Game 23: Minnesota T-Wolves (10-12) @ Phoenix Suns (10-12)

[SunsRback4Good]

Who: Minnesota Twolves @ Phoenix Suns

When: Dec 9th @ 7:00pm (9ET), FSNAZ

Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ






Minnesota Twolves starting lineup

C- Towns

F- Covington

F- Okogie

G- Wiggins

G- Culver


Reserves: Teague/Bell/Bates-Diop/Napier/Dieng





Phoenix Suns starting lineup:

C- Baynes

[b]F- Saric

F- Oubre Jr

G- Booker

G- Rubio


Reserves: Kaminsky/Bridges/Cam/Diallo/Jerome

BATTLE FOR THE 7TH SEED BEGINS TOMORROW!!!

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[ATTL]

Isn't baynes back for this one?

Also, okc is currently 7th and minny is 9th. OKC will trade off their pieces soon, right?

We play the wolves two more times after this one, winning this game guarantees a tie in the season series which could be useful down the stretch.

[Hesh]

Isn't baynes back for this one?

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?s=20

[Hesh]

Yeah, we really need this one to help for the tie-breaker. Wolves have lost their last 4 games against LAL, OKC, MIN, and MEM.

Advantage: They're coming off a b2b on a 4 game road-trip.

Disadvantage: 4/5 losses and this being the last game of their road trip might create extra motivation, since they have jazz and clips next, they definitely don't want to end it with a 7 game losing streak.

This game will be tough, but we got Baynes back and I believe that we're a better team at the moment, if we keep that same energy we had last game we should be able to pull off the W

[Revived]

Advantage: They're coming off a b2b on a 4 game road-trip.

Suns are like 0-4 or 0-5 against teams playing their second night of a back to back against the Suns. You can bet Minnesota is aware of this record too.

Suns are a young team and they overlook opponents assuming they can just run them off the court due to fatigue. But the Suns have gotten off to dreadful starts because of this against those teams.

I see this as a disadvantage and makes this game even more challenging.

[Hesh]

Suns are like 0-4 or 0-5 against teams playing their second night of a back to back against the Suns. You can bet Minnesota is aware of this record too.

Argh, I wasn't aware of this. On the bright side, at least every game is anticipated to be exciting and entertaining now for us fans. The outcome is always unpredictable even against the top tier teams. Monty said each game is basically being treated as a playoff game.

[bwgood77]

Isn't baynes back for this one?

Also, okc is currently 7th and minny is 9th. OKC will trade off their pieces soon, right?

We play the wolves two more times after this one, winning this game guarantees a tie in the season series which could be useful down the stretch.

Well really it's a 3 way tie for 7th. I don't know if OKC will or not. If they may make the playoffs they may sit tight. No one will likely give up much for Paul and his contract is too big for contenders. Miami is playing very tough and is the 3 seed so they don't have a real need to.

Unless he just wanted to go to a big market and something like this happened http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=tyl4mbu

Bulls would probably look a lot better with Paul/LaVine/Porter/Markkanen/Carter while they still had Coby White for future and backup. Probably unlikely though.

[bwgood77]

Advantage: They're coming off a b2b on a 4 game road-trip.

Suns are like 0-4 or 0-5 against teams playing their second night of a back to back against the Suns. You can bet Minnesota is aware of this record too.

Suns are a young team and they overlook opponents assuming they can just run them off the court due to fatigue. But the Suns have gotten off to dreadful starts because of this against those teams.

I see this as a disadvantage and makes this game even more challenging.

0-3 One to Boston. The Wizards game was weird because they were lights out shooting. I wonder if b2bs after playing Denver seem easy after playing in the high altitude. We won our b2b after an OT game in Denver and beat the Clips the next night. Then we lost to Orlando who was on a b2b.

[bwgood77]

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[hollywood6964]

Advantage: They're coming off a b2b on a 4 game road-trip.

Suns are like 0-4 or 0-5 against teams playing their second night of a back to back against the Suns. You can bet Minnesota is aware of this record too.

Suns are a young team and they overlook opponents assuming they can just run them off the court due to fatigue. But the Suns have gotten off to dreadful starts because of this against those teams.

I see this as a disadvantage and makes this game even more challenging.

0-3 One to Boston. The Wizards game was weird because they were lights out shooting. I wonder if b2bs after playing Denver seem easy after playing in the high altitude. We won our b2b after an OT game in Denver and beat the Clips the next night. Then we lost to Orlando who was on a b2b.

Yeah, this team thinks more of themselves than what they are. they need to play hard to make up for some of the defensive deficiencies. the reason they lose b2bs so much, is that they don't guard anyone to start the game, and the get the other team in a rhythm. and despite b2b, when there is no resistance, the game feels easy, and you feel you can "steal" one. Plus you're getting great looks, so now you're having fun and everything is there to take it.

Having Baynes back (hopefully) is going to be huge. If we do, and he's non-restriced (although he probably will be) I think we can blow them out tonight. The wolves stink, too one dimensional, and they do not have good defensive schemes (ie- letting booker run around unfettered).

Back to Baynes, him n Rubio are great together, open 3's for him all night. this is one chief reason he should be starting with Ayton, even more open 3's, and floor spreading, and ayton will get more open dunks n put backs because of it. Besides he can take the defensive pressure off of ayton. From there ppl can complain about the bench, but with Cam, Saric, Bridges (although I'd swap him for Oubre and that would solve the bench scoring), one of the pgs, frank if he's playing right, and diallo, I think we have more than enough with staggered minutes.

when healthy, I expect this team to go on a tear.

[Crives]

Going to be a tough one.. Minny going to be playing desperate being knocked to the 9th seed.. we need to play with energy and effort tonight... and hope KAT ain’t feeling it from 3

[Dual]

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[KLEON]

No more Kaminsky as a starter please

[Dual]

Minutes restriction with Baynes are funny, as he usually have foul problems and play limited minutes for that.

[Revived]

No more Kaminsky as a starter please

They ought to give Diallo a chance as starter if they don’t want to start Baynes due to mins restriction.

[Dual]

No more Kaminsky as a starter please

They ought to give Diallo a chance as starter if they don’t want to start Baynes due to mins restriction.

From what I'm reading in twitter Kaminsky will start and Baynes from the bench.
I hope is wrong, but maybe they are preparing the team for Aytons return and Baynes new role.

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[bwgood77]

No more Kaminsky as a starter please

They ought to give Diallo a chance as starter if they don’t want to start Baynes due to mins restriction.

No, he struggled far too much in the last game against Capela that starting him against Towns is probably not a good idea. Baynes would be physical with him. Diallo's length might be disruptive at times but I wouldn't start him. Plus, with Rubio likely not guarded much at the 3 pt line, you need Baynes floor stretching on offense to allow Rubio, Booker and Oubre to get to the rim more easily.

Though I guess Diallo did hit a 3.

[bwgood77]

No more Kaminsky as a starter please

They ought to give Diallo a chance as starter if they don’t want to start Baynes due to mins restriction.

From what I'm reading in twitter Kaminsky will start and Baynes from the bench.
I hope is wrong, but maybe they are preparing the team for Aytons return and Baynes new role.

Read on Twitter

As long as Kaminsky starts well like he did in one game recently, but defensively he won't be able to do anything against Towns.

[Dual]

They ought to give Diallo a chance as starter if they don’t want to start Baynes due to mins restriction.

From what I'm reading in twitter Kaminsky will start and Baynes from the bench.
I hope is wrong, but maybe they are preparing the team for Aytons return and Baynes new role.

Read on Twitter

As long as Kaminsky starts well like he did in one game recently, but defensively he won't be able to do anything against Towns.

What is strange with Kaminsky is that sometimes even being there is invisible for everybody on defense, tall or short, strong or weak, everybody scores over Kaminsky easily.
With Diallo is different, sometimes he is not even there for the mental lapses he has, that's why Monty is giving him few minutes and sometimes is taken away from games abruptly.

[bwgood77]

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