addByline("Jeremy Hyman", "WashingtonWizards.com", "jeremyhyman");
The Wizards host the Timberwolves tonight in D.C.
Game Info
Capital One Arena | 7:00 p.m. | NBCSW/NBATV | 1500 AM
Probable Starters
Wizards (38-29): G - Satoransky, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat
Timberwolves (39-29): G - Teague, G – Wiggins, F - Bjelica, F - Gibson, C - Towns
Wizards: John Wall (Knee - Out)
Timberwolves: Jimmy Butler (Knee - Out)
Storylines
Wizards Look for Sweep Over Wolves
Tonight, the Wizards return home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves for a Tuesday night clash between two teams fighting for seeding in their respective conferences. The Wizards begin the night as the five seed in the East, half a game behind the Cavs and one game behind the Pacers. The Wolves begin the night as the six seed, percentage points behind the Pelicans and a half game behind the Thunder in a very tight Western Conference.
The Wizards beat the Wolves earlier this year in Minnesota and will look for the first season sweep in this series in seven years. The Wiz have won four of the last five games over the Wolves in D.C., with the lone loss coming in double-overtime in March of 2016.
Wizards Bench Key Last Time vs. Minnesota
Washington's reserves outscored Minnesota's 49-11 the last time these two teams met, including 18-7 in the fourth quarter. Ian Mahinmi logged 26 minutes off the bench and played a crucial role down the stretch, holding Karl-Anthony Towns scoreless in the final six minutes of the game. Kelly Oubre Jr. led Washington's reserves with 16 points in 31 minutes.
The Wizards played that game without John Wall, while the Wolves played without Jeff Teague and Nemanja Bjelica. Wall will again be out tonight for Washington, while the Wolves will be without their All-Star, Jimmy Butler.
Wolves Off Win Over Warriors
The Wolves snapped their three-game losing streak on Sunday with a big home win over the Golden State Warriors. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 31 points and 16 boards, while Andrew Wiggins added 23 points in the win. Derrick Rose made his Wolves debut, playing seven minutes off the bench. After tonight's game, the Wolves will play a back-to-back with the Spurs and Rockets this weekend.
Up next, the Wizards head to Boston to play the Celtics on Wednesday night. (8:00 p.m.).