The Portland Trail Blazers continue their road trip with a matchup in Minnesota against the Timberwolves today. The Blazers are looking to make it three straight wins on the road after picking up W’s over the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers in their last two matchups.
On the other side, the Timberwolves are also winners of two straight against the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. They currently find themselves sitting in the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings. The Blazers are tied with the Los
Angeles Clippers for the eighth and ninth positions.
What You Need To Know
Portland Trail Blazers (34-36) at Minnesota Timberwolves (43-27) Fri. Mar. 20 – 5:00pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to stream: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network
Trail Blazers Injuries: Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe, Yang Hansen (out); Vit Krejci (questionable).
Timberwolves injuries: Anthony Edwards (out); Naz Reid (questionable).
What To Watch For
Seeding implications. We have reached the point in the season where every win or loss is incredibly important for how the NBA Playoff and Play-In race shakes out. Both Portland and Minnesota find themselves in the thick of a close race late in the season. For the Blazers every win is important in trying to grab the coveted eighth seed, which would give them an inside track to the postseason in the play-in system. The Timberwolves have jumped up to a homecourt advantage spot and hold a one game lead over both the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets. Both teams need every win they can get to improve their position as the season winds down.
Who steps up? Minnesota currently finds themselves without the services of Anthony Edwards, out with inflammation in his knee. They have been led by some strong performances by a couple different players. Julius Randle has been the first option, but Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland have stepped up in the absence of Edwards to provide scoring from the guard spots. Portland will have to put defensive pressure on the secondary players around Randle to make the Timberwolves really feel Edwards’s absence.
What Others Are Saying
Kenny Kluska of Dunking with Wolves talks about the impressive play of the Timberwolves and Ayo Dosunmu in the absence of their best player.
The Timberwolves’ offense mostly got what they wanted throughout Wednesday’s 147-111 victory over the Utah Jazz. Their 39 assists in the win mark a new season-high, as does their point total (in a non-overtime game).
Playing 27 minutes, Dosunmu dished out six assists with just one turnover. It was a great all-around performance as evidenced by him also adding 23 points, steal rebounds, and three steals. For one night, the offense didn’t seem to miss Edwards all that much.
Predict It
Ok fans, we don’t often do this, but this is shaping up as one of the defining games of the late season for Portland. Who wins it? Can the Blazers overcome or will this be another example of collecting wins against poorer teams then falling as soon as stronger contenders come to play? Share your prediction in the comments below!
