7:00 p.m., Chesapeake Energy Arena
Where to Watch: Fox Sports North
Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Minnesota Timberwolves are fighting for the future, seeing what pieces they have in place, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are fighting for playoff position.
The Wolves go into the game with a 20-45 record, 13th in the West. The Thunder are 44-20, third in the West.
A few tidbits going into tonight’s game:
Coming Off Of…
The Wolves are coming off of a 116-91 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Andrew Wiggins led the Wolves with 23 points and eight rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and nine rebounds. Shabazz Muhammad and Andrew Wiggins finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
The Thunder are coming off of a 120-108 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Kevin Durant led the way with 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Russell Westbrook was fantastic as well, finishing with 25 points, 20 assists and 11 rebounds. Serge Ibaka added 15 points. Enes Kanter and Andre Roberson finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Last Matchup:
The Wolves are 0-3 against the Thunder this season. The last game came on Jan. 27 in Minneapolis. The Thunder won 126-123 thanks to 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Durant. Westbrook added 24 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. Kanter led the bench with 23 points, Dion Waiters and Anthony Morrow combined for 26 points.
Zach LaVine led Minnesota with 35 bench points. He shot a lights out 5-for-8 from the 3-point line. Gorgui Dieng added 21 points and nine rebounds. Wiggins scored 20, while Towns had 19 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Bjelica and Muhammad finished with 21 combined points.
Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Steven Adams
Earlier this season, Towns called Adams his toughest matchup. That likely has to do with how gritty Adams is defensively, and he’ll need it against the multi-talented Towns.
Towns is averaging 17.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the field. In three games against the Thunder, he’s averaging 14 points and 11.7 rebounds.
Adams isn’t much of a threat offensively, averaging 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, but he’s on pace for 1.6 defensive win shares this season. We’ll see if Towns can surpass his season averages this time against Adams.
Injuries:
Thunder: Dion Waiters (personal) is questionable.
Wolves: Greg Smith (toe infection) is probable. Nemanja Bjelica (foot) is questionable. Nikola Pekovic (foot) and Kevin Garnett (knee) are out.
Projected Starters:
Thunder: PG- Westbrook, SG – Roberson, SF – Durant, PF – Ibaka, C – Adams
Wolves: PG- Rubio, SG- LaVine, SG – Wiggins, PF- Dieng, C – Towns
