9:30 p.m., Golden 1 Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports NorthWhere to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Wolves play the second of a four-game road trip on Monday night against the Kings in Sacramento.
Minnesota goes into the game with a 23-36 record, 3.5 games back from the eighth seed in the West. Sacramento is 25-34, 1.5 games back from the eighth seed.
Coming Off Of…
The Wolves are coming off a 142-130 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 37 points and 22 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 30 points. Gorgui Dieng had a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Ricky Rubio had 14 points and 11 assists. Shabazz Muhammad and Nemanja Bjelica led the second unit with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Kings are coming off a 99-85 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. Ben McLemore led the Kings with 18 points, nine coming from the 3-point line. Buddy Hield led the second unit with 15 points. Tyreke Evans and Anthony Tolliver scored 11 points each, while Darren Collison added 10.
Last Matchup
The Kings are 2-0 against the Wolves this season. The last game came on Dec. 23 at the Target Center and Sacramento came away with a 109-105 win thanks to 32 points from DeMarcus Cousins. Tolliver led the second unit with 17 points, while Ty Lawson scored 15. Kosta Koufos and Matt Barnes finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 40 points, 21 coming from the 3-point line. Towns added 20 points, 13 rebound and five assists. Wiggins and Rubio finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Key Matchup: Andrew Wiggins vs. Tyreke Evans
Wiggins has been on an absolute tear, scoring 20 or more points in 17 straight games. On the season, Wiggins is averaging 23.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from the 3-point line. All numbers are up from last season. In two games against the Kings this season, Wiggins is averaging 22 points.
Evans is in his second stint with the Kings. He was drafted by the team in the 2009 draft and was recently traded back to the Kings as part of the Cousins trade. In 28 games this season, Evans is averaging 9.8 points per game, the worse mark of his career. He has not played against the Wolves this season.
Injuries
Sacramento: Arron Afllalo (hamstring) is doubtful. Malachi Richardson (hamstring), Garrett Temple (hamstring) and Rudy Gay (Achilles) are out.
Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle), LaVine (ACL) and Adreian Payne (illness) are out.
Projected Starters
Sacramento: PG – Collison, SG – McLemore, SF – Evans, PF – Tolliver, C- Koufos
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – Rush, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns