Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
The Minnesota Timberwolves host the defending NBA Champions Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Target Center.
The game is the final game of the season-high six-game homestand and is the first game of a back-to-back for the Wolves prior to the All-Star break. Minnesota heads to Denver on Wednesday.
For the Wolves, getting a win over Cleveland on Tuesday would help build some momentum going into the break and for the rest of the season.
“We want to close out this part of the season strong with a great win, especially at home,” Karl-Anthony Towns said Tuesday after shootaround. “We still have two more games, with today being one of the two. For us, getting great wins, especially going into the All-Star break, can definitely help our chances of making the playoffs and will give us a lot of momentum coming back.”
The Cavs will be without former Wolves big man Kevin Love in the game. Cleveland announced Tuesday that Love underwent left knee surgery and will be sidelined for six weeks.
“It’s tough anytime you lose an All-Star. He’s been playing great, so it’s tough,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said. “It’s next man up mentality for our team. . . Everybody needs to be ready to play.”
LeBron James knows it will be a challenge for Cleveland with Love out. And that challenge begins against the Wolves at Target Center.
“We hope for a speedy recovery for our All-Star,” James said. “We’ll be ready to play whoever we step on the floor with. . . I have my guys ready to play every single night.”
The Wolves and Cavs will face off for the second time in two weeks on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be aired on Fox Sports North, NBATV and 830 WCCO.