Friday, Toyota Center Wolves at Rockets, 7:00 p.m. ESPN, FS North, 830 WCCO
Why you should watch:
BASKETBALL IS BACK! LET’S GOOOOOO!
Two of the best in the West go up against each other in this Friday night, primetime battle.
The Wolves are 36-25, fourth in the West, while the Rockets are 44-13 first in the West and in the league.
This isn’t the ideal matchup coming out of the break for the Wolves, but the schedule is the schedule and here we are.
Minnesota is 0-2 against Houston this year.
Karl-Anthony Towns is in the running for Western Conference Player of the Month after averaging 23.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in seven February games. In two games against Houston this season, Towns is averaging 28.5 points and 14 rebounds.
If you’re watching ESPN, Dave Pasch, Doris Burke and Cassidy Hubbarth will be on the call.
Opposing player I’ll be watching:
The two teams last faced off on Feb. 13 at Target Center and the Rockets won 126-108, outscoring the Wolves 42-28 in the final quarter.
While James Harden had his ho-hum 34 points, 13 assists and six rebounds, Ryan Anderson was the guy who killed the Wolves.
Anderson played 26 minutes off the bench and finished with 21 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the 3-point line.
In his 10th season, Anderson is averaging 10.1 points (lowest since 2009-10), but he’s still a huge threat from deep, shooting 38.7 percent from the 3-point line.
As a team, the Rockets are making 15.7 3-pointers per game, first in the NBA. The Wolves have allowed 11 3-pointers per game, ninth-worst in the league. That’ll be something Minnesota will need to shore up if it wants to come away with a win against the top team in the NBA.
Injuries:
Rockets: Trevor Ariza (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (knee) are probable.
Wolves: No injuries to report.
Starting Lineups:
Rockets: PG – Paul, SG – Harden, SF – Mbah a Moute, PF – Tucker, C - Tucker
Wolves: PG – Teague, SG – Wiggins, SF – Butler, PF – Gibson, C - Towns