7 p.m., Target Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports NorthWhere to Listen: 830 WCCO
All-Star Break is over and now it’s time for the final stretch of the season.
The Wolves go into the game with a 22-35 record, while the Mavericks are 22-34.
A few tidbits going into Friday night’s game in Minneapolis:
- This is an important game as far as the playoffs go. Dallas is three games back from the eighth seed in the West, while the Wolves are 3.5 games back.
- This is the first of a home-away back-to-back for Minnesota. The Wolves travel to play the Rockets in Houston on Saturday.
- In his first season in Dallas, Harrison Barnes has been solid, averaging 20.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Coming Off Of…
The Wolves are coming off of a 112-99 road win over the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 15. Andrew Wiggins led the Wolves with 40 points and shot 15-for-26 from the field, 2-for-4 from the 3-point line and 8-for-11 from the free-throw line. Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 19 rebounds. Shabazz Muhammad led the second unit with 15 points in just under 17 minutes.
The Mavericks are coming off of a 98-91 road loss to the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 15. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Barnes added 16 points and five rebounds. Seth Curry and Deron Williams finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Last Matchup
The Wolves are 1-1 against the Mavericks this season. The last game came on Jan. 15 in Dallas. Wesley Matthews led Dallas with 19 points, 12 coming from the 3-point line. Nowitzki added 17 points and six rebounds. J.J. Barea led the bench with 15 points, while Devin Harris pitched in 10. Barnes and Williams finished with 13 points each, while Williams also had 10 assists.
Gorgui Dieng led the Wolves with 21 points and eight rebounds. Wiggins and Towns combined for 37 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists. Zach LaVine and Nemanja Bjelica scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Dirk Nowitzki
This is an odd matchup, but with the Mavericks’ roster configuration, Nowitzki is forced to play more center, meaning we could see him having to defend one of the league’s best big men. This, of course, all depends if newly-acquired center Nerlens Noel makes his debut.
In 57 games this season, Towns is averaging 23.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, all up from his rookie season. He’s also shooting 51.6 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from the 3-point line and 82.8 percent from the free-throw line.
In two games against Dallas, Towns is averaging 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
In 30 games this season, Nowitzki is averaging 13.9 points, six rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. All numbers are the lowest since his rookie season in 1998-99. Nowitzki is also playing just 26 minutes per game, also the lowest mark since his rookie season.
In two games against the Wolves this season, Nowitzki is averaging 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists per game.
Injuries
Dallas: Barea (calf) is out.
Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle), LaVine (ACL) and Adreian Payne (illness) are out.
Projected Starters
Dallas: PG – Ferrell, SG – Curry, SF – Matthews, PF – Barnes, C - Nowitzki
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – Rush, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns