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Title: Timberwolves vs Blazers Game Recap 11/08/09 View count: 1726 Rating: 5.0 (3 ratings) Description: PORTLAND, Ore. (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Portland Trail Blazers' 116-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves wasn't secure from the opening tip at the Rose Garden Sunday night -- but almost. The Timberwolves are challenged in nearly every department, and the Blazers were intent on ending a three-game homestand the right way. "Nate [McMillan, the Portland coach] said before the game, 'We can't worry about the other team. We just have to worry about ourselves,' " Blazer center Joel Przybilla said. "If we do that, we're going to be a tough team to beat. We did that tonight. We did what we're capable of doing." Portland (4-3) seized control in the early going and never let up, winning its second straight as it sets to embark on a five-game road trip that opens Tuesday night at Memphis. Minnesota (1-6) dropped its sixth in a row after a season-opening triumph against New Jersey. It's a read on just how much a challenge it's going to be this season for the Timberwolves that their first-year coach Kurt Rambis gave them a mostly thumbs-up for their performance. "Except for a six-minute block in the third quarter, where our guys got depressed about how things were going and took a step back in their effort, I was fairly pleased with how we played," Rambis said. "We had way too many turnovers, [the Blazers] had way too many fast-break points, and those kind of things hurt us. "But that's part of who we are as a ballclub, just having to deal with teams that present defensive problems for us." Portland posed plenty of problems for the visitors, including Andre Miller, the free-agent acquisition who had his best outing as a Blazer. The veteran point guard, starting in the backcourt with point guard Steve Blake for the second straight game, led the Blazers in scoring for the first time with 21 points, sinking 9-for-14 from the field. And he was instrumental in getting his team running as they've not done all season. "Andre will look up, he will see the floor," McMillan said. "He is creating some of [the transition offense] off of steals and rebounding, and our guys are learning to bust out and he'll throw it ahead. He's delivering the ball." Portland's statistics Sunday night were a bit unusual, to say the least. Brandon Roy scored two points -- the fewest he has scored since the fifth game of his rookie season, when he played fewer than seven minutes because of injury. The Blazers ran out to 21 fast-break points -- 16 in the first half -- after averaging an NBA-low 5.2 the first six games. Portland dished out a season-high 35 assists and shot .500 from the field -- that after averaging 17.8 and .424 in the first six games. And the Blazers, who had scored more than 100 only once and were averaging 94.5 points, had 92 by the end of the third quarter. "We wanted to be about business," McMillan said. "Build off the game against San Antonio (a 96-84 win Friday night) and play the game the right way. We had 35 assists -- that's always a good sign when a team is moving the ball. We were able to run because we were getting stops. I liked the tempo, the movement we were getting. And defensively, we did a nice job setting the tone right from the start." Roy, who entered the game averaging 25.2 points, 10th in the NBA, was only 1-for-6 shooting but contributed six rebounds and seven assists in 26 minutes. He sat out the final 15 minutes. "I just tried to take what came to me, take the shots I got," the All-Star guard said. "I was able to get some boards at the three. Guys were making plays and I didn't need to score." Without Kevin Love, lost for at least another month with a broken bone in his left hand, Minnesota's ability to compete is diminished. Ryan Gomes (15 points, six rebounds) and Al Jefferson (12 points, 10 boards) had their moments, but the best player for the Wolves was backup center Nathan Jawai, who went 7-for-11 for 16 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes. "Nathan has impressed the coaching staff from day one," Rambis said. "He's very light on his feet, he can move well, he understands the game. He was doing a lot of his stuff tonight against very good centers in this league." There was too little of that effort for the Timberwolves, though. And that could be a familiar story this season. Tags: minnesota, timbervolves, portland, trail blazers, nba, recap, highlights, sports, Author: NBARECAP |
