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Timberwolves host Clippers
Saturday, November 12th, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at the Target Center
MATCHUP
The Timberwolves faced off against the Clippers four times last year. They only won one game out of the three. Although it is noteworthy that they didn’t get completely blown out in any of the games. The Wolves are coming off their second win of the year in Orlando, while the Clippers continue their hot streak as the 8-1 first seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles has one of the best teams they’ve had in during this Griffin-Paul era. The Clippers are a hard team to contain. They have a strong starting lineup, and a firecracker in Jamal Crawford coming off the bench. It will take everything the Wolves have to come out with a win. The Minnesota big men will have a handful with Griffin and Jordan down low.
Projected Starters
Timberwolves:
PG: Kris Dunn #3
SG: Zach LaVine #8
SF: Andrew Wiggins #22
PF: Gorgui Dieng #5
C: Karl-Anthony Towns #32
Ricky Rubio will be active and available to play after missing the previous 5 games. His role and projected minutes are unknown.
.@rickyrubio9 will return from his 5 game absence tonight for the @Timberwolves
— Dave Benz (@davebenz) November 12, 2016
Coach Thibodeau tells the media that Ricky Rubio is expected to be available to play tonight. He has missed the last 5 gms. #Twolves
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) November 12, 2016
Clippers:
PG: Chris Paul #3
SG: J.J. Redick #4
SF: Luc Mbah a Moute #12
PF: Blake Griffin #32
C: DeAndre Jordan #6
Injury Report
Timberwolves:
Nikola Pekovic – out/season (recurring foot pain)
Clippers:
Brice Johnson – out (back)
Paul Pierce – out (ankle)
Last Meeting
The last meeting between the Timberwolves and Clippers is one Minnesota would like to forget. They played Wednesday, March 30th, at the Target Center. Chris Paul was two rebounds short of a double-double. Paul finished with 20 points, 16 assists, and 8 rebounds. Towns countered with 16 points and 11 rebounds. After the game, then coach Sam Mitchell said it was the worst game they played that season up to that point. Wiggins left the game in the 3rd quarter due to taking a shot to the face. Minnesota looks to seek revenge for last year’s loss. Los Angeles will try to continue their winning streak and hang onto the 1st seed in the West.
Noteworthy
Match-ups to watch tonight:
Zach LaVine & J.J. Redick- The two team’s sharpshooters will be going at it all night to help rack up points for their team.
Gorgui Dieng, Karl-Anthony Towns & Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan- I’m not sure what Thibs will do with the Minnesota big-men. My guess is he’ll have Towns on Griffin and Dieng on Jordan. Towns would be able to keep up better with Griffin’s athleticism, whereas Dieng would be able to counter Jordan’s post play better.
This is somewhat of a homecoming for Cole Aldrich as he will face off against his former team for the first time since leaving the Clippers and joining the Timberwolves. He did a lot for the Clippers during the occasional absences of Griffin and Jordan.
Broadcast Information
TV: Fox Sports North – Dave Benz (play-by- play), Jim Peterson (analyst)
Radio: 830 WCCO-AM – Alan Horton (play-by- play)
(All stats found on NBA.com and basketball-reference.com)
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