Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Odds, Injuries, what to watch for

The Minnesota Timberwolves played the Portland Trail Blazers tough on Friday night, ultimately falling by just four points in a hard-fought game.

The Wolves get another crack on Sunday in another one of these strange, two-game, back-to-back sets with both contests in the same arena.

While the Wolves gave up 125 points in a regulation game against Damian Lillard and the Blazers, there were definite positives to take from Saturday’s loss. Coupled with last week’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, it’s fair to say that Minnesota has turned in two solid post-All-Star Break appearances and has a chance to extend that streak on Sunday evening.

Minnesota Timberwolves odds vs. Portland Trail Blazers

The Wolves are five-point underdogs according to The Action Network, 24 hours after losing to the Blazers by four points.

TV and streaming info for Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers

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

What to watch for in Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Perhaps the most notable takeaway from Saturday’s matchup between these two squads was the tweak that the Wolves made in their defensive coverage.

After spending the vast majority of the last season and a half playing drop coverage in the pick-and-roll, the Wolves asked their bigs to show higher and play closer to the level of the ball. It was a clear effort to avoid allowing Lillard to rain threes on the Wolves defense all night long.

It worked to an extent, as Lillard shot just 3-of-10 from outside the arc and didn’t have an assist after the midway point of the third quarter. But he had seven first-quarter dimes as the Blazers jumped to a quick early lead.

This was mostly because the backside of the Wolves’ defense didn’t rotate quickly enough, and Enes Kanter rolled to the rim at will and Lillard hit him in stride for easy buckets throughout the first half.

It’s admittedly something of a pick-your-poison situation, but holding Lillard to 25 points on 19 shots isn’t easy to do. Yes, Kanter had 20 on the game, and once the Blazers went small in the fourth quarter, Carmelo Anthony flourished in a similar role and ended up with 26 points on just 14 shots.

But the Wolves at least forced Lillard to pass the ball off more often than not, and both Lillard and Anthony made a series of tough shots.

It will be interesting to see if the Wolves roll with the same coverage in Part Two of the two-game series, as well as if either side makes any adjustments in the re-match.

Injury report for Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers

The Wolves are still without D’Angelo Russell (knee) and Malik Beasley (suspension). Jarrett Culver is listed as doubtful with a big toe sprain.

The Blazers continue to be battered, missing CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Zach Collins.

We’ll be back after the game with player grades. Enjoy Wolves-Blazers!