Big Baby wants to play twister with Wolves’ defenders
Tonight, the 2-1 Timberwolves take on the 2-1 Magic at Target Center. Orlando is a vastly different team from the one that killed the Wolves last season. Gone are Dwight Howard and advanced stats hero Ryan Anderson. In are…Aaron Afflalo? More below the fold.
Mismatches
There are a few match-ups to watch for.
JJ Redick vs. Brandon Roy: One is at the shooting guard position: JJ Redick has been playing extremely well, averaging 18.6 points and 6.3 assists per game so far with a PER of over 18; Brandon Roy has not, averaging 6.7 points and 4.3 assists, with a PER of 10. Redick is a nice defender, but Roy has a size advantage and may be able to take him down low and score some points in the post. Watch out for Aaron Afflalo too – he’s heating up and is one of Orlando’s top guns.
Glen Davis vs. Derrick Williams: Again, this one is not in the Wolves’ favor. Big Baby is benefiting from the scoring gap left by D12 and Ryan Anderson, putting up over 22 & 10 so far, with a PER of almost 23. Derrick Williams has….not been good. Look for Kirilenko to hound Big Baby for much of this game if the Wolves are going to slow him down.
Pek vs. ??: Another Nikola – Vucevic – is the guy listed as the starting Center for ORL. Pek should beast this guy. Let’s hope the guards are able to feed our Nikola effectively to exploit this favorable matchup.
Rotations
Can the Wolves’ 2nd unit dominate? Barea, Shved, and Budinger gave the team a shot in the arm against Brooklyn. Look for these guys, along with Pek and AK, to provide the best single unit the Wolves will have on the floor tonight.
What else are you looking for in tonight’s game?
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When: 7 P.M. CST
Where: TARGET CENTER
Media: FSN, 830-AM, NBA LEAGUE PASS
Punch-Drunk Wolves 