Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
7 p.m., Target CenterWhere to Watch: Fox Sports NorthWhere to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Minnesota Timberwolves host the New York Knicks for the first time this season on Wednesday night.
The game will be a preview for Friday night’s game, when the two teams will face off again, this time in New York.
The Wolves come into the contest at 5-12 on the season and currently stand in 13th place in the Western Conference. The Knicks enter at 8-9 overall and are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Coming Off Of…
The Wolves are coming off of a 112-103 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Zach LaVine led Minnesota with a near triple-double of 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins had 13 points and four assists, Gorgui Dieng had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, Ricky Rubio had 11 points, and Shabazz Muhammad added 10 points off the bench.
The Knicks are coming off of a 112-103 loss to Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday in Oklahoma City.
Derrick Rose had 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Kristaps Porzingis had 21 points and five rebounds, Carmelo Anthony had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Courtney Lee added 13 points for New York.
Last Matchup:
Last season, the Knicks swept the Wolves 2-0 in the season series.
The last game between the two teams came on Feb. 20 in Minneapolis. New York came away with a 103-95 win.
In that game, Towns and Wiggins each had 24 points to lead the Wolves. Muhammad had 20 points and LaVine had 14 points and five rebounds coming off the bench.
Leading the way for the Knicks was Anthony with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Robin Lopez had 26 points and 16 rebounds, Aaron Afflalo had 11 points and four rebounds and Lance Thomas added 11 points and five rebounds coming off the bench.
Key Matchup: Andrew Wiggins vs. Carmelo Anthony
A matchup to watch will come between Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins against New York’s Carmelo Anthony.
So far this season, the two forwards are putting together rather similar seasons.
Entering Wednesday, both are leading their teams in scoring. Wiggins holds an average of 22.9 points per game, which is good for 16th in the NBA. Anthony carries an average of 22.7 points per game, which ranks 17th in the league.
Wiggins is averaging 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and is shooting 42.7 percent from the field 39.4 percent from behind the arc.
Anthony is averaging 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and is shooting 44 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three.
It should be fun watching the 21-year-old Wiggins go up against the 32-year-old veteran in Anthony.
Injuries:
New York: Lance Thomas (foot) is out.
Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out.
Projected Starters:
New York: PG – Rose, SG – Lee, SF – Anthony, PF – Porzingis, C – Noah
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – LaVine, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns