Wesley Matthews vs. Kevin Martin
With both teams playing on the second night of a back-to-back, tonight's matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center will be a test of toughness. That test will be all the most difficult considering both teams lost the previous night in dramatic fashion. Given that, most players would probably prefer some rest to regroup, but not Portland's Wesley Matthews.
“Thank God we’ve got a game tomorrow,” Matthews told The Oregonian's Joe Freeman after losing to the Pacers in overtime Friday night. “That’s all I have to say.”
Matthews has always let his play do the talking against the Timberwolves. His 17.2 points per game and 50 percent shooting from the field in 17 career games against Minnesota are his highest averages against any team. Matthews always has a host of family and friends in attendance at the Target Center, as Minneapolis is just a four hour drive from his hometown of Madison, WI, so motivation should be no issues Saturday night, especially after being blown out in Minnesota early in the season.
Kevin Martin, Matthews' counterpart in tonight's contest, doesn't have the career numbers against Portland that he Matthews does against Minnesota, but he's still a force to be reckoned with. He's averaging 18.3 points on 49 percent shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22 career games against the Trail Blazers. He's scored 30 points in the Timberwolves' 115-104 loss in Portland back on Jan. 25 and 22 in their victory at home on Dec. 18.
It's to be seen how much either player has left in the tank after both playing more than 34 minutes the night before.