8:00 p.m., Vivint Smart Home Arena
Where to Watch: FSN
Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
Minnesota will take the court tonight in Utah against the 37-38 Jazz who are looking to keep their playoff dreams alive.
Utah finds themselves tied for the 7th seed in the Western Conference playoff picture and only leads Houston by half of a game.
Keep this fun facts in mind before tuning into tonight’s game:
– The Jazz have really turned it on as of late, going 7-3 in the last 10 games. Rudy Gobert is back for Utah and has been a big reason for their success.
– Utah allows the second fewest points allowed per game in the league with only 96.2. Minnesota ranks 24th in that same category, allowing their opponents to score nearly 106 points per contest.
– In a great battle of the bigs, Karl- Anthony Towns has been a monster lately, averaging 22 points on close to 57 percent efficiency and 10.6 rebounds over his last five games.
Coming Off Of…
Minnesota will look to bounce back after a rough loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, 99-79. The Timberwolves were outmatched from the tip-off and only scored 34 points in the first 24 minutes. Towns was really the only Wolf to show signs of life, as the rookie scored 16 points and gathered 11 rebounds in 23 minutes.
The Jazz are looking to walk away with a victory after nearly doing so on Wednesday night against the defending champion Warriors, losing in overtime 103-96. Every starter for Utah had a great performance, especially Gobert and Shelvin Mack. The 7’1 Jazz center scored 11 points and snatched 18 rebounds, while Mack contributed 12 points, nine assists and six boards.
Last Matchup:
This opposition will look very familiar to both squads as they last played each other on Mar. 26. In a competitive ballgame through three quarters, the Jazz were able to really on their veterans to pull away in the final period and won 93-84.
Ricky Rubio had himself a great game, scoring a game-high 23 points, gathering five rebounds, dishing out six assists and stealing the ball four times.
Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors were too much for the young Wolves, as the two proven talents combined for 37 points and 10 rebounds.
Key Matchup: Zach LaVine vs. Rodney Hood
With both players having the capability of going off in any game and being known primarily for their skills offensively, this shooting guard battle will be interesting to watch.
Hood is averaging 16.6 points, four rebounds and is shooting better than 51 percent from the floor in his last five games.
LaVine is averaging 17.1 points, 2.6 assists and is putting in 50 percent of his shots over his last 10 games.
After not scoring any points in Minnesota’s game against the Clippers on Wednesday, look for the LaVine to come out focused and ready come game time.
Injuries:
Jazz: Alec Burks (leg) and Dante Exum (knee) are out, while Derrick Favors (knee) is questionable.
Wolves: Kevin Garnett (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (foot) are out, while Andrew Wiggins (head) is probable.
Projected Starters:
Utah: PG- Mack, SG- Hood, SF- Hayward, PF- Favors, C- Gobert
Minnesota: PG- Rubio, SG- LaVine, SF- Wiggins, PF- Towns, C- Dieng
