28 games ago, the Nets had a chance to beat the Timberwolves and avoid any of this record nonsense, but it didn’t work out like that. While the Timberwolves has been just as bad as the Nets (and some claim they have been worse than the Nets), the Timberwolves now have Kevin Love playing for them, and he doesn’t seem to be showing any effect of the injury. Here are the line-ups.
Mark is going to be around here handling the comments, you can find me over at ESPN’s Daily Dime Chat.
UPDATE: Rafer Alston is out tonight. Yi and Dooling are back.
Devin Harris vs. Jonny Flynn
Something that I have started to notice when rewatching the games is that Devin looks to create too much contact when he drives the lane. Devin is great at getting to the line, but sometimes he tries to create the contact, doesn’t get the call, and he ends up flinging up a shot that has no chance of going in. I think he needs to worry about making the lay-up more than he needs to worry about creating the contact. That being said, I still think he will get the best of Jonny Flynn tonight.
Advantage: Devin Harris
Courtney Lee vs. Corey Brewer
Corey Brewer has always showed flashes of being a solid player (see his dunk on Derek Fisher), but now he seems to be putting it all together. He has averaged over 14 PPG in his last 6 games. Courtney Lee was at practice and his shot looked smooth when I was watching. He looked under control and he wasn’t fading. Let’s hope that he can carry it over into the game.
Advantage: Push
Trenton Hassell vs. Damien Wilkens
OK. Trenton Hassell and Damien Wilkens could very well be the same person. They both have the same skill-set, and they both are getting way too much playing time on their respective teams. An interesting stat though, Timberwolves are 5-8 in Wilkens’ 13 starts.
Advantage: Push
Josh Boone vs. Kevin Love
I was expecting a slow start for Kevin Love coming back from injury. To me, rebounding is all about timing, and when you miss something like 20 games, one would think it would take him a little while to get in the swing of things. Nope. Kevin Love does all of the little things right, and that makes him a monster on the boards. Josh Boone is not.
Advantage: Kevin Love
Brook Lopez vs. Al Jefferson
Al Jefferson just looked off the last time these two teams played. That was to be expected since he was coming back from major knee surgery. I haven’t had the chance to watch many Timberwolves games since, but you could expect Brook Lopez to have another big game against the Timberwolves.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
