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Timberwolves host Jazz
Monday, November 28th, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at the Target Center
MATCHUP
The division rivals are facing off for the first time this year. The Jazz are coming in to town with a 9-8 record, whereas the Wolves are countering with a 5-11 record. Utah is on a 2 game win streak with a recent impressive game against the Hawks. The Jazz held Atlanta to 68 points the entire game, and put up 95 points themselves. Minnesota is coming off a loss to Golden State on Saturday. Zach LaVine had 31 points and Wiggins had a poster over McGee. So yeah, there’s that.
Projected Starters
Timberwolves:
PG: Ricky Rubio #9
SG: Zach LaVine #8
SF: Andrew Wiggins #22
PF: Gorgui Dieng #5
C: Karl-Anthony Towns #32
Jazz:
PG: George Hill #3
SG: Rodney Hood #5
SF: Gordon Hayward #20
PF: Boris Diaw #33
C: Rudy Gobert #27
Injury Report
Timberwolves:
Nikola Pekovic – out/season (recurring foot pain)
Jazz:
Derrick Favors – out (knee)
Last Meeting
The Timberwolves and Jazz faced off four times last year. Minnesota lost 3/4 matchups against Utah. The final game they played was April 1st in Salt Lake City. The Timberwolves lost to the Jazz 85 to 98. Wiggins lead Minnesota with 24 points, and Gordon Hayward lead the Jazz with 22 points. Expect Wiggins and Gordon Hayward to be going at it all game again.
Noteworthy
Match-up to watch tonight: Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. The Gobert/Towns rivalry has been going strong since last year. Both of these guys are getting stronger and better. Rudy Gobert is a great defender, and Towns is a great scorer. I expect Gobert to have a challenge in guarding Towns when he stretches out to the 3 point line. Vise versa for Towns when Gobert gets into the paint with the ball. Gobert’s long arms could present a challenge when he goes for the hook shot.
Player to watch: Rodney Hood. Rodney Hood is the epitome of the phrase “silent but deadly”. He’s one of those guys I absolutely loved coming out of college. His sweet lefty stroke makes defenses scared. Sometimes it feels like he hasn’t even entered the game, and you look at the box score and he has 20 points. LaVine needs to put on the clamps and close out on the 3 point shot.
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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