Timberwolves 95, Nets 93: The More Things Change…

What year is it again?  Because I could have sworn I heard the announcers say it was the first game of the 2009-10 season.  But the problem is it looked a whole lot like most of the New Jersey Nets games under Lawrence Frank the past couple of seasons.

The Nets built up a 19-point lead, just to watch it fade away in the 4th quarter.  The game ended on a last second putback by Damien Wilkins.

Sound familiar?

This team cannot close out games under Frank.  It’s unbelievable.

Player of the Game: Terrence Williams

Talk about a great debut for the rookie out of Louisville.  He was 6-14 from the floor for 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench.  If he can put in efforts like that every night, Frank won’t be able to keep him off the floor the way he did with CDR in his rookie season.

Williams did turn the ball over 5 times with only 1 assist, but I fully expect those numbers to improve as he fully adjusts to the speed of the game.  As he showed tonight, he isn’t very far behind.

Honorable Mention: Brook Lopez

For three quarters, he was the best player on the floor.  When he wasn’t slamming home lobs from all over the court, he was blocking shots and hoovering rebounds.  Very simply, Lopez abused whoever the Timberwolves ran at him.  The second-year center finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Unfortunately for Lopez, the Nets were forced to play the 4th quarter and like most of the team he disappeared in the final frame.  After dominating the entire game, he failed to score as the Nets let the first game of the season slip away just like they did so many times last season.

Goat of the Game: Devin Harris

If the Nets are going to make any progress this season, Harris cannot find himself in this spot often.  New Jersey’s starting point guard returned to the court after resting a sore groin in the preseason and looked like he was still trying to shake off the rust.  Harris shot 4-13 from the floor for 14 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds while only playing 29 minutes.  Not a terrible line for a solid NBA point guard, but Harris needs to be much more than that for the Nets.

Yes, Harris made a great driving layup in the final minute to tie the game but it never should have gotten to that point.  During one stretch in the 4th quarter with his team nursing a 6 point lead and 2 minutes left, Harris fouled Jonny Flynn (he made both free throws), missed a jumper, fouled Al Jefferson and then missed a long jump shot.  By that point Minnesota had the lead down to 1 and the momentum had fully swung.

Tags: Game Recap, Minnesota Timberwolves