Todd Barin
Web Editorial Associate
The Wolves head to Orlando tonight for their second game of a back-to-back after defeating the Miami Heat.
Minnesota is 5-1 on the road this season and matchup well against the 5-6 Magic.
With Ricky Rubio (hopefully) back in the lineup and the rest of the team mostly healthy, Minnesota will look to hand Orlando their third loss of the season at the Amway Center.
Keep these things in mind while cheering on the Wolves tonight:
- After sitting out four games with a hamstring injury, Rubio struggled shooting the ball last game going 1-for-7 from the field. Look for the experienced point guard to get his stroke back and contribute some solid points tonight.
- Minnesota had 12 shots blocked last game against the Heat. With no Hassan Whiteside in the middle, watch for the Wolves to attack the hoop and attempt to get Vucevic in early foul trouble.
- The Wolves shot 21 3-point shots in their last game, six more than their season average. The Magic lead the league in giving up 28 shots a game from beyond the arc. This game has the potential to be a 3-point party for Minnesota.
Coming Off
A win against the Magic’s in-state rivals. The Wolves put together a solid game plan and came out with a victory in Miami 103-91. Karl-Anthony Towns had another double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins contributed nicely with 24 points. The Wolves are 5-2 with Rubio leading the offense and play noticeably better on defense while he is on the court.
A loss to Washington. Like Miami last game, Orlando comes into tonight’s matchup having had a few days of rest after last losing to the Wizards last Saturday, 108-99. The Magic struggled from deep shooting 22 percent and allowed the Bradley Beal-less Wizards to shoot 47 percent from the field.
Last Matchup
These two teams last battled it out on April 3, 2015. Nikola Vucevic decided it would be a good idea to have a career day and put up 37 points and 17 rebounds against Minnesota’s Justin Hamilton.
Rubio and Garnett both sat out due to injury and Gorgui Dieng was out with a concussion. Wiggins led the team in scoring with 22 points and Minnesota had six players putting in double-digit points.
Orlando hauled in an astonishing 20 offensive rebounds compared to Minnesota’s three, and were able to shoot the ball 28 more times because of that statistic.
Minnesota shot nine percent from 3-point range and turned the ball over 20 times.
Key Matchup: Nikola Vucevic vs. Karl-Anthony Towns
Both big men have been playing extremely well as of late and now we have the pleasure of watching the young studs battle it out. Coming off of double-doubles, it should be interesting to see who comes out on top in this matchup.
The 25-year-old Switzerland native has had his way with opposing big-men, but coming off of a physical battle against Whiteside, Towns seems to be up for the test.
Towns, who has had foul trouble in recent games, needs to play smart against the more experienced Vucevic, as Minnesota counts on him to be their defensive intimidator in the paint.
Injuries
Magic: Evan Fournier (illness), Victor Oladipo (concussion), C.J. Watson (calf) and Jason Smith (knee) are all questionable.
Wolves: Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out. Rubio (hamstring) is questionable.
Projected Starters
Magic: PG- Payton, SG- Fournier, SF- Harris, PF- Frye, C- Vucevic
Wolves: PG- Rubio, SG- Wiggins, SF- Prince, PF- Garnett, C- Towns