Minnesota Timberwolves: What to watch for in Wolves vs. Grizzlies

The Minnesota Timberwolves will look to win their fourth consecutive game as they host the Memphis Grizzlies in a Sunday matinee at Target Center.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 3-0 since agreeing to trade Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers last weekend.

But who’s counting?

After an 0-5 road trip that forced Tom Thibodeau’s hand in choosing to finally pull the trigger on a Butler trade, the Wolves have returned home and won a trio of games with relative ease, by a combined margin of plus-30.

The Wolves will look to extend their winning streak to four as they play host to the surprising 9-5 Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon in a rare Target Center matinee.

The Grizzlies have been led by the resurgence of 34-year-old Marc Gasol and continued strong play from 31-year-old point guard Mike Conley, as well as an impressive start for 19-year-old rookie Jaren Jackson, Jr, the No. 4-overall pick in June’s draft.

Memphis has been consistent, not winning more than three games straight and never losing more than two straight games in the early stages of this season. They’ll carry a two-game winning streak into Minneapolis after winning a tough game in Milwaukee on Wednesday and beating the Kings at home on Friday night.

Let’s take a look at what to watch for in Sunday afternoon’s game.

1. Towns vs. Memphis frontcourt

Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Marc Gasol sounds like an exciting matchup, but the two centers may n ot be guarding each other on both ends of the floor.

Indeed, it remains to be seen who will be checking Towns on defense; many teams have used their power forward to chase Towns on the perimeter, relying on denying the catch and using periodic double-teams to slow KAT down in the post.

But with JaMychal Green and Chandler Parsons both out due to injury, the Grizzlies have been using a mix of Jackson, former Wolf Omri Casspi, and Kyle Anderson at the four. It will likely be Jackson who starts out guarding Towns, and despite the strong defense that the rookie has displayed thus far in his young career, it would be disappointing if the Wolves didn’t get the ball to Towns early and often in this matchup.

2. Battle of the 3-point arc

While the Memphis Grizzlies are far removed from the Grit-and-Grind squads of earlier in the decade, they still display a plodding, old-fashioned offense to score points.

The Grizzlies are dead-last in the NBA in pace, earning just 95.4 possessions per game. They also rank No. 28 in made 3-pointers. It isn’t like they do much damage on the offensive glass, either, landing 30th in the league in rebounding on that end of the floor.

The Wolves, on the other hand, are No. 12 in the league in made threes and have improved on both ends of the floor over the last few games.

With Robert Covington and Dario Saric added to the fold and Andrew Wiggins apparently feeling a whole new level of confidence, the Wolves should continue to launch 3-pointers on Sunday afternoon and if they hit at anything close to their success rate on the season, they’ll be just fine.

3. Rotation watch

In game three of the Covington/Saric era, Wolves fans will continue to watch Tom Thibodeau’s new rotation.

In the first game, Derrick Rose was unavailable due to injury and Josh Okogie received significant minutes off the bench. Anthony Tolliver did not play for the first time this season.

In Friday’s win over Portland, Rose played and Okogie and Tolliver did not as Thibodeau stuck to a nine-man rotation.

This appears to be the practice that Thibodeau will stick to moving forward, although the minutes split between power forwards Taj Gibson and Saric will be something else to keep an eye on. Wednesday, Gibson played 28 minutes with Saric on the floor for 20. On Friday, things were flipped, with Gibson playing 21 minutes and Saric logging 27.

Matchups and foul trouble will have an effect on this spot, of course, but it’s still one to watch.

Also, will Thibodeau give any consideration to a three-guard lineup of Jeff Teague, Tyus Jones, and Rose? That combination was on the floor for less than a minute on Friday, and it’s one that Thibodeau used on a couple of brief occasions late last season, too.

If the Wolves play like they have the last couple of times out, they shouldn’t have too much trouble with the Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon.

We’ll be back afterwards with some key takeaways from the game. Enjoy.