Connect with us

Minnesota

These aren’t the Big, Bad Wolves — Minnesota smacked by Blazers in Portland

Published

on

These aren’t the Big, Bad Wolves — Minnesota smacked by Blazers in Portland


The Timberwolves have lost consecutive games against teams that simply are not very good.

The second of which came Tuesday night in Portland, as the Wolves fell 122-108 to a Trail Blazers team they drubbed at home just five days prior.

But that’s the reality for Minnesota at the moment. The Wolves turn the ball over too often and don’t exhibit the same defensive dominance they demonstrated a season ago. When both things are true, you can lose to anyone. Including a Heat team playing sans Jimmy Butler, and even a Portland team that didn’t have Deandre Ayton or Anfernee Simons, the latter got hurt after playing just five minutes in Tuesday’s bout.

It didn’t matter. Portland had more than enough firepower to blow past Minnesota’s defense. Portland’s season high for made triples entering the contest was 14. The Blazers went 18 for 32 from distance against Minnesota.

Advertisement

“We’ve also given up lob dunks at the rim,” Wolves coach Chris Finch told reporters, “so we didn’t take either way.”

As the Wolves were attempting to claw back into the contest in the fourth, Portland simply rode Jerami Grant to the finish line. The versatile forward waltzed around whoever Minnesota threw at him for one bucket after another. It was clear Grant was who would take the shots for the Blazers. He finished with 21 points. Minnesota could do nothing to stop him.

These are not the big, bad Wolves. They’re a relatively tame unit at the moment.

Seven players for Portland scored in double figures.

Naz Reid led the Wolves (6-5) with 28 points, while Anthony Edwards tacked on 26. But Minnesota struggled from distance, shooting 13 for 35 from beyond the arc, and committed 23 turnovers that led to 25 Portland points. Minnesota has committed 20-plus turnovers in three straight games for the first time since 1995.

Advertisement

The Wolves’ giveaways Tuesday included numerous errors inbounding the ball, as well as an 8-second violation in which Julius Randle failed to recognize the clock as he was contested dribbling the ball up the floor.

“Just sloppy,” Finch told reporters. “Carelessness, highly controllable ones.”

Finch noted Minnesota is losing the structure within its offense, while at times also trying too hard to jam the ball into Rudy Gobert down low.

“Guys are trying to make these high-risk plays a lot — way too much,” Finch said. “You’ve got to make the simple play.”

Tuesday marked Minnesota’s first group play game of the NBA Cup in-season tournament. A 14-point loss delivers a devastating blow for the Wolves’ chances of advancing to the knockout round with three group stage games yet to play, particularly with the defeat coming at the hands of the worst team in the pool.

Advertisement

The Blazers fell by 45 to an under-manned Memphis team on Sunday, then turned around and beat Minnesota two days later.

The Wolves and Blazers (4-8) will again do battle Wednesday in Portland.

Originally Published:



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Minnesota

Olympic champion wrestler Gable Steveson ends retirement, returns to University of Minnesota

Published

on

Olympic champion wrestler Gable Steveson ends retirement, returns to University of Minnesota


Gable Steveson, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, said Tuesday he is coming out of retirement and will return to the University of Minnesota for a fifth and final season of college wrestling.

Steveson won gold as a freestyle heavyweight in Tokyo at age 21, then won his second national title at Minnesota in 2022 before retiring.

Now 24, the two-time Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s top collegiate wrestler returns on a 52-match win streak.

“Minnesota has given me everything, and now it’s my turn to give it right back to them: to put my feet back on the wrestling mat, to be the champ, one more time,” Steveson said in a video announcing his comeback.

Advertisement

Steveson has an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Minnesota said he is expected to make his season debut on Nov. 24 against Campbell.

“Gable has the burning desire to compete for the Maroon and Gold one last time,” Eggum said. “We are thankful he has chosen the opportunity to add to his historic legacy with our program. He is one of the best to ever compete in the sport of wrestling, and we are grateful for the impact has had at our program.”

Steveson tried professional wrestling with World Wrestling Entertainment and performed up mostly in NXT, the company’s developmental brand. After his release this year, he tried out for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills despite never having played organized football. He did not make the roster.

He has continued to train with Minnesota wrestling coach Brandon Eggum, and considered trying to compete in the Paris Olympics before deciding against it.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Minnesota

10 to know: Minnesota prep stars ready to commit

Published

on

10 to know: Minnesota prep stars ready to commit


Champlin Park’s Carly Gilk was the Star Tribune’s All-Minnesota Volleyball Player of the Year this fall, and she’s pictured here posing for a photo for her mom, Shelley, when they arrived for the Star Tribune’s annual June celebration for prep athletes at Target Field. (Jeff Wheeler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minnehaha Academy • Basketball • Undecided

A 5-8 guard and the No. 2-ranked senior player in Minnesota scorched the nets for the Red Hawks last season. She became the fifth-fastest player in state history to reach 3,000 career points. She’ll announce her decision Friday from a list that includes Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Illinois.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s • Basketball • Creighton

Advertisement

The 5-10 guard missed last season with a knee injury but averaged 20 points as a sophomore in 2022-23 playing alongside current Michigan freshman Olivia Olson. She also received offers from the Gophers and Iowa two years ago.

Kendall McGee (30) of Benilde-St. Margaret's defends against Jordyn Johnson (50) of DeLaSalle.

Creighton is getting an outstanding player in Kendall McGee of Benilde-St. Margaret’s. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Roseville • Cross country and track • North Carolina

The two-time Minnesota boys cross country state champion and reigning 1600m and 3200m title holder will head to the Tar Heels, currently ranked 11th in the nation. Mechura will race different distances and courses in college, but his personal bests (4:08 mile, 8:56 3200m, 14:32 5K) make him a promising collegiate distance competitor.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Minnesota

AAA: Minnesota average gas prices fall under $3 per gallon

Published

on

AAA: Minnesota average gas prices fall under  per gallon


FRIDLEY, Minn. — Minnesota’s average gas prices have dropped to $2.95 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s cheaper than the nationwide average, but overall prices are at their lowest levels across the country in more than three years.

Minnesota is one of 28 states under $3 per gallon, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which tracks fuel prices. 

“While the election has come and gone, gas prices have stayed the course, with the national average price of gasoline declining for a fourth consecutive week as seasonal demand weakens and Americans begin to take refuge from falling temperatures,” he said in a news release. 

Akshay Rao, a professor at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management who has tracked gas prices for 40 years, said the story through the decades has remained pretty much the same: there are times of the year when it’s more expensive than others — like spring and summer — due to an uptick in demand. 

Advertisement

Changes driving additional fluctuations have been the war in Ukraine and uncertainty in the Middle East with the war in Gaza. 

“The past few years, we’ve had a couple of other reasons for some enhanced variability in gas prices, typically in the upward direction, because of the war in Ukraine and the uncertainty in the Middle East, but that’s been compensated for by a fair amount of production here in the United States,” he said. “So we are now the largest producer and exporter of crude oil on the planet, and as a result, we’re doing quite well.”

The national average is down 16.7 cents compared to a month ago and is 32.3 cents per gallon cheaper than it was a year ago, GasBuddy estimates. For drivers, the price plunge at the pump is welcome news. 

Nathan Phillips, a 17-year-old at Fridley High School, said he will be more likely to use his car now that gas is less expensive. He remembers when it was much higher.

“It was $3.49, and 1731399747 it’s dropped to $2.84 and that’s extra money in my pocket at the end of the day,” Phillips said. “I’m playing a sport right now so having a job is kind of tough so having that little extra cash — I mean that goes a long way.”

Advertisement

Four Corners Gas and Convenience in Fridley had some of the cheapest gas in the area Monday night. Yasir Abuhaleigah, its owner, said he tries to keep prices as low as possible to give customers a break on a key necessity.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen it under $3, but as soon as I got that deal, I passed it along to my customers,” he said.

Wisconsin’s average is lower than Minnesota’s at $2.82. Gas is at its highest in places like California and Hawaii, which are more than $4 per gallon and 35 to 45 cents cheaper in Texas and Oklahoma, GasBuddy found.

Will these prices last? Rao said it’s impossible to know for sure.

“My crystal ball is broken. It’s in the shop. But if I was to make a wild guess, these prices will last typically until the spring, when again, demand will increase as people get done with the school year and begin planning their summer trips and so on and so forth,” Rao said. “So this is a pattern that you can see year in year out. The more, I suspect, interesting question is, by how much? What is the calibration of this? And that’s where I’m missing my crystal ball.”

Advertisement



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending