Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs: Odds, injuries, and what to watch for

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance at getting Karl-Anthony Towns back as they try to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost six straight games, four of them blowouts that have been all but over by halftime.

On Saturday night, however, the Wolves are back at Target Center, and star center Karl-Anthony Towns is listed as questionable after missing the last six games. Wolves fans may recall that Towns was listed as questionable week after week last year with his knee injury, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that he has been practicing with the team throughout the week.

The San Antonio Spurs are without one of their best players in Derrick White but are coming off of consecutive wins over the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The two squads square-off twice in 24 hours with both games coming at Target Center. It may go without saying, but it’s imperative that the Wolves pull out at least one of these two games against the Spurs.

Minnesota Timberwolves odds vs. San Antonio Spurs

The Wolves are 4.5-point underdogs, according to The Action Network. The line would certainly be higher if Towns had certainly been ruled out, so keep an eye out as the game gets closer. Thing could shift significantly depending on which direction Towns’ status goes.

TV and streaming info for Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs

• Television: Fox Sports North
• Radio: 830 WCCO
• Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options

What to watch for in Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are a relatively balanced team that can play a number of different ways.

So far this year, they’ve leaned heavily on DeMar DeRozan, who is shooting the ball better than he has since his Toronto days at any point in his tenure with the Spurs. Veteran guard Patty Mills has also been fantastic, making three 3-pointers per game and shooting an insane 55.8 percent from deep.

The Wolves struggled to contain Portland’s dynamic backcourt duo on Thursday, and while the Spurs’ guards are certainly effective in a different way, the DeRozan-Mills comb will still be a challenge.

San Antonio’s supporting cast has been inconsistent but has shown a lot of promise, and given their relative youth, it’s an encouraging sign for Gregg Popovich. Rookie Devin Vassell has played well, as has second-year wing Keldon Johnson third-year guard Lonnie Walker.

The Wolves need a bounceback game from Malik Beasley, who has had a rough last game-and-a-half, and they need D’Angelo Russell and Ricky Rubio to ramp-up their defensive intensity.

While this year’s Spurs squad appears comfortable with playing at a fast pace, doing so would at least allow Minnesota to hopefully at least somewhat neutralize bigs LaMarcus Aldridge and Jakob Poeltl.

Injury Report for Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs

The Wolves are listing Josh Okogie as out with a hamstring issue, while Towns is questionable.

The Spurs are still without White and forward Drew Eubanks.

Check back after the game for postgame player grades. Enjoy Wolves-Spurs, Part I!