The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Cleveland Cavaliers in a showdown between two of the top three teams in their respective conferences. Target Center will host this Friday night game, as Cleveland hits the road, looking to get back in the win column. The Timberwolves say their winning streak came to a halt last time out, as they also look to establish some consistency. Just a few weeks ago, these two faced off in Cleveland, in what ended in a one-point victory for the Cavaliers. Now that it comes back to Minnesota, it will be interesting to see how the Timberwolves respond at home, in a setting fans won’t want to miss.
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The Cavs continue to face injury problems
Cleveland remains atop the Eastern Conference standings, even despite the injury issues that seem to plague them over the past month. They sit in third place but with 43 wins, they remain well-positioned for a first-round home series. That said, they need to find increased consistency. They haven’t won back-to-back games in weeks and with upcoming road games against Miami, they need to pick up some wins before a home-and-home matchup with Charlotte. The road record unfortunately leaves something to be desired, while a trip to another major NBA team is going to be a challenge.
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As previously mentioned, Cleveland has a number of injuries that they continue to worry about. Donovan Mitchell is the most notable name, as he will remain out until next month. He’s far from the only one newbie fans will need to keep an eye on, as Evan Mobley is also out. Also add in some of the missing time from the supporting cast, and it’s worrying where the score will come from.
Cleveland’s offense will need to find a way to get consistent scoring as Mitchell continues to miss time. Mitchell (27.4 points per game) is their leading scorer, leaving Darius Garland (18.7 points per game) to take over and have the ball in his hands a little more. With Mobley also out, Jarrett Allen takes over on both ends in the frontcourt. The defense has led the way since the All-Star break and if they want to get the win in this one, it’s all going to start with their defensive effort on that side of the ball.
Timberwolves aim to keep pace with thunder
Throughout the season, the Timberwolves and Thunder have been battling for a spot in the Western Conference standings, but suddenly Minnesota finds itself in third place. They’ve only gone 5-5 in their last ten games, but have three wins in their last four games, all on the road to close out a six-game road trip. A three-point loss at home to Denver last time out certainly isn’t ideal, but could provide some confidence and something this team can build on moving forward. Golden State and a trip to Denver make up two of their next three games, as they will want to start piling up wins again and stay in first place for a home playoff game.
It’s not ideal that Minnesota has one of the most notable injury reports in the league heading into the weekend. Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert are both questionable, while Karl-Anthony Towns remains out until mid-April. These are three key elements that are potentially missing from this one, which would significantly reduce their offensive and defensive effectiveness.
Edward (26.7 points per game) has been one of the best young players in the league and without him, it will be difficult to score for Minnesota. As mentioned, they could be without their top three scorers, while the fourth is unlikely to play as well. That leaves the experienced Mike Conley (10.8 points per game) to potentially lead the way. Depth has been a concern for this group for much of the season and this could be a game where those struggles come back to haunt them.
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The Timberwolves will prevail in this one and while both teams struggle with injuries, Minnesota is better equipped heading into the weekend. Cleveland’s group has already been ruled out, although Minnesota is expected to have a combination of two Edwards, Reid or Gobert. Even just one of them will probably be enough in this one to come out on top, especially considering some of the experienced scorers waiting for them in the reserves. Minnesota has been strong at home this season and there is no doubt they will rely heavily on that this season. Minnesota has covered the spread in three of the last four games between these two and six of the last eight, as it continues that dominant trend in this one.
Prediction: Minnesota (-5.5)
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This should be one of the lower-scoring games on Friday night, as injuries threaten to derail both offenses. Cleveland is without a trio of starters, including its top scorer. For Minnesota, they could also be without their top four scorers. While it’s unlikely they’ll be left without all of that, it’s still worrisome enough that the minutes restrictions could come back to haunt them as well. Both teams rely heavily on defense and that will continue, even without some of the usual faces getting the majority of the minutes. For the Timberwolves, the under has hit in two of their last three games overall as they deal with injuries, and that carries over into this one.
Prediction: Under 211.5
