After a relatively injury-free first half of the season, some big time injuries began to plague the Minnesota Timberwolves around the middle of January. Donte DiVincenzo has been out since the home game with the Golden State Warriors on January 15, and Julius Randle has not played since January 30 against the Utah Jazz.
What that has led to is multiple guys further down the bench getting their opportunity. Terrence Shannon Jr. has been fantastic as of late, and Jaylen Clark's month of February was so solid that he earned himself a new, standard contract with the team. Now, as key players look to return to the lineup, things are about to change.
The Timberwolves will face off with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, and the latest status report is as follows:
Timberwolves injury report vs Lakers
QUESTIONABLE
DiVincenzo - Left Great Toe Sprain
Edwards - Right Calf Soreness
OUT
Gobert - Low Back Injury Maintenance
Randle - Right Groin Strain
Will Donte DiVincenzo play against Los Angeles?
Of note in the injury report is that DiVincenzo has been upgraded to questionable for the first time in six weeks. Chris Finch spoke on KFAN with Paul Allen on Thursday morning to give more context on Donte's situation. When asked whether DiVincenzo would be available to help defend Luka Doncic in LA, Finch had this to say.
"We'll see, he's close," Finch said. "He's been going through live and full practices now. And we'll see how he reacted to yesterday's practice and whether he feels good to go and is cleared medically. But he is very, very close. I can say that."
No one will know for certain until closer to tip-off, but this would seem to be an excellent sign for DiVincenzo's potential availability.
Lakers injury report vs Timberwolves
PROBABLE
LeBron James - Left Foot Injury Management
OUT
Maxi Kleber - Right Foot Surgery Recovery