The Minnesota Timberwolves played the New York Knicks in front of a capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden. This one was a blowout from the start. Turnover after turnover led to easy baskets for the Wolves and that struggle to protect the ball put the Knicks in a hole that they just couldn’t get out of.
Bad calls on both ends caused an uneven game in terms of officiating.
The Wolves would win the game 109-100 and would defeat the Knicks on their home court.
Kevin Love was unstoppable tonight scoring a game high 34 points. Love made shot after shot, leading the Wolves to victory. He also grabbed 15 rebounds and had five assists. His value to the Wolves is very important if they want to get to the playoffs. This season they will have a chance with a much improved team and a healthy Love.
The play of Kevin Martin was also huge as he scored 30 points in 35 minutes. Martin shot the ball really well as he went 9 of 12 from the field. He also drew fouls that really caused the Knicks to get into foul trouble. His addition to the Wolves adds a dimension that most team lack, that is the ability to draw fouls and make free throws. He did that tonight and put his team in prime position to win.
For the Knicks their turnovers and terrible start tonight put them in the position to lose. They did battle back, but as the game started with turnovers, so did the game end that way. They finished the game with 16 turnovers, but most came when they were gaining momentum.
Down the stretch Carmelo Anthony kicked his game into high gear. Anthony scored 22 points tonight, but more importantly grabbed a season high 17 rebounds. Anthony made shots after a slow start. He got into early foul trouble and continues to do that over the last two games. His time on the court is really important for the Knicks so him in foul trouble really hurts the team. Overall Anthony played well tonight despite a team high five turnovers. The Knicks need him at his best night in and out. Tonight he played well at times, but at other times he struggled.
Off the bench Metta World Peace played very strong as he poured in 17 points. World Peace didn’t see lots of time on the court, but when he did he played very strong.
The Knicks now have lost two straight games and have struggled to start games. That struggle has caused them to battle back which hasn’t worked. They have struggles with turnovers and slow starts, but those are fixable. The Knicks need to clean up those areas heading into their game against the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday.
Tonight was all Minnesota. They came out ready to play and defeated a very good Knicks team. They are really playing well this season with their third straight win to start the season. The Wolves will head Cleveland for a game tomorrow night against the Cavaliers.
Photo Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
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