Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
6:30 p.m., TD Garden Where to Watch: Fox Sports North Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Minnesota Timberwolves kick off a three-game road trip as they travel to Boston to take on the Celtics on Wednesday night.
The Wolves enter the game at 28-38 overall and are tied for 10th place in the Western Conference. The Celtics come in with a record of 42-25 and are in second place in the Eastern Conference.
A few tidbits prior to tipoff Wednesday night:
- If the Wolves win Wednesday, they will match last season’s win total of 29.
- Minnesota remains 3.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets at the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference standings.
- The Wolves have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games, while the Celtics have gone 5-5 during that same span.
- Karl-Anthony Towns has averaged 24.8 points, 15.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and one block per game in his last 10 games. He is averaging 24.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 blocks in his sophomore season.
Coming Off Of...
Minnesota is coming off of a 119-104 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday in Minneapolis.
Towns had 39 points and 13 rebounds and Ricky Rubio had 22 points and a franchise record-breaking 19 assists to lead the Wolves. Nemanja Bjelica had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins had 15 points and five rebounds, Brandon Rush had 12 points and Gorgui Dieng added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Boston is coming off of a 100-80 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday in Boston.
Isaiah Thomas had 22 points and three steals, Avery Bradley had 17 points and six rebounds, Al Horford and Marcus Smart had 12 points and Kelly Olynyk and Jaylen Brown added 11 points each for the Celtics.
Last Matchup
Boston holds a 1-0 season series advantage over Minnesota. The Celtics beat the Wolves 99-93 on Nov. 21 at Target Center.
In that game, Towns had 27 points and 18 rebounds to lead Minnesota. Dieng had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wiggins had 14 points and four rebounds, Zach LaVine had 11 points and four assists and Bjelica had 10 points.
Thomas led Boston with 29 points. Horford had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, Bradley had 13 points and Terry Rozier had 12 points and four rebounds.
Wednesday’s game will be the second and final meeting between the Wolves and Celtics this season.
Key Matchup: Ricky Rubio vs. Isaiah Thomas
One matchup that will be interesting to keep an eye on will come between Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio and Boston’s Isaiah Thomas.
Rubio, coming off of setting a new franchise record with 19 assists on Monday night, has been playing well for the Wolves as of late. In his last 10 games, he is averaging 14 points, 11.1 assists, five rebounds and two steals. In his sixth season in the NBA, Rubio is averaging 9.8 points, 8.9 assists, four rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.
Thomas is in his having a career year in his sixth NBA season and has made his way into the MVP discussion this year. Thomas is averaging 29.2 points (2nd in the NBA), six assists and 2.6 rebounds per game this season.
Injuries
Boston: James Young (tailbone) is questionable.
Minnesota: LaVine (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are out.
Projected Starters
Boston: PG – Thomas, SG – Bradley, SF – Crowder, PF – Johnson, C – Horford
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – Rush, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns