firing after halftime. A 17-1 flurry after halftime quickly got the Wolves right back in the game and had the Pacers on the ropes.
“We made some stops and we executed,” Saunders said.
Postgame Interview: Chase Budinger
It’s as simple as that. That execution made it a game down the stretch as both teams went back and forth as the rest of the game played out.
Muhammad continued to prove that his success over the last month or so isn’t going to be a flash in the pan. Muhammad eclipsed doubles digits for the ninth straight game in the loss and finished with 21 points on 8-for-18 shooting. Chase Budinger also followed up a season-high 19 points against the Boston Celtics with a 13-point effort.
There were silver linings and Saunders acknowledged that his young team is going to go through continued growing pains as the season wears on. That’s OK. A lack of effort is not.
“I feel like the way a team starts is many times the way a team finishes,” Saunders said. “If we start lackadaisical it’s eventually going to catch up to us. It’s respect to the game.”
That was the case against the Pacers.
Muhammad said the team knows it has to start faster moving forward, especially in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
“It’s like a big boulder,” Saunders said. “We have to keep pounding that boulder and eventually it’s going to crack. We’re just getting a few flakes chipping off right now.
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Mo Williams' Clutch Shot
LEADER OF THE PACK
Mo Williams had arguably the best game of his career with the Wolves en route to his fifth double-double of the season. Williams finished with 24 points and 10 assists off the bench, and provided a sense of stability as the floor general for Minnesota. Though Williams chucked up his fair share of questionable shots in the game (he’s a heat check specialist), Williams was incredibly efficient as he shot 10-for-16 from the floor.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GAME
Andrew Wiggins sprawled out to save a loose ball down the stretch with the Wolves trailing by a bucket. That save ended up in the hands of Thaddeus Young who promptly kicked it out to Mo Williams for a go-ahead three-pointer that made it 92-91. Indiana retook the lead on the following possession only to have Williams nail another contested jumper. Minnesota, however, never led again after that shot as the Pacers pulled away down the stretch.
NUMBERS GAME
-- Minnesota closed the first quarter on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 17-17 before CJ Miles hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. Mo Williams sparked the run with stellar play off the bench in relief of Zach LaVine.
-- Mo Williams provided a spark of the bench with 13 points before halftime, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Wolves trailed 52-38 at the break.
-- CJ Miles and Louis Scola were the only players on the Pacers bench to score before halftime. Miles poured in 12 points and Scola chipped in 10 points to lead the effort for the reserves.
-- Andrew Wiggins played a mere 12 minutes in the first half and didn’t record a single point. He was 0-for-5 from the floor and picked up a pair of cheap fouls before the teams headed into the locker rooms.
-- Minnesota scored 30 points in the third quarter after compiling just 38 points in the first half of play.
LOOKING AHEAD
Minnesota won’t play another game at Target Center in 2014. It starts a tough four-game road trip on Tuesday night with a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That game, of course, will feature the Wolves facing off with Kevin Love for the first time since they traded him in the offseason. It’s a highly anticipated matchup on other levels, as well, as Andrew Wiggins will get his first crack at LeBron James in the contest. Minnesota will return to Target Center on New Years Day and play host to the Sacramento Kings.