Wednesday night will feature the Minnesota Timberwolves' second contest of the season against the Charlotte Hornets. Back on Nov. 4, the Wolves took down the Hornets at Target Center, 114-93. The game was never really in question, as Minnesota rolled against a mostly healthy Charlotte squad.
Now, the Hornets come into Wednesday's game banged up, with several of their rotation players out for the season. Grant Williams, Brandon Miller and Tre Mann have not played since November, January and November, respectively. Some would think this could mean the Timberwolves would have an opportunity for a second easy victory in as many days, after taking down the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as there are a few important things to consider with this matchup. The first and biggest being the implications of Anthony Edwards going up against his fellow draft classmate, LaMelo Ball. After Ant was taken first in the 2020 draft and LaMelo was taken third, there has been a unique dynamic when it comes to these two.
Firstly, they actually have surprisingly similar personalities. Both players are free-spirited and don't hold back when it comes to saying exactly how they feel. Secondly, there has been something of an unspoken competitive attitude when these players face off with each other.
The Hornets have beaten the Timberwolves a lot in recent years
Sure, you can say the Hornets have not been relevant for most of the last five seasons. But that does not mean sparks have not been flying when they have faced off against the Timberwolves. In head-to-head matchups between Minnesota and Charlotte where Edwards and Ball have both been on the court, the Hornets are 5-2 against the Wolves since the start of the 2020-21 season.
That number is rather shocking considering the direction both teams have been headed over the course of the last several seasons, but it simply speaks to the competitive edge these guys likely feel in facing one another. LaMelo's only two career losses to Ant came earlier this season, and back in February 2022. On top of the individual element here, there is also the fact that Minnesota has tended to play down to their competition in these kinds of matchups this season.
Just look at games like Feb. 1 where they lost on their home court to the Washington Wizards, or their loss to the Utah Jazz last Friday night. Not to mention the fact that the Timberwolves will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back at Spectrum Center. There are plenty of reasons to believe this could be a trap game for Minnesota, and Chris Finch's squad will have to be on top of their game to avoid a loss.