Wednesday, 7:00 p.m., Smoothie King Arena
Where to Watch: FOX Sports North
Listen: 830 WCCO
The Wolves are hoping to make it three-straight wins as they travel to take on the Pelicans in New Orleans. The Pelicans have won two of their last three, including a 22-point win over the Cavaliers.
Minnesota is 4-3, tied for fifth in the West. New Orleans is 3-4, tied for 10th.
A few tidbits heading into Wednesday night’s game:
- In his last two games, Wolves point guard Jeff Teague is averaging 20 points and 10.5 assists.
- Dante Cunningham, who spent 2012-2014 with the Wolves, is averaging five points and 5.3 rebounds for the Pelicans this season.
- This is the team’s last home game before heading to the Target Center for a home back-to-back against the Mavericks and Hornets, respectively.
Last Matchup . . .
The Wolves were 0-3 against the Pelicans last season. The last game came on March 19 in New Orleans. The Pelicans won 123-109 behind 28 points and 11 rebounds from Anthony Davis. Jordan Crawford led the second unit with 22 points, 12 coming from the 3-point line. Jrue Holiday finished with 21 points and seven assists. E’Twaun Moore added 14 off the bench. DeMarcus Cousins was somewhat held in check, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Solomon Hill finished with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. New Orleans shot a scorching 14-for-30 (46.7 percent) from the 3-point line.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 33 points and six rebounds for the Wolves. Andrew Wiggins scored 25. Shabazz Muhammad led the second unit with 20 points and six rebounds. Ricky Rubio had a 10-point, 14-assist double-double. Minnesota was outrebounded 43-35.
Coming Off Of . . .
The Wolves are coming off a 125-122 overtime win over the Heat in Miami. Teague led the Wolves with 23 points, 11 assists, six steals and five rebounds. Wiggins added 22 points and seven rebounds. Towns had a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double. Jimmy Butler and Jamal Crawford finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Minnesota shot an impressive 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from the 3-point line.
The Pelicans are coming off a 115-99 home loss to the Magic. Davis finished with 39 points and 10 rebounds, while Cousins had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The only other player to hit double-digits was Jrue Holiday who had 11 points and eight assists.
Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Anthony Davis
Two former Kentucky bigs.
Towns is in his third season and is averaging 24.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 58 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line.
In seven career games against New Orleans, Towns has averaged 25 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from the 3-point line.
Davis, in his sixth season, is averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, two blocks and two steals per game. He’s shooting 54.7 percent from the field and a career-high 41.2 percent from the 3-point line.
In 15 career games against the Wolves, Davis is averaging 24.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from the 3-point line.
This will be a fun battle to watch between two very unique big men.
Injury Report
Pelicans:
Omer Asik (illness), Frank Jackson (foot) Alexis Ajinca (knee), Rajon Rondo (hernia) and Solomon Hill (hamstring) are out.
Timberwolves:
Justin Patton (foot) is out.
Projected Starters
Pelicans:
PG – Holiday, SG – Moore, SF – Cunningham, PF – Davis, C - Cousins
Timberwolves:
PG – Teague, SG – Wiggins, SF – Butler, PF – Gibson, C - Towns