Minnesota Timberwolves at Atlanta Hawks: Odds, injuries, what to watch for

The Minnesota Timberwolves head south to take on the Atlanta Hawks as they look to stretch their winning streak to three games.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Atlanta Hawks: Odds, injuries, what to watch for

The Timberwolves are riding high after blowing out the shorthanded Golden State Warriors by 20 points on Sunday and winning a close game down the stretch over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Now, they head to Atlanta on the second night of a road back-to-back to take on one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season in the Atlanta Hawks.

After advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals just last season, the Hawks sit No. 12 in the East, four games out of the play-in tournament.

Atlanta beat the Milwaukee Bucks last time out, but prior to that had lost five games in a row and nine out of their past 11 contests. They traded Cam Reddish last week, too, and look to be at least considering accepting their non-playoff status this season.

It was in the middle of the Timberwolves’ early-December five-game losing streak that these Hawks made an insane 25 3-pointers while shooting 51 percent from beyond the arc en route to a 121-110 win at Target Center. Since then, the Hawks have gone 5-13 while the Wolves have gone 11-9.

Minnesota Timberwolves odds at Atlanta Hawks

For some reason, the Hawks are favored to beat the Timberwolves by two points over at WynnBet. It’s entirely unclear why this is the case, other than that the Wolves are playing on the second night of a road back-to-back. But they’re healthier and have been playing much better than the Hawks. Go figure.

TV and streaming info for Minnesota Timberwolves at Atlanta Hawks

• Tip-off: 6:30 CT
• Television: Bally Sports North
• Radio: 830 WCCO
• Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options

What to watch for in Minnesota Timberwolves at Atlanta Hawks

While the Hawks have the No. 2 offense in the league, they’ll be playing without their No. 2 3-point shooter in terms of attempts and makes per game in Bogdan Bogdanovic, and without their top rebounder in Clint Capela.

Don’t forget: this isn’t the Wolves of the past several years. The Wolves have a top-10 defense in the league. On the flip side, a lot of Minnesota’s defensive success hinges on forcing turnovers, and Atlanta’s offense has the league’s lowest turnover rate.

While the Wolves’ offense is just No. 20 in efficiency, it’s been slowly rising for the better part of the past couple of weeks. Everyone knows that the Wolves have the talent to put forth a top-10 offense, and it’s only felt like a matter of time before the Big Three of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards all find their exact role’s in Chris Finch’s rotation.

That’s happened, for the most part, and now the Wolves are waiting for supporting players like Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, and Taurean Prince to start knocking down open jump shots at anything resembling their respective career averages.

The Hawks do a good job at getting to the free throw line, and the Wolves remain the most foul-prone team in the league. If Minnesota can stay out of foul trouble and Towns can punish a Capela-less frontline (KAT had 31 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists in the December loss to the Hawks), the Wolves should be in good shape in this one.

Oh — don’t forget, this is a homecoming for Edwards. Look out for a potentially huge game from the Wolves’ budding star.

Injury report for Minnesota Timberwolves at Atlanta Hawks

The Wolves have Jaylen Nowell listed as probable due to his sprained ankle, although he’s played in the last two games. Jordan McLaughlin remains out due to health and safety protocols.

The Hawks are without a pair of regular starters in Capela (ankle) and Bogdanovic (knee).

We’ll be back after the game with some takeaways and player grades. Enjoy the game, and here’s to getting above the .500 mark!