It's been a week now since Derrick Rose scored his 50 points, and the Timberwolves surprised the Utah Jazz 128-125 to get back to .500 (4-4). Suddenly, there was hope. Here was a road map to win without what's-his-name, who refused to play that night. Of course, you knew that, at 30 years of age and with his injury history, Derrick Rose couldn't play 41 minutes every night....
Well, no he couldn't. After playing 41 minutes, he couldn't play at all for 5 days. But, more than that, since Utah, the Wolves have now lost without Derrick Rose, they've lost with Derrick Rose, they've lost with what's-his-name, they've lost without what's-his-name, they've lost with neither, they've lost with both. Sure, they're on the road. But it's not just the losses, it's how they've lost. They've been in 3 of the 4 games after 3 periods; twice they've led after 3.
But they've played like a bunch of rookies in the 4th quarter. Golden State outscored them 33-12 in the 4th. Last night, they led the Lakers 88-86 after 3. They were up 28-19, 65-57, 88-83 with 11 seconds left in the 3rd. It was 104-104 at 3:07. The Lakers scored on their next 3 possessions while the Wolves went 0-for-3, all from 3-point range, 2 of those by what's-his-name. They got back within 1 on a pair of Rose 3s. The Lakers took over the ball at 1:07. They missed 3 shots and got 3 offensive rebounds. The Wolves didn't get another shot until 1 second remained.
Thank goodness there's just one more game left out west on this trip, and then it's home again. A loss Friday at Sac would make them 4-9 and .500 will already be pretty much out of the question. The Wolves could just as easily be 4-9 without the guy and the Twin Cities would be a better place.
Player of the Day: Derrick Rose scored 31 on 11-of-17
Team of the Day: There was one college game that I could find--an exhibition between St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Morris, in which the homesteading Huskies easily defeated the Cougars 61-35. Madeline Dammann (Waconia) led the Huskies with 15 points and added 4 boards and 2 assists.
Coach of the Day: Lori Fish, St. Cloud State
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