LA CLIPPERS vs MINNESOTA
When: 2/10/2021 8:00 PM
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 8.5
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have LA Clippers listed as 8.5 point favorites versus Minnesota Timberwolves, while the game’s total is sitting at 226.5.

The Timberwolves are 4-12 in conference matchups. Minnesota is ninth in the Western Conference with 24.1 assists per game led by Ricky Rubio averaging 6.0.

The Clippers have gone 11-5 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is fifth in the NBA scoring 114.8 points per game while shooting 48%.

The two teams play for the second time this season. The Clippers defeated the Timberwolves 124-101 in their last matchup on Dec. 29. Lou Williams led LA with 20 points, and D’Angelo Russell paced Minnesota scoring 22 points.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Jarred Vanderbilt is second on the Timberwolves with 6.1 rebounds and averages 6.4 points. Beasley is shooting 46.2% and averaging 22.6 points over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

Leonard has shot 50.4% and is averaging 26 points for the Clippers. Serge Ibaka is averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 56.8% over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Timberwolves: 3-7, averaging 109.4 points, 42.6 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 8.8 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.6 points on 47.7% shooting.

Clippers: 6-4, averaging 114.7 points, 46.7 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.9 points on 46.4% shooting.

INJURIES:

Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns: out (health and safety protocols), Jarrett Culver: out (left ankle), D’Angelo Russell: day to day (leg).

Clippers: Patrick Beverley: day to day (knee), Paul George: day to day (foot).

BOTTOM LINE: Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers visit Malik Beasley and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Western Conference action.

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MINNESOTA vs DALLAS
When: 2/8/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: DALLAS , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the DALLAS listed as 9.5 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 225.5.

Rick Carlisle played with Larry Bird and coached Reggie Miller.

So when the Dallas Mavericks coach makes a comparison to those two, it carries some weight.

Those were the names that came to Carlisle’s mind after the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic went toe-to-toe with two-time MVP Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a nationally televised game Saturday night.

Curry had the second-highest scoring game of his career with 57 points, but Doncic tied his career high with 42 points and added 11 assists and seven rebounds as the Mavericks snapped a six-game home losing streak with a 134-132 victory.

Doncic and the Mavericks will look to build on that when they play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

“The basketball floor is his stage,” Carlisle said of his 21-year-old star. “Guys like him … when there’s another player on the other team raising his game to the level that Curry was, you feel an obligation, if you’re that kind of player.

“I saw (Larry) Bird do it. I saw (Reggie) Miller do it. You just dig deep and you find a way to try to match the guy, and try to match the guy for your team. And that’s what he did. Whether it was shot-making. Whether it was play-making. Whether it was getting to the free-throw line when we were in a rut. He was spectacular.”

Doncic, who is second to Curry among Western Conference guards in voting for the All-Star Game, scored 25 or more points for the 10th consecutive game, the third player in franchise history to do so. Mark Aguirre and Dirk Nowitzki share the team record with 13-game streaks.

Doncic, who assisted on Maxi Kleber’s 3-pointer that gave the Mavs a four-point lead with 5.6 seconds remaining, said he drew inspiration from facing Curry.

“Going against Steph, it’s fun,” he said. “I’ve got to have more fun playing the game, to be who I was before. I’ve just got to get back to enjoying the game.”

Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who avenged a 31-point loss to Golden State two nights earlier on the same court.

The Timberwolves suffered a 120-118 loss Saturday at Oklahoma City after allowing 83 first-half points.

Naz Reid scored a career-high 29 points as Minnesota rallied from a 23-point deficit, but missed a layup that would have tied the score with two seconds to play.

“Sometimes we just have our moments,” Reid said. “We’re not good enough to have our moments. We have to be on our P’s and Q’s for the entire game.”

The Timberwolves were without Jarrett Culver (left ankle sprain), D’Angelo Russell (right quad soreness) and Karl-Anthony Towns (health and safety protocols).

“You have to ask, did we deserve to win that one?” Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said. “Giving up 83 in a half, you don’t do your work early enough. You just dig yourself a hole. I’m happy with the effort in the second half. But that first half just wasn’t acceptable.”

The Mavericks are set to allow fans at American Airlines Center for the first time this season Monday. The team said it will invite up to 1,500 essential workers to attend for free.

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MINNESOTA vs OKLAHOMA CITY
When: 2/6/2021 8:05 PM
Where:

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA CITY , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the OKLAHOMA CITY listed as 2 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.

Minnesota Timberwolves (6-16, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (9-12, 13th in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota takes on Oklahoma City for a Northwest Division matchup Saturday.

The Thunder are 1/3 in division games. Oklahoma City is 3-9 in games when turning the ball over more than opponents and averages 14.7 turnovers.

The Timberwolves are 2/3 against division opponents. Minnesota ranks eighth in the NBA scoring 48.8 points per game in the paint led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 9.5.

The teams meet for the second game in a row.

TOP PERFORMERS: Al Horford is shooting 45.5% and averaging 13.7 points. Darius Bazley is averaging 6.9 rebounds and 12.6 points per game over the last 10 games for Oklahoma City.

Jarred Vanderbilt is second on the Timberwolves with 6.3 rebounds and averages 6.7 points. Malik Beasley is averaging 20.9 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 47.5% over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 4-6, averaging 109.9 points, 43.2 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points on 45.9% shooting.

Timberwolves: 3-7, averaging 104.8 points, 42.8 rebounds, 24 assists, 8.6 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points on 45.9% shooting.

INJURIES: Thunder: Theo Maledon: out (health and safety protocols), George Hill: out (thumb), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: out (knee), Luguentz Dort: out (knee), Trevor Ariza: out (personal).

Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns: out (health and safety protocols), Juancho Hernangomez: day to day (health protocols), Jarrett Culver: out (left ankle), Naz Reid: day to day (right wrist), D’Angelo Russell: day to day (right quad).

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MINNESOTA vs COLORADO
When: 2/2/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: COLORADO , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the MINNESOTA listed as 155-moneyline favorites versus the COLORADO, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The Colorado Avalanche felt they were good enough to win the Stanley Cup in the pandemic bubble last season but injuries derailed their run to the title.

The championship optimism only grew at the start of this year, but once again injuries are the bigger storyline for Colorado ahead of its Tuesday night home game against the Minnesota Wild in the third of four straight games between the teams.

In the first two games, back-to-back affairs over the weekend in Saint Paul, Minn., the Avalanche earned three out of a possible four points, but it proved costly. Colorado lost two key players in consecutive games, first with defenseman Erik Johnson (upper body) getting hurt in Saturday’s win, and then a potentially bigger loss when Nathan MacKinnon left Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury.

MacKinnon played the first two periods of the overtime loss but didn’t come out of the locker room for the third. The Avalanche didn’t update his status after the game.

If MacKinnon, who had two assists on Sunday, doesn’t play in Denver on Tuesday it would mean six players from the opening-night roster are sidelined. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (lower left leg) and Devon Toews (foot) were both hurt against San Jose on Thursday while Matt Calvert (upper body) and goaltender Pavel Francouz (lower body) have missed multiple games.

Only Calvert is out “indefinitely,” with the others listed as day-to-day, but the succession of setbacks feels all-too familiar for the Avalanche. Yet, Colorado captain Gabe Landeskog said the team isn’t feeling sorry for itself.

“We’re a very capable team and we’re very competitive in there,” he said after Sunday’s 4-3 loss. “You got to understand, the guys in the locker room, we don’t sit around the room looking around the room who’s missing, who’s not playing. We’re just going out there and try to do our jobs and win a hockey game. That’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

The Wild are dealing with injuries as well as the suspension of forward Kevin Fiala, who on Tuesday will serve the last of a three-game penalty handed down by the league.

Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba is on injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury in Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Avalanche. Also, Marcus Johansson left Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury and Marcus Foligno was placed on the NHL COVID-19 protocol Sunday.

The Wild welcomed back goaltender Cam Talbot, who responded with big saves Sunday to get his team to overtime. Talbot stopped 22 shots, a few that prevented Colorado from taking a multi-goal lead.

“Coming back after nine days off, no practices, and just jumping in against an offense like that is never easy,” Talbot said after the game. “You can’t give that team any more goals than they need because they can pretty much score at will out there.

“Any time you can come up with a big save, you keep the game within reach early, that’s all I was trying to do, focus on that and make that next save to settle myself down and gain some confidence moving forward throughout the game.”

Talbot should be back in net Tuesday for the third straight game between the teams. The Avalanche will likely have No. 1 netminder Philipp Grubauer back in the crease after Hunter Miska played Sunday. Grubauer had 19 saves in Saturday’s win.

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MINNESOTA vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 2/3/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE: -8.5
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as -8.5 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 224.

The San Antonio Spurs will look to regain their winning ways when they close a seven-game homestand Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Spurs were blown out at home by Memphis for the second straight game on Monday, falling 133-102 in their most lopsided loss of the season.

Minnesota heads to Texas on the heels of a 100-98 loss at Cleveland on Monday, its eighth consecutive road defeat.

San Antonio had won three straight before running into the red-hot Grizzlies, who also beat the Spurs 129-112 Saturday night.

“Give a lot of credit to Memphis — they played great both games,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They were just tougher in so many ways than we were … their physicality on defense, their execution on offense. They sliced us and diced us and deserved the wins.”

Memphis’ 133 points set a season high for the second straight contest, and its 37 assists also were a season high.

“It had nothing to do with we didn’t shoot well, or we did this or we did that — they kicked our butts and we did not play the basketball we’ve been playing, for whatever reason,” Popovich added. “We’ll stick together, we’ll go back to work, but those were two very tough losses by a team that really executed well.”

Keldon Johnson paced all scorers with 25 points and added 10 rebounds for San Antonio in the loss. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 and 12 points, respectively and Patty Mills scored 11 for the Spurs.

“We know what’s ahead of us and we know we have a lot of work to be a good team,” Johnson said. “These are games we definitely wish we could get, and we needed, but it’s gone now. We’ve just got to look forward and put our big boy pants on and go out there and get it done next time.”

Minnesota’s loss at Cleveland on Monday came after the Timberwolves defeated the Cavaliers 109-104 in the Twin Cities the previous evening.

D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points for the Timberwolves on Monday, and No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Edwards had 13 points in his third start of the year.

“Just got to get better,” Edwards said. “We just have to be better.”

Naz Reid returned after missing two games with a sprained right wrist and scored 12 points, with Jaylen Nowell adding 12, Jaden McDaniels 11 and Malik Beasley 10.

“I thought we did enough defensively to win that game,” Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said. “We didn’t turn the ball over (just eight times), and we had a lot of open looks, too, that just didn’t fall. On the second night of a back-to-back that hurts.”

Karl-Anthony Towns was inactive Monday for the ninth straight game because of COVID-19 while Jarrett Culver has missed the past four games because of a left-ankle sprain.

Minnesota is 2-8 overall in its past 10 contests and plays six of its next seven games on the road.

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MINNESOTA vs CLEVELAND
When: 2/1/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: CLEVELAND , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the CLEVELAND listed as 5.5 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 217.5.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are banking that the comforts of home will help reverse their recent fortunes.

The Cavaliers look to rebound from yet another road loss on Monday when they open a four-game homestand against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Minnesota, which has all of five wins on the season, handed Cleveland its fourth loss in five games overall and seventh in 10 away from home with a 109-104 decision on Sunday.

The Timberwolves made 16 of 40 attempts from 3-point range, while the Cavaliers connected on just 4 of 16 shots from beyond the arc.

Malik Beasley and rookie Anthony Edwards each scored 23 points, with the former making five shots from 3-point range and the latter four times.

“Twenty-three points from a 19-year-old rookie is fantastic, but we’re not asking him to do that every night,” Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said of Edwards. “We’re just asking him to continue to grow, and he’s doing that.”

Edwards, the top overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, is averaging 19.2 points over his past five games.

“We had to play with more grit,” Edwards said in a Fox Sports North postgame interview. “We just had to be all over the place because we were undersized. So, we had to be physical, fast and flying around.”

The reason the Timberwolves were undersized was the continued absence of Karl-Anthony Towns (COVID-19 protocol) in addition to Naz Reid, who has missed the last two games with a wrist injury.

The Cavaliers exploited the interior to the tune of scoring a season-high 72 points in the paint. Turnovers, however, were their undoing, with Darius Garland and Collin Sexton combining for nine of the team’s season-high 19 on the night.

“They’re big. Seventy-two points in the paint is a lot. Part of that with them is the size advantage that they do have on the inside,” Saunders said. “I liked the fouls that Ed (Davis) used. I liked a number of things that these guys did. I thought it was the definition of a team win. But you can’t be satisfied because games come quick. We run it back (Monday).”

On the flipside, Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff hasn’t been too satisfied with his team’s play over the last two games.

“There’s been instances these last two games, in my mind, that we have not played to the standard of being the most competitive team and the most selfless team on the floor,” Bickerstaff said. “I think that was the case for a lot of (Sunday). I thought we got to a place where we built a lead and we got away from being who we are.”

Andre Drummond recorded 25 points and 22 rebounds, and Sexton added 16 while playing through an ankle injury that could affect his status for Monday’s game.

Garland finished with 17 points. He also had a pretty accurate response as to why the Cavaliers lost on Sunday.

“We beat ourselves,” Garland said.

Cleveland will look to prevent history from repeating itself on back-to-back nights on Monday.

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CLEVELAND vs MINNESOTA
When: 1/31/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 3
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA , CLEVELAND

Oddsmakers currently have the MINNESOTA listed as 3 point favorites versus the CLEVELAND, while the game’s total is sitting at 218.5.

Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff isn’t interested in overreacting to his team’s worst offensive performance of the season.

Bickerstaff, in fact, is confident the Cavaliers will bounce back from their third loss in four games on Sunday night when they open a home-and-home series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis. The teams will reconvene in Cleveland the following night to open the Cavaliers’ four-game homestand.

“Not at all,” Bickerstaff said, when asked if Friday’s 102-81 setback at the New York Knicks was a sizable step back in terms of the team’s growth.

“We’ll be better on Sunday. We’ve got to do a much better job of passing the basketball to the open man. It’s a simple thing. It’s a simple adjustment to be made. It’s an easy thing for us to fix.”

Darius Garland scored 16 of his season-high 24 points after intermission on Friday. He highlighted the night with 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.

“We definitely get ahead of ourselves sometimes,” the 21-year-old Garland said. “But we’re growing into a really good team. We just have to lock in on both ends and play with each other. That’s the only way we’re gonna win games, when all five on the floor just play with each other.”

Collin Sexton averages team-best totals in points (24.6) and assists (4.3) this season. He averaged 18.5 points in a two-game season split versus Minnesota in 2019-20.

Sexton, however, made just 6 of 18 shots from the floor on Friday and misfired on all four of his 3-point attempts.

Andre Drummond increased his league-leading rebounding average to 14.7 after grabbing 15 boards on Friday. He mustered a season-low four points on 2-of-7 shooting versus the Knicks, however.

In addition to a sputtering offense, Cleveland also has endured significant road woes this season. Boston breezed to a 141-103 win over the Cavaliers last Sunday before New York’s runaway victory dropped the club to 3-6 away from Quicken Loans Arena.

While Cleveland has struggled on the road, Minnesota has tumbled head over heels regardless of venue. The Timberwolves have dropped three in a row overall and 14 of their last 16 games since winning the first two contests of the season.

Malik Beasley scored 22 points and D’Angelo Russell added 14 in Minnesota’s 118-94 shellacking by the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Russell (20.1 points per game) and Beasley (20.0) are paving the way for the Timberwolves in the absence of two-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who has missed seven straight games due to COVID-19 protocols.

Injuries and absences forced Minnesota to use its 10th different starting lineup in 18 games on Friday.

Top overall pick Anthony Edwards was inserted into the lineup and scored 15 points on Friday, two days after erupting for 25 with five 3-pointers in a 123-111 loss at the Golden State Warriors.

“As professionals you’ve got to stay ready, no matter what,” Beasley said. “If it were a ballboy with us, you’ve got to stay ready.”

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MINNESOTA vs ATLANTA
When: 1/18/2021 2:30 PM
Where:

TV: 2:30 PM
LINE: -8
PREDICTION: ATLANTA , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the ATLANTA listed as -8 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 228.5.

The Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves could both use a win. They could also use a clean bill of health before they meet in Atlanta on Monday afternoon.

The Hawks have lost two straight and six of their last seven games. Atlanta had its game at Phoenix postponed on Jan. 11 because of COVID-19 concerns with the Suns.

The Timberwolves have lost eight of their last nine. Of more concern is the lack of players because of COVID. Minnesota had its game against Memphis postponed on Friday because it could not field the league-required eight players for the game due to contact tracing within the organization.

Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns, who is averaging 22.0 points and 12.5 rebounds, announced he had tested positive on Friday. The Timberwolves will also be without Juan Hernangomez, who has entered the 10-day isolation period, and could be without Ricky Rubio.

“It’s just a weird thing because when a guy gets it, some people are mad or they’re angry at the person,” said Minnesota’s Ed Davis. “But they could have been doing all the right things. You’ve got some people being irresponsible. It’s just one of those things if someone gets it, just try to protect yourself and protect your family as much as possible. But, like I said, sometimes you just can’t avoid it. It just happens.”

The Hawks had their game with Phoenix postponed because of contact tracing issues with the Suns. Atlanta had a member of its traveling staff test positive, but none of the players or coaches.

“We have to be comfortable in an uncomfortable year and setting,” Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce said. “This is all a part of it. Nothing will be new to us, I don’t think. I think it may be an adjustment, but I think we’re expecting everything that is going to come our way and has come our way.”

Atlanta’s personnel problems are injury-related.

Atlanta played without Cam Reddish in Saturday’s 112-106 loss to Portland, the team’s final stop on a scheduled three-game West Coast road trip. Reddish had a left knee contusion. He scored 20 points on Friday at Utah and has topped 20 points in two of his last three games.

The absence of Reddish stressed the bench, which is without Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari because of injuries and with Rajon Rondo and Tony Snell playing limited minutes.

Atlanta’s Trae Young played through some back tightness on Saturday and had 26 points and 11 assists in 39 minutes.

The Hawks have gotten stellar play from center Clint Capela, who had a season-high 25 points and 15 rebounds on Saturday. It was his third straight double-double and sixth of the season. He has nine straight games with at least 10 rebounds.

It will be a homecoming for Minnesota’s Josh Okogie, who grew up in the Atlanta suburbs and played two seasons at Georgia Tech. Okogie averages 6.6 points.

Atlanta and Minnesota split two games last year, each winning on the road. The Timberwolves have won three of the last five meetings in Atlanta after losing 13 straight as visitors dating back to 2002.

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DENVER vs MINNESOTA
When: 1/3/2021 7:05 PM
Where:

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 8.5
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA , DENVER

Oddsmakers currently have the MINNESOTA listed as 8.5 point favorites versus the DENVER, while the game’s total is sitting at 230.5.

Five games into this season, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets will meet Sunday night in Minneapolis already trying to turn things around.

The Timberwolves have lost three in a row after starting the year with two victories, while the Nuggets, who reached the Western Conference finals last season, have lost four of five to begin this campaign.

Neither team is where it wants to be, and that requires a gut check before the postseason gets out of reach.

“We are only five games in. We are not playing bad, it’s just little details,” Denver’s Jamal Murray said after a 106-103 loss to Phoenix on Friday night. “A couple of closeouts here, just putting a hand up there and a couple of boxouts here and that’s the ballgame. I think we have to do work early.”

The Nuggets have gotten off to good starts to games, but the second unit has either let a lead slip or a deficit expand when the starters sit. In Friday’s loss the bench was a combined minus-38, which was a slight improvement from a combined minus-48 at Sacramento on Tuesday night.

Not even the debut of JaMychal Green could help Friday.

“We still have some chemistry that we have to gain as a team. We have to gel,” Green said Friday night. “It was a quick offseason. It was a quick training camp. We really haven’t had much time to play together. We really are learning along the way. (We’re)1-4 right now, but it’s nothing to panic about. We’ll turn it around.”

Denver will again be without third-leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., who is out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols regarding contact tracing.

Minnesota will also be without a valuable piece for the Sunday afternoon. Karl-Anthony Towns will miss his fourth straight game with a dislocated left wrist, while Josh Okogie is likely to sit for the third straight game with a hamstring injury.

The Timberwolves have felt their absences with three losses by an average of 26.7 points. The latest was a 130-109 defeat against Washington on Friday night.

“It’s on all of us. We need more offensively, more defensively,” Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said. “That’s not just from an individual player, that’s from a collective group. With that, individually, we need more from guys to get out of this rut.”

With Towns out for the foreseeable future the Timberwolves used 6-foot-9 Naz Reid at center. They also employed a smaller starting five, including four guards.

“As a team, when you’re losing or not doing things right, you try to do extra on your own,” said Malik Beasley, who had 21 points in the loss. “And I feel like we’re doing that, rather than coming together as a team. But once we do that, once we figure things out — including myself — we’ll play like a great team.”

One of the bright spots for Minnesota has been this year’s No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards. He is averaging 15.4 points in the first five games and has scored in double figures every game.

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WASHINGTON vs MINNESOTA
When: 1/1/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA , WASHINGTON

Oddsmakers currently have the MINNESOTA listed as point favorites versus the WASHINGTON, while the game’s total is sitting at .

The Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t fared well as they adjust to life without Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Wolves hope the new calendar year brings about better fortune on Friday as they host the winless Washington Wizards in Minneapolis.

Towns averaged 19 points, 11.5 rebounds and five assists to help Minnesota win its opening two games of the season. A dislocated left wrist has kept Towns off the floor for the past two games, which quickly became ugly, decisive road losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

While guard Ricky Rubio said Minnesota played “selfish” basketball during a 124-101 defeat to the Clippers on Tuesday, coach Ryan Saunders shared a slightly different view two days later.

“I do think it’s natural when you lose a player who is a star-caliber player like Karl, … the intentions are usually right where guys just want to help the team and feel like they need to pick up the slack,” Saunders said. “Sometimes if you don’t fully understand the system yet or you’re still getting to know your teammates, sometimes that can look like it’s selfish basketball.”

D’Angelo Russell rebounded from a four-point performance in a 127-91 setback to the Lakers on Sunday by connecting four times from beyond the arc and finishing with 22 points against the Clippers.

“We talk more about ‘us’ and ‘we’ and less ‘I and ‘me.’ It’s not just on DLo, it’s on all of us,” Saunders said of Russell. “He’s an unbelievable talent and he wants what’s best for this group.”

Minnesota’s Jarrett Culver missed all 10 of his shots from the floor on Tuesday. He is 4-for-21 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the past two games.

While the Timberwolves are struggling, the Wizards are in even worse shape. They own an NBA-worst 0-5 record heading into a four-game road trip.

“I’m still confident in our group. We’ve got a lot of season left,” Washington coach Scott Brooks said following the Wizards’ 133-130 setback to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.

The Wizards likely will be without Russell Westbrook on Friday in the second half of a back-to-back set. The team rested the star point guard in such a sequence earlier this season and has indicated that this would be the plan going forward for the 32-year-old veteran as a means to keep him healthy.

Westbrook, however, has thrived when he has been in the lineup. He had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds on Thursday to join Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to open a season with triple-doubles in each of their first four games.

Bradley Beal, who matched Thomas Bryant with a game-high 28 points against the Bulls, performed even better in a pair of meetings with Minnesota last season. Beal scored 30 points in a 131-109 loss to the Timberwolves on Nov. 2, 2019, then had 44 points to go along with 10 assists in a 137-116 victory at Minneapolis two weeks later.

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