Around the equator of the second quarter, the Timberwolves defended a possession with four players. He finished off the Suns’ 3-pointer after an offensive rebound after missing another 3-pointer. The two thrown by fully liberated players, of course. It was a matter of math, Sure. That shot made it 37-49 on the way to 51-69 a break that came with very generous boos for the Wolves, who lost (117-129) after putting on a lot of final makeup, without danger to his rival (74-101 with 14 minutes remaining) and once again giving a dire image. They are 5-7… and they can thank a calendar that has not yet demanded their maximum. For now they are a disaster, one of the disappointments of the seasonand Chris Finch will already have, or so it should be assumed, the seat very, very hot.
The Wolves, with the happy inertia of returning to the playoffs last season, launched their ordeal with the risky transfer of Rudy Gobert. they had to make it work a very strange team for sports preparation (Gobert next to Karl-Anthony Towns), with at least light personalities (Towns, Gobert, D’Angelo Russell…) and an essential piece, Anthony Edwards, still 21 years old. A lot of risk… and, for now, bad results and worse, much worse, sensations. The Wolves deserve margin, of course. They are a very new team for everything that involves integrating Gobert. But in each game they seem to go back instead of forward, they shrink, they wallow in pure tactical chaos and show an attitude at times unworthy. The Suns won without disheveled despite playing without Cam Johnson (let them get used to it, it goes a long way) and Chris Paul. With Devin Booker (32 points, 10 assists) mocking the bench (“we play as a team, we pass the ball”), Mikal Bridges pulling stripes in the first quarter (13 points, 31 in total with 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals) and Cam Payne acting as the starting point guard with surprising efficiency (23 points, 8 assists).
The Suns are 8-3, stabilized despite their poor end to last season and their summer woes. The Wolves are a mess. Very far from what they wanted to be, very far from any hint of seriousness. Right now, they don’t even look like they’re under construction, however slow it may seem. And only Jaden McDaniels (24 points, 8 rebounds) and Jaylen Nowell (14 points, catalyst of the attack in many stretches) can leave minimally satisfied with their work. Gobert and Towns each had three fouls in the nine minutes, and with Reid absent due to illness, Kyle Anderson had to play emergency center. Edwards, who at this start of the season has already questioned the giant quintets and he has said that they are a white team, he went through there (11 points, 4/12 shooting), Russell’s points are empty calories (20) and Gobert (25+11) shot more than a Towns who stayed at 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Maybe there’s a click somewhere, a projected promotion. But now you can’t guess. The Wolves paint more of a disaster, with an audience tired of their game and their attitudethat to the revelation that they wanted to be in a West wide open but in which the Suns continue, just in case, doing their homework as a team really, From the feet to the head. Which the Wolves don’t even look like. Not for now.
The Nuggets keep up the pace in the West
In addition to the Suns, the Denver Nuggets (8-3) is another of the heavy weights of the West that is responding in this beginning of the season. In Indiana they got ahead (119-122) in a very complicated match. Because the Pacers (5-6) are much better than expected of them, a rebuilding team, and because they had to come back from 18 points in the second half on a night in which Nikola Jokic (in the end, 24+4+6) spent a lot of minutes on the bench after racking up four fouls in the first 18 he played. In the end, the Serbian appeared and his team turned around a game that Myles Turner (14+11 and 3 blocks) was able to send into extra time from the three-point line. Aaron Gordon had 18 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists, Michael Porter 17+6 and Jamal Murray 18+8+4. For the Pacers, 21 points and 11 assists from Haliburton and 30 points from Mathurin. A couple with a splendid future.
The Blazers do not fail in Charlotte either
Another very good looking in the West, Portland Trail Blazers (8-3) continue to accumulate good news: 4-1 for now in a difficult six-game tour that is going very well. After needing baskets at the buzzer in their last two victories, this time they came back 12 points (95-105 final in Charlotte) in the second half with less drama but a lot of merit: they played without Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant. After a discreet start, Damian Lillard put the turbo and responded (26 points, 7 assists, 6 triples) to Terry Rozier (18 + 5 + 5). The Hornets (six straight losses: 3-9), with significant casualties, opened the second half with a 19-2 run and took that +12 that didn’t last: 2-16 for the Blazers next. Anfernee Simons scored 19 points and Sharpe, 17. In Carolina, and in addition to attempts by Rozier, points by Oubre and work by Plumlee. Very little thing.
The Grizzlies are narrowly saved
The Memphis Grizzlies are also advancing (8-4, 4-1 in their last five games), albeit stumbled. After a painful loss against the Celtics, they saved their skin with many problems (122-124 after overtime) in San Antonio, in front of some Spurs, it seems so, in free fall (five losses in a row, 5-7). The Texans were able to avoid overtime in the closing moments and rally at the end of overtime, trailing by nine points. But the hot shots missed and they lost to some Grizzlies that took time to get their batteries on defense, a problem all season, and lived off their two stars: 32 points from Ja Morant, 32 from Desmond Bane. And 19 rebounds (10 attacking) from Steven Adams. San Aldama, starter as throughout the course (until the return of Jaren Jackson Jr) scored 7 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. In the Spurs, the always notable Poeltl (22+9+4) was very good and Vassell (22 points, 6 assists) made a good contribution, Keldon Johnson, the rookie Sochan…
Brandon Ingram submits the Bulls in Chicago
In Chicago, the Pelicans shot very poorly (3/19 on 3s) but they won thanks to a tremendous finish by Brandon Ingram: 18 of his 22 points in the second half, seven seconds in the decisive moments with a triple to turn the scoreboard (107-109) and a suspension later to decide, before a loss of DeMar DeRozan (hero until then: 33 points). A good win (111-115) for the Louisianans, who remain 6-5 against the Bulls 6-7, who had a good Vucevic (18+7) and a LaVine who failed too much (23 points, 22 shooting). They had the win in hand, but Ingram appeared in time for a Pelicans who saved a very bad day from McCollum and gray from Zion Williamson. Willy Hernangómez had minutes: he played 12 and contributed 8 points and 3 rebounds.