The Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Golden State Warriors in Part II of this week’s two-game series in the Bay Area.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will once again be without Karl-Anthony Towns as they take on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center for the second time in 48 hours.
The Wolves might get D’Angelo Russell back after he rested on Saturday and missed the first Warriors game with a quad contusion, but they will be without Jarrett Culver, who left Monday’s contest with a sprained ankle. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, the only non-NBA TV national broadcast that the Wolves have on their first-half schedule.
On Monday, the Warriors jumped out to a 19-4 first-quarter lead and led by eight or more points the rest of the way, though the Wolves pushed to stay within 10-12 points for much of the game until Curry put things to bed in the fourth quarter.
The defensive gameplan against the Warriors is simple: blitz Curry as much as possible and try to force him into more difficult 3-point attempts, or, even better, contested mid-range jumpers or attempts in the pain.
But Curry was too good down the stretch on Friday, and he received just enough help from former Wolf Andrew Wiggins (23 points, six rebounds, three steals, three blocks) to keep the Wolves at arm’s length for the entire game.
This time around, Minnesota will hope that Curry has something of an off night and that their Towns-less squad can eke out a split in the Bay Area.
Minnesota Timberwolves odds at Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are once again 8.5-point favorites at home against the Wolves after ultimately winning by 22 on Monday.
TV and streaming info for Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
- Television: Fox Sports North, ESPN
- Radio: 830 WCCO
- Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options
What to watch for in Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
Who will the Wolves slot into the rotation to back-fill Culver’s minutes? Will Jaylen Nowell, who performed extremely well in the preseason, get a chance at rotation minutes? Or will head coach Ryan Saunders instead expand the role of Jake Layman and/or Anthony Edwards?
The Wolves need some additional offensive punch from the outside, and Nowell could provide just that.
Josh Okogie struggled to guard Curry on Monday, but without Culver, expect him to draw the near-impossible assignment again on Wednesday night.
While Naz Reid was decent offensively last time out, the Wolves big man struggled in pick-and-roll coverage. The Warriors will likely start Kevon Looney at center once again, so look for Saunders to try and match-up Ed Davis‘ minutes more closely with rookie James Wiseman off the Warriors’ bench.
If the Wolves can get out and run in transition and Malik Beasley has a game similar to his Monday performance, Minnesota should be able to stay in this game and have a shot to win at the end.
Without Klay Thompson, the supporting cast around Curry isn’t all that much stronger than the Wolves’ roster. The problem, of course, is that with no Towns, the Wolves simply have nobody in the same stratosphere as Curry to counter his scoring output and all-around impact on the game.
Injury report for Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are missing Thompson and Marquese Chriss, who are each out for the season.
Minnesota will once again be without Towns and Juancho Hernangomez, who remain in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Culver will be out with an ankle sprain and Russell is listed as questionable for the second consecutive game.
Check back after the game for postgame reaction. Enjoy Wolves-Warriors!