Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 2.14.24
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Love seeing Spring Training photos...
Minnesota hosts Ottawa tonight in a PWHL tilt at The X.
Hope Taylor Swift can sleep on the plane to Australia for her next show...
Wolves’ Win Streak Hits Three Late-Night in Portland
A big character win for the Wolves, who could have easily no showed after whipping Milwaukee and the Clippers on the road, but instead grinded out a 121-109 win at Portland last night after you went to bed.
Anthony Edwards was a last minute add to the injury report, but played and erupted for 41 points, necessary on a night Karl-Anthony Towns was plagued by foul trouble.
Minnesota led by 14 in the first half, but that lead was down to only one heading into the fourth. That may remind you of a half dozen or so games the last month. But despite playing on the second half of a back-to-back, the Wolves but were able to pull away from an inferior team.
How good is the West? After these three big wins, the Wolves are still just a game up for first at 38-16. They’ve got just six conference losses. And they’ll finish out the pre All-Star break portion of their schedule with another game in Portland tomorrow. Get your tickets before you can’t, the Wolves return from the break hosting Milwaukee in a 9 p.m. nationally televised game Feb. 23.
And about those wins in Milwaukee and LA...
Per Wolves PR, there have been 778 instances in NBA history where a team played consecutive regular season games on the road versus teams 15 or more games over .500. The Wolves are the only team to win both those games by 20 points.
Wild Stayin’ Around, Beats Vegas 5-3
Every time you think you can give up the ship and count the Wild, they put on a performance like Monday night in Vegas. They can beat anyone if they play like that, especially getting Matt Boldy’s best performance in eons in a 5-3 win.
Boldy had a goal, two assists and tied a season-high with seven shots. Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice, while Brock Faber continued his Calder Trophy campaign with two assists. Even if Connor Bedard didn’t miss the last month with an injury, Faber should be a slam dunk Calder winner.
And it could have gone very differently after a freak Vegas goal 22 seconds into the game. But no panic on this Wild team, at least not on this night.
Of course it only matters if they put it together tonight in Mullet Arena, home of the Arizona Coyotes. Puck drop is 8:30 p.m.
Gopher Women’s Hoops Continues Slide
The Gopher women lost their sixth straight last night, taking a 10-point lead after the first quarter but falling 81-73 to a Rutgers team that had been 1-14 in its last 15.
The men are at No. 2 Purdue tomorrow.
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