The Wolves took care of business and picked up their first road win of the season against the Nets on Friday afternoon thanks to phenomenal outings from Karl-Anthony Towns and Derrick Rose. The Wolves controlled things from start to finish and stamped down a Brooklyn rally in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory. Now the team heads home for what should be a super entertaining game against the Bulls.
This will be Wolves fans' first chance to see LaVine at full strength since he was traded. While he returned to Target Center last February, he wasn't quite back to his former self after returning mid-season from an ACL tear. There's no doubt he's back now, the former Wolves fan favorite is in the middle of a heck of a year and he’ll certainly be received well by the Target Center crowd. LaVine is averaging 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists and shooting 43.3 percent from the floor. The Bulls are not a good team, but LaVine is a human highlight reel. Minnesota fans are certainly hoping for a Wolves victory but a few LaVine dunks on the side.
Trading LaVine to the Bulls is one of those rare trades that worked out well for both teams. The Bulls have a young exciting core and the Wolves made the playoffs last year and have since turned Jimmy Butler into Robert Covington and Dario Saric, who have been fitting in wonderfully in Minnesota.
LaVine is still loved in Minnesota and was known while he was here for being a good player on the court and an even better person off of it. Everyone was rooting for him to come back strong after his injury and he certainly has. LaVine is an easy guy to pull for.
Despite his popularity, the Wolves need to make stopping LaVine their No. 1 priority on Saturday. That task will likely fall to Jeff Teague, but if LaVine starts to go off there's a chance that Robert Covington will get the assignment. Covington's length and quickness could bother LaVine, who as we all know is a phenomenal athlete.
If you want to see LaVine's return in person, tickets are still available here.