Timberwolves vs. Cavaliers (7 ET, NBA TV)
Back Where It Started
Andrew Wiggins’ time in Cleveland was short-lived. The Cavaliers flipped the 2014 No. 1 pick (along with 2013 No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett) to Minnesota for Kevin Love less than two months after the 2014 NBA Draft. Since then, Wiggins has won the 2014-15 Kia Rookie of the Year Award and had great individual success against the Cavaliers. In his three previous matchups, Wiggins is averaging 31.2 points on 58.3 percent from the field with 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals. However, the Timberwolves are 0-3 in these matchups, including a 26-point defeat in their only game against the Cavaliers this season. A win tonight would give the Timberwolves their first road victory since December 20.
Increase The Fun
David Blatt is out and Tyronn Lue is in as coach of the Cavaliers. After a loss to the Bulls in his first game as coach on Saturday, Lue said the Cavaliers need to get back to having fun. They tried to do this by participating in lineup introductions for the first time since mid-November. But that didn’t help them on the floor where they suffered their second-largest home loss of the season. Lue and the Cavaliers will look to have fun again and push the pace tonight against a Timberwolves team that enters on an eight-game road losing streak.
Must-See Matchups
There’s a lot of interesting individual matchups to keep an eye on during this game. LeBron James vs. Andrew Wiggins is the obvious place to look. But Ricky Rubio vs. Kyrie Irving should offer plenty of excitement, too, and it’s always interesting to see what Kevin Love will do against his former team. No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns has been hot of late and scored 22 points on 11-for-14 shooting in his only matchup with the Cavaliers. Zach LaVine can jump out of the gym and you never know what J.R. Smith will do. There should be plenty to watch in this opening act before the main event …
Spurs vs. Warriors (10:30 ET, NBA TV)
Historic Matchup
What more needs to be said about the second game of NBA TV’s doubleheader? The Warriors (40-4) and Spurs (38-6) are off to historically dominant starts and their matchup tonight will be the first time in NBA history two teams have met this late into a season with winning percentages of .850 or higher. Both teams have top-three offensives and defenses (Warriors: 1st in offense, 3rd in defense / Spurs: 3rd in offense, 1st in defense) while operating at completely different paces of play (Warriors: 2nd fastest / Spurs: 6th slowest). Which style of play will win out tonight?
Spurs vs. Warriors Stats Preview
One Streak Will End
The Warriors enter tonight’s clash winners of 38-straight at home and 21-0 there this season. A 39th straight win would push the Warriors’ streak to the third longest home winning streak in NBA history. The Spurs enter on a 13-game winning streak, which is the longest active streak in the league. Which streak will come to an end tonight? You’ll have to watch to find out. But the answer could lie behind the arc where the Warriors lead the league in 3-pointers made (12.8 per game) and the Spurs lead the league in fewest makes allowed (5.9).
Lopsided Victories
It’s no surprise the Warriors and Spurs lead the league in point differential. But what may be surprising is the Spurs (+14.5) have a higher differential than the Warriors (+12.1). In fact, the Spurs are on pace to have the highest point per game differential in NBA history surpassing the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (+12.3). Meanwhile, the Warriors are on pace for the 5th highest differential in history. Since December 1st, the Spurs are 24-2 while the Warriors are 21-4.
No Duncan, No Problem
Tim Duncan (knee) will sit out tonight’s highly anticipated matchup. But that hasn’t bothered the Spurs yet this season as they are 7-0 without the future Hall of Famer. Last season, the Spurs won two of three games against the Warriors, making them the only team to beat Golden State twice in 2014-15. In addition, those two losses for Golden State ranked in their top three largest defeats of the season (13 and 15 points). Will Golden State deal out some revenge tonight?
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NBA.com staff reports
