Thursday, 7:00 p.m., Target Center Where to Watch: FOX Sports North Plus Listen: 830 WCCO
The Wolves are hoping to bounce back from a tough loss to the 76ers in overtime on Tuesday night. Their next test will be the Sacramento Kings at Target Center.
Minnesota goes into the game with a 16-12 record, fourth in the West. The Kings are 9-18, 12th in the West.
A few tidbits going into Thursday night’s game:
- · Sacramento is a pretty balanced team. Seven players are scoring eight or more points per game, but nobody is averaging more than 16.
- · This is the third of Minnesota’s five-game homestand. The team plays Phoenix on Saturday and Portland on Monday.
- · Minnesota is averaging 107.3 points per game, ninth in the NBA.
Last Matchup . . .
The Wolves were 1-3 against the Kings last season.
The last game came on April 1 at the Target Center. The Kings won 123-117 behind 22 points from Buddy Hield. Ty Lawson led the bench with 21 points and 11 assists. Langston Galloway and Arron Afflalo scored 17 and 16 points, respectively. Willie Cauley-Stein finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
Andrew Wiggins led the Wolves with 32 points. Karl-Anthony Towns added 26 points and 11 boards. Ricky Rubio had an 11-point, 13-assist double-double to go with two steals. Gorgui Dieng finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Brandon Rush also scored 11.
Coming Off Of . . .
The Wolves are coming off a 118-112 home overtime loss to the 76ers on Monday. Jimmy Butler led the Wolves with 38 points and six rebounds. Wiggins added 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Towns finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Jeff Teague rounded things out with 17 points.
The Kings are coming off a 99-92 win over the Suns at home on Monday. George Hill led Sacramento with 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Zach Randolph added 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Hield led the bench with 14 points. Cauley-Stein added 13 points and six rebounds. Bogan Bogdanovic rounded things out with 10 points and five boards.
Key Matchup: Taj Gibson vs. Zach Randolph
The two veterans.
In his ninth NBA season, Gibson is averaging 11 points and a career-high 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting 53.9 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line, both career highs. In 16 career games against Sacramento, Gibson is averaging 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
In his 17th season, Randolph is averaging 15.2 points and seven rebounds per game. In 48 career games against the Wolves, Randolph is averaging 14.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Injury Report
Kings:
Harry Giles (knee) is out.
Timberwolves:
Nemanja Bjelica (foot) is questionable.
Projected Starters
Kings:
PG – Hill, SG – Fox, SF – Temple, PF – Randolph, C - Labissiere
Timberwolves:
PG – Teague, SG – Wiggins, SF – Butler, PF – Gibson, C - Towns