7:00 p.m., Target Center
Where to Watch: Fox Sports North, NBATV
Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
Things won't be easy for the Wolves on Tuesday night as they host the powerhouse San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio is 17-4 on the season, a game out of first place in the West. The Wolves are 6-14, tied for 13th in the West.
A few tidbits going into the game:
- We'll see if San Antonio rests any players after playing Monday night in Milwaukee.
- Wolves shooting guard Zach LaVine has scored 17 or more points in five straight game, eclipsing 20 points three times during that stretch.
- After losing to the Magic on Nov. 29, the Spurs have won three-straight games.
Coming Off Of…
The Wolves are coming off of a 125-120 road overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets. Minnesota was down by seven with just 40 seconds left. Thanks to 3-pointers from LaVine, Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins, the Wolves came away with the win.
Wiggins led the way with 29 points, including the three to send the game to overtime. Karl-Anthony Towns added 27 points and 15 rebounds. LaVine scored 17. Shabazz Muhammad and Nemanja Bjelica led the second unit with 12 points each.
The Spurs are coming off of a 97-96 road win over the Bucks on Monday despite scoring just nine points in the second quarter. Kawhi Leonard led San Antonio with 21 points and nine rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Pau Gasol and Dewayne Dedmon finished with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Last Matchup:
The Wolves were 0-3 against the Spurs last season.
The last game came on March 8 in Minneapolis. The Spurs won 116-91 thanks to 29 points and seven rebounds from Aldridge. David West (now with Warriors) added 18 points. Leonard and Andre Miller added 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Wiggins led the Wolves with 23 points and eight rebounds. Towns added 19 points, while LaVine scored 15. Shabazz Muhammad and Tus Jones scored 11 and 10 points off the bench, respectively.
Key Matchup: Andrew Wiggins vs. Kawhi Leonard
Out goes Tim Duncan, in comes Leonard as his replacement as the leader for the Spurs team.
Leonard is averaging a career-high 24.1 points per game to go with 6.1 rebounds. In 15 career games against the Wolves, Leonard is averaging 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Wiggins is also having a career-year, averaging a career-high 22.8 points while shooting 39.2 percent from the 3-point line.
Injuries:
San Antonio: No injuries to report.
Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out. Brandon Rush (toe) is questionable.
Projected Starters:
San Antonio: PG – Parker, SG – Green, SF – Leonard, PF – Aldridge, C - Gasol
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – LaVine, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns