Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
6 p.m., Quicken Loans Arena Where to Watch: Fox Sports North, ESPN Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Minnesota Timberwolves kick off the first game of a two-game road trip on Wednesday night against the defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
The Wolves come into the game with a record of 19-29 and are in 10th place in the Western Conference. The Cavaliers enter as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-15.
A few tidbits going into Wednesday’s game:
- The Wolves are winners in eight of their last 11 games. The Cavaliers are 4-7 during the same span.
- Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins have been on a tear during Minnesota’s last 11 games. Towns is averaging 28.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while Wiggins has averaged 22 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
- LeBron James has averaged a triple-double of 25.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists in his last five games.
Coming Off Of…
Minnesota is coming off of a 111-105 overtime win over the Orlando Magic on Monday in Minneapolis.
Wiggins had 27 points and five assists, Towns had 23 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks, Ricky Rubio had 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Zach LaVine had 11 points, and Shabazz Muhammad had 10 points and five rebounds for the Wolves.
Cleveland is coming off of a 104-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday in Dallas.
James had 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Kyrie Irving had 18 points, five assists and five rebounds, Channing Frye had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan McRae and Richard Jefferson each added 11 points for the Cavaliers.
Last Matchup
The last matchup between the Wolves and Cavaliers came on Jan. 25, 2016 in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 114-107.
In that game, Towns led the Wolves with 26 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. LaVine had 21 points, six assists and four rebounds, Wiggins had 20 points, Gorgui Dieng had 13 points and six rebounds, and Shabazz Muhammad had 10 points.
For the Cavaliers, James had 25 points and nine assists, Thompson had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Matthew Dellavedova had 18 points and seven assists, Irving had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Kevin Love and J.R. Smith each added 11 points.
Monday night’s game is the first of two games between Minnesota and Cleveland this season. The second game will come on Feb. 14 at Target Center.
Key Matchup: Andrew Wiggins vs. LeBron James
Since being drafted by the Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and then traded to the Wolves, Andrew Wiggins has been outstanding in the four meeting against Cleveland.
In those four games, he has averaged 28.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.5 rebounds and two steals per game.
Wiggins will again have the task of battling against one of the best players in the NBA in LeBron James. In those four meeting against Wiggins and the Wolves, James has averaged 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.8 blocks a game.
Wiggins, in his third season, is averaging 22.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.8 steals per game. James, in his 14th season, is averaging 25.6 points, 8.5 assists, eight rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Injuries
Cleveland: Love (back), Smith (thumb) and Chris Anderson (knee) are out.
Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out.
Projected Starters
Cleveland: PG – Irving, SG – Shumpert, SF – James, PF – Jefferson, C – Thompson
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – LaVine, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns