2016-17 Scouting Report

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Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter

6:30 p.m., TD Garden  Where to Watch: Fox Sports North Where to Listen: 830 WCCO

The Minnesota Timberwolves kick off a three-game road trip as they travel to Boston to take on the Celtics on Wednesday night.

The Wolves enter the game at 28-38 overall and are tied for 10th place in the Western Conference. The Celtics come in with a record of 42-25 and are in second place in the Eastern Conference.

A few tidbits prior to tipoff Wednesday night:

Minnesota is coming off of a 119-104 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday in Minneapolis.

Towns had 39 points and 13 rebounds and Ricky Rubio had 22 points and a franchise record-breaking 19 assists to lead the Wolves. Nemanja Bjelica had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins had 15 points and five rebounds, Brandon Rush had 12 points and Gorgui Dieng added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Boston is coming off of a 100-80 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday in Boston.

Isaiah Thomas had 22 points and three steals, Avery Bradley had 17 points and six rebounds, Al Horford and Marcus Smart had 12 points and Kelly Olynyk and Jaylen Brown added 11 points each for the Celtics.

Boston holds a 1-0 season series advantage over Minnesota. The Celtics beat the Wolves 99-93 on Nov. 21 at Target Center.

In that game, Towns had 27 points and 18 rebounds to lead Minnesota. Dieng had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wiggins had 14 points and four rebounds, Zach LaVine had 11 points and four assists and Bjelica had 10 points.

Thomas led Boston with 29 points. Horford had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, Bradley had 13 points and Terry Rozier had 12 points and four rebounds.

Wednesday’s game will be the second and final meeting between the Wolves and Celtics this season.

Key Matchup: Ricky Rubio vs. Isaiah Thomas

One matchup that will be interesting to keep an eye on will come between Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio and Boston’s Isaiah Thomas.

Rubio, coming off of setting a new franchise record with 19 assists on Monday night, has been playing well for the Wolves as of late. In his last 10 games, he is averaging 14 points, 11.1 assists, five rebounds and two steals. In his sixth season in the NBA, Rubio is averaging 9.8 points, 8.9 assists, four rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

Thomas is in his having a career year in his sixth NBA season and has made his way into the MVP discussion this year. Thomas is averaging 29.2 points (2nd in the NBA), six assists and 2.6 rebounds per game this season.

Boston: James Young (tailbone) is questionable.

Minnesota: LaVine (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are out.

Boston: PG – Thomas, SG – Bradley, SF – Crowder, PF – Johnson, C – Horford

Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – Rush, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns

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Scouting Report | Wolves at Celtics

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7 p.m., Target Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports North Where to Listen: 830 WCCO 

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be faced with another tough task on Friday night as the Golden State Warriors come to town.

The Wolves come into the game with a record of 26-37 overall and currently sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, trailing the Denver Nuggets and the No. 8 seed by 2.5 games.

The Warriors enter with a Western Conference best 52-12 record and hold a two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot in the conference.

A few tidbits entering Friday’s matchup:

Minnesota is coming off of a 107-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for the Wolves, finishing with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins had 20 points, Ricky Rubio had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, Shabazz Muhammad had 17 points and six rebounds in his first start of the season, Kris Dunn had eight points, and Tyus Jones added seven points and three assists.

Golden State is coming off of a 99-86 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday in Oakland.

Klay Thompson had 25 points and six rebounds, Stephen Curry had 23 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Draymond Green had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors.

The last matchup between Minnesota and Golden State came on Dec. 11 in Minneapolis. The Warriors came away with the 116-108 win.

In that game, Towns had 25 points and 18 rebounds, Zach LaVine had 25 points and four assists, Wiggins had 25 points and five rebounds, Gorgui Dieng had 11 points and six rebounds, and Rubio had eight points, six assists and five rebounds for the Wolves.

For the Warriors, Thompson had 30 points and six rebounds, Kevin Durant had 22 points and eight rebounds, Curry had 22 points and nine assists, and Green had 18 points and five rebounds.

Friday’s game will be the third of four matchups between the two teams this season. The final game will come on April 4 in Oakland.

It should be an entertaining matchup at the point guard position on Friday night between Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio and Golden State’s Steph Curry.

Rubio has played some great basketball for the Wolves as of late. In his last 10 games, Rubio is averaging 11.6 points, 11 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.

In his sixth NBA season, Rubio is averaging 9.2 points, 8.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

Curry is having another stellar year for Golden State, averaging 24.9 points, 6.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in his eighth NBA season. 

Minnesota: Brandon Rush (illness) is probable. LaVine (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are out.

Golden State: PG – Curry, SG – Thompson, SF – McCaw, PF – Green, C – Pachulia

7 p.m., Target Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports North Where to Listen: 830 WCCO

Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for the Wolves, finishing with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins had 20 points, Ricky Rubio had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, Shabazz Muhammad had 17 points and six rebounds in his first start of the season, Kris Dunn had eight points and Tyus Jones added seven points and three assists.

Klay Thompson had 25 points and six rebounds, Stephen Curry had 23 points, six assists and five rebounds and Draymond Green had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors.

In that game, Towns had 25 points and 18 rebounds, Zach LaVine had 25 points and four assists, Wiggins had 25 points and five rebounds, Gorgui Dieng had 11 points and six rebounds and Rubio had eight points, six assists and five rebounds for the Wolves.

For the Warriors, Thompson had 30 points and six rebounds, Kevin Durant had 22 points and eight rebounds, Curry had 22 points and nine assists and Green had 18 points and five rebounds.

Friday’s game will be the third of four matchups between the two teams this season. The final game will come on April 4in Oakland.

Minnesota: Brandon Rush (illness) is probable. Zach LaVine (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are out.

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Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Warriors

The Minnesota Timberwolves return from a four-game road trip to kick off a three-game homestand this week, starting with the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

The Wolves and Trail Blazers are both in the heart of the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota comes in at 25-37 overall and is tied for 11th, while Portland holds a record of 26-35 and is in ninth place in the West.

A few tidbits entering Monday night’s game:

Minnesota is coming off of a 97-90 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in San Antonio.

Towns led the Wolves with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and four rebounds, Gorgui Dieng had 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, Nemanja Bjelica had 12 points and three rebounds, Ricky Rubio had a triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and Brandon Rush added seven points and six rebounds.

Portland is coming off of a 130-116 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday in Portland.

C.J. McCollum had 31 points, five rebounds and five assists and Al-Farouq Aminu had 23 points and six rebounds off the bench to lead the Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard had 19 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, Maurice Harkless had 18 points, and Jusuf Nurkic had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Portland holds a 1-0 season series advantage over Minnesota this season. The last matchup came on Jan. 1 in Minneapolis, where the Trail Blazers came out with a 95-89 win.

In that game, Wiggins had 24 points and five rebounds, Zach LaVine had 13 points, Dieng had 12 points and nine rebounds, Shabazz Muhammad had 12 points and six rebounds, Towns had 11 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and Kris Dunn added 11 points and four assists.

McCollum dropped 43 points and five rebounds to lead Portland in the game. Mason Plumlee had 18 points and eight rebounds, Evan Turner had 11 points, and Allen Crabbe had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Monday’s game is the second of four games between Minnesota and Portland this season. The third matchup will come on March 25 in Portland.

Key Matchup: Ricky Rubio vs. Damian Lillard

It should be a fun matchup between the two point guards on Monday night.

Ricky Rubio and Damian Lillard will square off against each other for the first time this season. Lillard sat out the last matchup between the two teams with an injury.

Rubio, coming off of a triple-double on Saturday night, has been playing well for the Wolves in the second half of the season. Rubio is averaging 9.1 points, 8.7 assists, four rebounds and 1.8 steals this season.

Lillard is having another nice season for the Trail Blazers while playing alongside McCollum. In his fifth NBA season, Lillard is averaging 26 points, 5.9 assists and five rebounds a game.

Portland: Evan Turner (hand), Festus Ezeli (knee) and Ed Davis (shoulder) are out.

Minnesota: LaVine (knee), Adreian Payne (illness) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are out.

Portland: PG – Lillard, SG – McCollum, SF – Harkless, PF – Vonleh, C – Nurkic

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Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Trail Blazers

8 p.m., Vivint Smart Home Arena Where to Watch: Fox Sports North Where to Listen: 830 WCCO

The Minnesota Timberwolves continue on in their four-game road trip when they take on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night in Utah in a Western Conference matchup.

The Wolves come in with a record of 24-36 and are in 12th place in the West. The Jazz enter at 37-23 on the season and sit in fourth place in the West.

Minnesota is coming off of a 102-88 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday in Sacramento.

Towns had a monster game with 29 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks, while Wiggins added 27 points and four rebounds to lead the Wolves. Nemanja Bjelica had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, Shabazz Muhammad had 10 points, Ricky Rubio had nine points, 11 assists and five rebounds, and Tyus Jones had six points and five assists.

Utah is coming off of a 109-106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

Gordon Hayward had 19 points and five assists, Rodney Hood had 18 points and six rebounds, George Hill had 15 points and eight assists, Rudy Gobert had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Joe Johnson and Alec Burks each had 13 points off the bench.

Utah holds a 2-0 season series advantage over Minnesota this season. The last matchup came on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, where the Jazz edged past the Wolves 94-92.

In that game, Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Towns had 18 points and 15 rebounds, Wiggins had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, Rubio had 12 points and seven assists, and Gorgui Dieng added 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

For the Jazz, Hill had 19 points and seven assists, Hayward had 16 points, Favors had 15 points and six rebounds, Trey Lyles had 13 points, and Gobert had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Wednesday night’s game is the third of four matchups between the two teams this season. The final game will come on April 7 in Utah.

Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Rudy Gobert

Gobert will get tagged with the responsibility of trying to hold Towns in check on Wednesday night, which has been tough for anyone to do all season, but especially since play resumed after the All-Star break.

Since the break, Towns has averaged 30.7 points, 19 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in three games, while shooting 67.2 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

This season, Towns is having a career year, averaging 24.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.

Gobert is also enjoying a career-best season, averaging 13 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game in his fourth NBA season.

Minnesota: LaVine (ACL), Adreian Payne (illness) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are out.

Utah: PG – Hill, SG – Hood, SF – Hayward, PF – Favors, C – Gobert

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Scouting Report | Wolves at Jazz

9:30 p.m., Golden 1 Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports NorthWhere to Listen: 830 WCCO 

The Wolves play the second of a four-game road trip on Monday night against the Kings in Sacramento.

Minnesota goes into the game with a 23-36 record, 3.5 games back from the eighth seed in the West. Sacramento is 25-34, 1.5 games back from the eighth seed.

The Wolves are coming off a 142-130 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 37 points and 22 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 30 points. Gorgui Dieng had a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Ricky Rubio had 14 points and 11 assists. Shabazz Muhammad and Nemanja Bjelica led the second unit with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Kings are coming off a 99-85 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. Ben McLemore led the Kings with 18 points, nine coming from the 3-point line. Buddy Hield led the second unit with 15 points. Tyreke Evans and Anthony Tolliver scored 11 points each, while Darren Collison added 10.

The Kings are 2-0 against the Wolves this season. The last game came on Dec. 23 at the Target Center and Sacramento came away with a 109-105 win thanks to 32 points from DeMarcus Cousins. Tolliver led the second unit with 17 points, while Ty Lawson scored 15. Kosta Koufos and Matt Barnes finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 40 points, 21 coming from the 3-point line. Towns added 20 points, 13 rebound and five assists. Wiggins and Rubio finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Key Matchup: Andrew Wiggins vs. Tyreke Evans

Wiggins has been on an absolute tear, scoring 20 or more points in 17 straight games. On the season, Wiggins is averaging 23.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from the 3-point line. All numbers are up from last season. In two games against the Kings this season, Wiggins is averaging 22 points.

Evans is in his second stint with the Kings. He was drafted by the team in the 2009 draft and was recently traded back to the Kings as part of the Cousins trade. In 28 games this season, Evans is averaging 9.8 points per game, the worse mark of his career. He has not played against the Wolves this season.

Sacramento: Arron Afllalo (hamstring) is doubtful. Malachi Richardson (hamstring), Garrett Temple (hamstring) and Rudy Gay (Achilles) are out.

Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle), LaVine (ACL) and Adreian Payne (illness) are out.

Sacramento: PG – Collison, SG – McLemore, SF – Evans, PF – Tolliver, C- Koufos

Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – Rush, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns

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Scouting Report | Wolves at Kings

7 p.m., Target Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports NorthWhere to Listen: 830 WCCO 

All-Star Break is over and now it’s time for the final stretch of the season.

The Wolves go into the game with a 22-35 record, while the Mavericks are 22-34.

A few tidbits going into Friday night’s game in Minneapolis:

The Wolves are coming off of a 112-99 road win over the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 15. Andrew Wiggins led the Wolves with 40 points and shot 15-for-26 from the field, 2-for-4 from the 3-point line and 8-for-11 from the free-throw line. Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 19 rebounds. Shabazz Muhammad led the second unit with 15 points in just under 17 minutes.

The Mavericks are coming off of a 98-91 road loss to the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 15. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Barnes added 16 points and five rebounds. Seth Curry and Deron Williams finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Wolves are 1-1 against the Mavericks this season. The last game came on Jan. 15 in Dallas. Wesley Matthews led Dallas with 19 points, 12 coming from the 3-point line. Nowitzki added 17 points and six rebounds. J.J. Barea led the bench with 15 points, while Devin Harris pitched in 10. Barnes and Williams finished with 13 points each, while Williams also had 10 assists.

Gorgui Dieng led the Wolves with 21 points and eight rebounds. Wiggins and Towns combined for 37 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists. Zach LaVine and Nemanja Bjelica scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Dirk Nowitzki

This is an odd matchup, but with the Mavericks’ roster configuration, Nowitzki is forced to play more center, meaning we could see him having to defend one of the league’s best big men. This, of course, all depends if newly-acquired center Nerlens Noel makes his debut. 

In 57 games this season, Towns is averaging 23.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, all up from his rookie season. He’s also shooting 51.6 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from the 3-point line and 82.8 percent from the free-throw line.

In two games against Dallas, Towns is averaging 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

In 30 games this season, Nowitzki is averaging 13.9 points, six rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. All numbers are the lowest since his rookie season in 1998-99. Nowitzki is also playing just 26 minutes per game, also the lowest mark since his rookie season.

In two games against the Wolves this season, Nowitzki is averaging 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists per game.

Dallas: PG – Ferrell, SG – Curry, SF – Matthews, PF – Barnes, C - Nowitzki

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Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Mavericks

7 p.m., Target Center Where to Watch: Fox Sports North, NBA TVWhere to Listen: 830 WCCO 

The Wolves end a six-game home stand on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Minnesota sits at 21-34 on the season, four games back from the eight-seed in the West. Cleveland is 37-16, two games up for first place in the East.

A few tidbits going into Tuesday night’s game:

The Wolves are coming off a 117-89 home win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon. Andrew Wiggins led the Wolves with 27 points, six rebounds and four assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points, while Ricky Rubio added 17 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica and Shabazz Muhammad led the bench with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Gorgui Dieng finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Wolves shot a scorching 54.3 percent from the field.

The Cavaliers are coming off of a 125-109 home win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James both finished with 27 points. James also added 12 assists. Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson combined for 29 points and 22 rebounds. Korver led the second unit with 14 points. Cleveland shot 15-for-30 (50 percent) from the 3-point line.

The two teams last faced off on Feb. 1 in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 125-97 behind 27 points and 12 assists from James. Korver led the bench with 20 points. Thompson finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Channing Frye also scored 18. Irving added 14 points and 14 assists.

The Wolves were led by Towns and his 26 points and 12 rebounds. Wiggins added 23. Rubio had 14 points and 13 assists. Muhammad led the second unit with 16 points.

Key Matchup: Andrew Wiggins vs. LeBron James

In his third season, Wiggins is averaging a career-high 22.6 points per game, a career high. He’s also shooting 34.6 percent from the 3-point line. He’s scored 20 or more points in 13 straight games.

Of course he’s going up against the team that drafted him first overall in 2014. He’s been solid against his “former” club, which isn’t a coincidence. In five career games against Cleveland, Wiggins is averaging 27.6 points.

James continues to do LeBron James things. In his 14th season, James is averaging 25.8 points, 8.8 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from the 3-point line.

In 26 games against the Wolves, James is averaging 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.

Cleveland: J.R. Smith (thumb), Iman Shumpert (ankle) and Love (knee) are out.

Cleveland: PG – Irving, SG – Liggins, SF – James, PF – Jefferson, C - Thompson

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Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Cavaliers

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2016‑17 Scouting Report

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