The WASHINGTON and the MINNESOTA will both be gunning for a victory on 11/28/2017 at 8:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.
WASHINGTON vs MINNESOTA
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Where:Â Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| ROT | TEAM | PS | OU | ML |
| 503 | WASHINGTON | -6 (-110) | 213.5 (-110) | 200 -250 |
| 504 | MINNESOTA |
TV:Â 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN Washington, FSN North (Minnesota)
LINE: -6
PREDICTION:Â Timberwolves 107, Wizards 104
Oddsmakers currently have the MINNESOTA listed as -6 point favorites versus the WASHINGTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 213.5.
MINNEAPOLIS — Third-year point guard Tyus Jones made his first NBA start on Sunday for the Timberwolves in place of Jeff Teague, and he played a big role in Minnesota’s 119-108 victory against the Phoenix Suns.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split last season’s two meetings and each squad has won eight of their past 16 matchups.
2. Minnesota PG Jeff Teague (Achilles) could miss his third consecutive contest.
3. Washington SF Otto Porter Jr. had 24 points and 10 rebounds against Portland for his sixth double-double of the campaign.
The Washington Wizards are also learning how to play without their No. 1 point guard, with star John Wall expected to miss two weeks after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his sore left knee.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (10-9):Â Shooting guard Bradley Beal will be counted on to lead Washington through the stretch without Wall and he has been superb this season with an average of 24.2. Beal scored 26 points in Saturday’s 108-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers for his sixth consecutive 20-point outing but was disappointed he missed the tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer. “I guess there was just a little guy sitting on top of the rim knocking the ball out of there,” Beal said afterward. “I definitely put it on my shoulders.”
Wall will miss Washington’s Tuesday road game against the Timberwolves, while Jones could be in line for his second start. Teague is day-to-day with a sore right Achilles tendon. Minnesota didn’t practice on Monday, so Teague’s status will be updated before the game.
“He was amazing today,” Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns said of Jones after Sunday’s game. “He did everything we needed, plus more, and it seems a lot of times when Tyus is on the court, a lot of great things happen.”
Jones had nine points, seven assists, seven steals and four rebounds without a turnover in a career-high 38:41 in a much-needed Minnesota win after the Timberwolves lost three of their previous four games.
Jones said of the difference between starting and coming off the bench, “Not too much. It depends on how much you look into it. You’re in the game quicker. Little different playing with the starters off the gate rather than a few a few minutes into it.”
Jones would be matched up with a fellow backup thrust into a starting spot. With Wall out, Tim Frazier started for Washington on Saturday in a 108-105 loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers. Frazier had 11 points and two assists in 28 minutes of action.
The Wizards (10-9) have lost four of their past five games, and the task gets tougher without Wall, who is second on the team with an average of 20.3 points per game and first with 9.2 assists per game. Wall is fourth in the NBA in assists, and Teague is seventh at 7.5 per game.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (12-8):Â Towns’ big effort against the Suns came after he failed to reach 20 points in five consecutive games and drew criticism from coach Tom Thibodeau over his lack of movement away from the ball. Power forward Taj Gibson was only in line for praise after producing 16 points and a season-best 14 rebounds against the Suns for his seventh double-double. “He adds a lot to the team, the way he plays,” Thibodeau said afterward. “He’s got great quickness, he’s got great feet, but there’s a toughness to him that makes him what we need, too.”
Bradley Beal leads the Wizards in scoring at 24.2 points per game.
One player Washington will turn to for more scoring is Otto Porter, who is third on the team with 16.0 points per game. He scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Saturday.
“I think guys are ready to play bigger roles,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks told the Washington Post on Saturday. “It’s not going to be all on Otto, but I think Otto has the ability to play a bigger role.”
Porter came up big Saturday despite taking just two shots in the fourth quarter.
“We want him to be more vocal. We want him to demand the ball a little bit more, because he’s a bucket for us,” Beal told the Washington Post. “As much as we can, we definitely got to get him involved. He was big for us throughout the third quarter, pretty much carried the load. … Down the stretch, we definitely got to look at him more.”
Jones played a big role for Minnesota (12-8) on Sunday but isn’t relied on as a scorer. The Wolves have several scorers. All five starters, including Teague, are averaging double-digit points this season.
Towns led a balanced attack on Sunday with 32 points. Jimmy Butler scored 25, and Andrew Wiggins had 21 with a season-high four 3-pointers.
“It felt good, we all shared the ball, we all made the extra pass to get the man easy shots,” Wiggins said.
In his first season in Minnesota, Butler deferred to teammates at times at the beginning of the season but has added more scoring lately. Butler, who averaged 14.7 points in his first nine games, has averaged 20.2 in his past nine games.
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