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Timberwolves at Mavericks
Sunday, January 15th, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. at the American Airlines Center
MATCHUP
Today, I come to you as an optimistic (but careful) Timberwolves fan. Minnesota is on a 3 game win streak beating two of the top teams in the NBA without Zach LaVine. On top of that, we are only 4 games out of the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Minnesota rolls into Dallas with a 14-26 record holding the 12th spot in the Western Conference. Dallas looks to end the streak with a 12-27 record in the dead-last 15th spot of the Western Conference.
Projected Starters
Timberwolves:
PG: Ricky Rubio #9
SG: Zach LaVine #8
SF: Andrew Wiggins #22
PF: Gorgui Dieng #5
C: Karl-Anthony Towns #32
Mavs:
PG: Deron Williams #8
SG: Wesley Matthews #23
SF: Harrison Barnes #40
PF: Dirk Nowitzki #41
C: Dwight Powell #7
Injury Report
Timberwolves:
Nikola Pekovic – out/season (recurring foot pain)
Mavs:
Andrew Bogut – out (hamstring)
Last Meeting
The Timberwolves and Mavs have faced off once already this year. The game was on January 9th, 2017 at the Target Center. So really, not that long ago. It sparked the beginning of the current 3 game win streak, and provided Minnesota with their first win of the new year. Karl-Anthony Towns lead the way with 34 points and 11 rebounds. Harrison Barnes had 30 points himself, but it wasn’t enough to fend off the pack. Minnesota wins 101-92.
Noteworthy
Match-up to watch tonight: Ricky Rubio & Deron Williams. Ahh yes, the battle of the point guards. Now I’m not going to sit here and try to act like these guys are the best point guards in the league. They clearly aren’t. It is notable however, that Ricky Rubio has been dishing the rock at a high rate recently. The last three games, Rubio has had 15 assists against the Mavs, 17 assists against the Rockets, and 14 assists against the Thunder. Ricky Rubio will have a tough challenge guarding Williams who has been the most efficient pick-and-roll point guard in the NBA this season. Should be fun to see how it all plays out.
Player to watch: Seth Curry. You know, the other Curry. With Bogut out for the near future, Rick Carlisle teased the thought of Seth Curry potentially starting down the road. There are some serious minutes up for grabs, and it seems like Curry would be taking a good portion of them.
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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