7:00 p.m., Target Center
Where to Watch: Fox Sports North
Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping to go into the All-Star break with a win, but it’ll be tough against the Eastern Conference’s second-place team on Wednesday night at the Target Center.
The Wolves go into the game with a 16-37 record, good for 13th in the West. The Raptors are 35-16, second in the East.
A few tidbits going into Wednesday night’s game:
- Former Wolves forward Anthony Bennett hasn’t found his place with the Raptors this season, scoring just 1.5 points per game in 15 games.
- Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns ranks 15th in the league with a Player Efficiency Rating of 22.7.
- DeMar DeRozan has had a great season in Toronto, averaging a career-high 23.2 points while shooting 44.5 percent from the field.
- The Wolves are 12-26 all-time against the Raptors.
Coming Off Of…
The Wolves are coming off of a 116-102 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
Towns led the way for the Wolves with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 15 points, but shot 5-for-14. Shabazz Muhammad led the second unit with 14 points and nine rebounds. Gorgui Dieng had another double-double, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Zach LaVine also had 12 points. Ricky Rubio and Nemanja Bjelica added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Raptors are coming off of a 103-89 road win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 25 points and seven rebounds while shooting 9-for-14 from the field. Terrence Ross led the second unit with 18 points, 12 coming from the 3-point line. DeRozan had a nice all-around game, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Jonas Valanciunas and Cory Joseph finished with 15 points each.
Last Matchup:
The Raptors were 2-0 against the Wolves last season. The last game came on April 1 at the Target Center. Toronto came away with a 113-99 win thanks to 18 points from Lou Williams off the bench. DeRozan added 17, while Ross finished with 16. Valanciunas was efficient, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 15 points. Lowry didn’t play, but Greivis Vasquez finished with 14 points. James Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Wiggins led the Wolves with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. LaVine added 22 points and seven assists. Chase Budinger and Justin Hamilton finished with 19 and 13 points, respectively. It’s worth noting the Wolves had just eight healthy players.
Key Matchup: Ricky Rubio vs. Kyle Lowry
When it comes to all-around stats, Rubio is one of the best when it comes to point guards. On the season, Rubio is averaging 9.5 points, 8.6 assists (fifth in NBA), 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game (third in NBA). In five career games against the Raptors, Rubio is averaging 7.8 points, 7.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Lowry, the starting point guard for the Eastern Conference All-Star team is having one of the best seasons of his career. Lowry is averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game (15th in the NBA) to go with 6.2 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals (second in NBA) per game. He’s also shooting a career-high 39.7 percent from the 3-point line.
Injuries:
Toronto: Johnson (ankle) is questionable. DeMarre Carroll (knee) is out.
Minnesota: Kevin Garnett (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (foot) are doubtful. Kevin Martin (wrist) is questionable.
Projected Starters:
Toronto: PG- Lowry, SG – DeRozan, SF – Powell, PF – Scola, C - Valanciunas
Minnesota: PG- Rubio, SG- Wiggins, SF- Prince, PF- Towns, C - Dieng