T-wolves' turnover numbers improving

MINNEAPOLIS – Rick Adelman thought the problem was fixed.

After turnovers plagued his team for many of its early games – the Timberwolves had 26 in their second game of the season against Milwaukee and 25 just three nights later against Miami – the team gradually improved its ball control as the season progressed. It went from its worst point, averaging 21 turnovers after its first three games, and gradually chipped away at that number, relinquishing last place in the league.

On Feb. 7, the Timberwolves had improved to committing just 15.6 turnovers per game, good for 21st in the NBA. But during a four-game losing streak that began in Memphis on Feb. 8, the team reverted to its old ways, averaging 20.5 turnovers during the skid and dragging down its season average to 16.4 per game (28th in the league).

After showing signs of improvement by committing just 13 turnovers in Wednesday's streak-ending win over Charlotte, the Timberwolves posted a less-impressive 19 against Houston on Friday. Their 16.4 turnovers per game are far from ideal, still barely respectable, but in games like the one against Charlotte, they've proved they can rise to the occasion. That's crucial, because any positive sign at all with regards to ball control is encouraging going into Sunday's game against Philadelphia.

The Sixers are averaging just 10.5 turnovers per game, best in the league by more than three per game. They're on pace to beat the all-time record for fewest turnovers per game in a season, set by Detroit in 2005-06, when they averaged just 11.35 and won 64 games. In fact, the Sixers can average nearly two more turnovers per game – 12.0 – and still edge past the Pistons' mark.

Obviously, the Timberwolves cannot revert to the recent turnover-happy play if they want to defeat Philadelphia on Sunday. And though one improved game is heartening, it's by no means a trend, and the Timberwolves have rarely performed at the level of the Sixers as far as ball control this season.

"Everybody, we're turning the ball over too much," Kevin Love said on Tuesday, in the midst of the streak. "That's been it. We need to take the shots that are right there for us, shoot it with confidence, and if we do that we'll be a lot better off."

Love emphasized that the entire team needs to improve its turnovers, but what was especially worrisome about the poor ball handling during the streak was that it often came from the players who should have the most control. In Monday's loss to Orlando, the team had 18 turnovers. Twelve of those 18 were committed by the point guard duo of Rubio (five turnovers) and Barea (seven).

Adelman attributed those turnover to his point guards trying to do too much, looking for what he called the "home run play" rather than a simply play. Himself a former guard, the coach said that he'd always been told throughout his career that if a guard throws a pass and it gets taken away, it's his fault. Adelman isn't so much placing blame, though, but assigning a diagnosable cause to a problem that seems hard for his team to do away with.

There are other causes of the sloppy play, though, he acknowledged.

"Sometimes it's a guard who makes the pass's fault… but there's also times where our bigs are moving so fast, and they're trying to catch the ball and score rather than catch the ball first," Adelman said.

That's why Love's insistence that the entire team needs to clean up its game resonates. The forward said that the turnovers are just one example of the team reverting back to its youthful ways, and that same youth might also cause finger-pointing and assignment of blame. That's not what the team needs, and each player must be held accountable.

Love set high goals for what his team needs to accomplish when it comes to turnovers. Before the game against Charlotte, he said the Timberwolves need to eliminate six to eight turnovers per game or even to cut their turnovers in half. That's a pretty high standard, but they came close to doing so against Charlotte. That focus on turnovers seemed to fade a bit on Friday, when they couldn't repeat the cleaner performance of just two nights before, though.

The key to reducing those turnovers may lie in getting back to the passing offense that the Timberwolves embraced for much of January. Recently, they've reverted back to a system in which ball-handlers are shooting on the first possession of an offensive series. Michael Beasley pointed out that his team's offense is much better when several players handle the ball before a shot.

"It's not just the point guards," Beasley said. "It's everybody. Just trying to do too much or being lackadaisical with the ball."

Before the Timberwolves' recent losing streak, they averaged 18.3 assists per game. During the streak, that number was down to 15.5. But on Wednesday against Charlotte, the team finished with 26 assists, a sure sign that the offense can be more dynamic than it has. The team had 24 assists in the win over Houston two nights later, continuing a trend that might be just as important as the turnovers themselves.

Sunday's game against Philadelphia will no doubt be a battle. The 20-10 Sixers are third in the Eastern Conference, and the turnover margin will be a major concern leading up to the game. If history is any indication – plus, the Timberwolves are average, at best, when it comes to steals – Philadelphia will hold onto the ball. Less than two weeks ago, on Feb. 6, the Sixers tied a franchise record when they committed just four turnovers in a 95-90 win over the Lakers. And though replicating that performance might be difficult, it's the kind of thing the Timberwolves can't count out as they prepare for Sunday's game. Sure, it's daunting, but maybe Adelman's team can pick up a few pointers about how to better hold onto the ball.

Follow Joan Niesen on Twitter.