Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks: Odds, injuries, what to watch for

The Minnesota Timberwolves are at Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening as they look to snap a losing streak against a New York Knicks team dotted with old friends.

Former Wolves head coach Tom Thibodeau is the Knicks head coach, of course, and in the least surprising development of the 2020-21 season so far, Thibs’ rotation includes a pair of former Wolves — who are also former Bulls.

Since the start of the season, the Knicks have signed Taj Gibson and traded for Derrick Rose. Both are key parts of New York’s revamped bench unit.

The Knicks have been a mild surprise so far this season, currently holding a 14-16 record and sitting in the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. They are one of the league’s best defensive teams, a Thibodeau calling card from his days coaching in Chicago that he was never able to carry to his Wolves squads.

The Wolves are on another multi-game losing streak and are now one of only two teams with only single-digit wins to this point in a season that is more than 40 percent over.

Minnesota has played much better of late following the return of Karl-Anthony Towns and have held second-half leads in each of the last three games and haven’t had a double-digit loss since Jan. 29 against Philadelphia.

Minnesota Timberwolves odds at New York Knicks

According to The Action Network, the Wolves are three-point underdogs on the road. It’s not a major surprise, although a Wolves team with a healthy Towns probably deserves a bit more respect against an up-and-down team like the Knicks that doesn’t have a true superstar.

TV and streaming info for Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks

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

What to watch for in Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks

The Wolves only mustered 81 points against a middling defensive team in the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. The Knicks are No. 3 in the league in defensive rating, although defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson remains out with a hand injury.

But the Knicks have turned to Nerlens Noel as their starting center, and he’s still a solid paint defender. There are several solid individual defenders in the Knicks’ rotation, too, including Reggie Bullock and former Wolf Taj Gibson, and the likes of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle have held their own defensively as well.

The Knicks have the league’s best 3-point percentage against, allowing opponents to shoot just 32 percent from outside the arc. For a team that opened their last game with a 1-for-20 streak from deep, it’s not the exact defense the Wolves should be excited to take on.

Add to it that the Knicks are one of the league’s best all-around rebounding teams, and it promises to be a difficult matchup for Ryan Saunders’ group.

Power forwards Jaden McDaniels and Jarred Vanderbilt will have their hands full with the Knicks’ big and talented frontcourt. The Wolves will need a dominant performance from Towns if they want to come out of this one with a win. Then again, Towns will easily be the best player on the court, so the Wolves should have more than a fighting chance.

Injury report for Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks

The Wolves are still without D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett Culver, although Culver may return later this week.

The Knicks are only missing Mitchell Robinson, who remains out after undergoing hand surgery.

Head back here Sunday night for postgame player grades. Enjoy Wolves-Knicks!