Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
7 p.m., Target Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports North Plus Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
The Minnesota Timberwolves return home after a one-game road trip to host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night at the Target Center.
The Wolves enter the game at 6-16 overall and are tied for 13th place in the Western Conference.
The Pistons hold a record of 12-12 and are sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Coming Off Of…
Minnesota is coming off of a 124-110 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night in Canada.
Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 29 points and six assists. Andrew Wiggins had 25 points and six rebounds, Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Gorgui Dieng added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Detroit is coming off of an 87-77 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday in Charlotte.
Andre Drummond had 26 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Pistons. Tobias Harris had 14 points and seven rebounds and Reggie Jackson added 10 points and three rebounds.
Last Matchup
The Wolves and Pistons faced each other twice a season ago. Detroit won both games.
The last matchup between the two teams came on Dec. 31, 2015 in Detroit. The Pistons came out victorious by a score of 115-90.
In the game, Towns led the Wolves with 22 points and nine rebounds. Wiggins added 21 points, Shabazz Muhammad had 15 points and Ricky Rubio had nine points, eight assists and six rebounds.
For the Pistons, Drummond had 23 points and 18 rebounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 22 points and four rebounds and Jackson had 19 points and nine assists.
Friday’s game is the first of two games between Minnesota and Detroit this season. Their next matchup is on Feb. 3 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Andre Drummond
Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond are walking double-doubles nearly every night. Friday night, the two big men will square off for the first time this year.
Towns has recorded 13 double-doubles so far the season, while Drummond has tallied 16 double-doubles.
Entering Friday’s contest, Towns is averaging 22 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his second NBA season. Drummond is averaging 14.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in his fifth year in the league.
Injuries:
Detroit: Henry Ellenson (ankle) and Reggie Bullock (knee) are out.
Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out.
Projected starters:
Detroit: PG – Jackson, SG – Caldwell-Pope, SF – Harris, PF – Morris, C – Drummond
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – LaVine, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns