7:00 p.m., Target Center
Where to Watch: Fox Sports North
Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Minnesota Timberwolves will play their first home game after the All-Star Break on Saturday night against the New York Knicks.
Both teams are coming off of a road game on Friday night, so we’ll see how much energy is in this once.
A few tidbits going into this game:
Coming Off Of…
Both teams play on Friday night. We will update accordingly.
Last Matchup:
The two teams last faced off on Dec. 16 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks came away with a 107-102 win thanks to 29 points Arron Afflalo. Anthony nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Lance Thomas led the second unit with 14 points, while Langston Galloway pitched in 12. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 23 points, but shot just 8-for-22 from the field. Zach LaVine led the second unit with 19 points, while Gorgui Dieng added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Kristaps Porzingis
This is the second time the two Rookie of the Year candidates will go up against each other this season. Towns has the edge on Porzingis right now, and the way he’s been playing lately, that isn’t likely to change.
Towns is averaging 17.1 points per game to go with 10.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 assists. In five February games, Towns is averaging 22.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and two blocks per game.
Porzingis is averaging 13.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 assists per game. He’s shooting 34.9 percent from the 3-point line on 3.2 attempts per game. His February numbers are pretty on par with his season averages, putting up 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games.
Injuries:
New York: Cleanthony Early (knee) is out.
Minnesota: Kevin Martin (wrist) is probable. Kevin Garnett (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (foot) are doubtful. Nemanja Bjelica (foot) is out.
Projected Starters:
New York: PG- Calderon, SG – Afflalo, SF – Anthony, PF – Porzingis, C – Lopez
Minnesota: PG- Rubio, SG- Wiggins, SF- Prince, PF- Towns, C – Dieng
