The Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up their three-game homestand when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at 6 p.m. Monday night at Target Center.
The Wolves come into the game at 30-45 overall and are in 12th place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers enter at 38-38 on the season and are in eighth place in the Western Conference.
Here are a few tidbits prior to Monday’s game:
- The game is Minnesota’s second-to-last regular season home game. The final home game will come on April 11, when the Wolves will the Oklahoma City Thunder.
- Minnesota and Portland will face off twice this week, with Monday being the first game and the second game coming on Thursday in Portland.
- The Trail Blazers have been red hot as of late, holding a 9-1 record in their last 10 games.
- Portland holds a two-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Coming Off Of…
Minnesota is coming off of a 123-117 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Andrew Wiggins had 32 points, three rebounds and three assists and Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way for the Wolves. Ricky Rubio had 11 points, 13 assists and six rebounds, Gorgui Dieng had 11 points and eight rebounds, Brandon Rush had 11 points, Shabazz Muhammad, Tyus Jones and Adreian Payne had six points each, and Kris Dunn added four points, three rebounds and three assists.
Portland is coming off of a 130-118 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday in Portland.
Damian Lillard had 31 points and seven assists and CJ McCollum had 29 points and seven assists to lead the Trail Blazers. Evan Turner had 18 points, Maurice Harkless had 13 points, Noah Vonleh had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Al-Farouq Aminu had 12 points and six rebounds in the game.
Last Matchup
Portland holds a 2-0 season series advantage over Minnesota. The last matchup between the two teams came on March 25 in Portland, where the Trail Blazers came away with a 112-100 win over the Wolves.
In that game, Wiggins had 20 points and Dunn tallied a career-high 17 points and four rebounds to lead Minnesota. Towns had 16 points and five rebounds, Rubio had 16 points, four assists and four rebounds, Dieng had 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and Muhammad had 13 points off the bench.
For Portland, McCollum had 32 points and four assists, Lillard had 21 points and eight assists, Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and nine rebounds and Allen Crabbe had 10 points and three rebounds.
Monday’s game will be the third of four matchups between the Wolves and Trail Blazers this season. The two teams will face off again on Thursday in Portland.
Key Matchup: Ricky Rubio vs. Damian Lillard
The way that Ricky Rubio has played for the Wolves as of late, he has been a key focus for most teams in the NBA. On Monday night, he will go head-to-head with Damian Lillard.
Rubio is having a stellar year in his sixth NBA season. He is averaging a career-high 10.9 points and nine assists, along with tallying four rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.
Lillard, in his fifth NBA season, is averaging in 26.8 points, 5.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game in 71 games this season.
Injuries
Portland: Ed Davis (shoulder), Festus Ezeli (knee) and Jusuf Nurkic (leg) are out.
Minnesota: Nemanja Bjelica (foot), Zach LaVine (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are out.
Projected Starters
Portland: PG – Lillard, SG – McCollum, SF – Harkless, PF – Vonleh, C – Leonard
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – Rush, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns
