What To Watch For: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz
By Ben Beecken
Win the bench battle
It isn’t very often that it would even be suggested that the Timberwolves would have a chance to wint he bench battle on any given night, but they’ve got a shot in this one.
With all of the injuries for both teams, this game could take on a bit of a different look. If Rubio doesn’t play, Dante Exum might start. He’s only played in eight games thus far this season but scored a season-high 21 on Friday night in Rubio’s absence. While Donovan Mitchell started at point guard, Exum still played 27 minutes.
Jamal Crawford effectively won the game for the Wolves against the Mavericks on Friday night. As always, however, Crawford is just as likely to be ice cold as scorching hot, so it’s tough to know which Jamal the Wolves will get against the Jazz.
The first time these teams squared off, way back on Oct. 20 at Target Center, Crawford dropped 17 points on 10 shots and hit a huge corner 3-pointer down the stretch. The next two times, however, he scored a combined seven points on 1-of-8 shooting. Which Crawford will show up to the game on Sunday night?
Next: Timberwolves Roundup: The minutes problem, and more...
We’ll be back after the game with a recap and a few takeaways from Wolves-Jazz, Episode IV.