Minnesota Timberwolves (front end) at Cleveland Cavaliers
Team Totals: Wolves 111, Cavs 107.5
Injury Report: Malik Beasley (P, illness), Rajon Rondo (O, toe), Darius Garland (O, back)
Wolves projected starters: Patrick Beverley, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, Karl-Anthony Towns
Cavs projected starters: Brandon Goodwin, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Finch quotes: Said they were looking for shortcuts, said their offense was just bad and came “unraveled” against Philly, said their defense wasn’t as bad as their O despite giving up 133, said the first unit has “regressed” a little, said they address fouling issues “every single day,” said it “dried up” for their offense, said Jaylen Nowell didn’t really help fill the void left by Malik but he hasn’t played in a bit.
Bickerstaff quotes: Said Okoro was terrific on Kuzma down the stretch, said they have to manufacture buckets and it’ll help with their defense, said he will continue to play the three bigs, said Okoro can keep making an impact even without scoring, said Goodwin was picking up full court and he set the tone on defense.
Stats and Notes:
*The Wolves have been rolling on the offensive end, ranking second in the NBA at 118.2 points per 100 possessions. They really don’t have a weakness, but of course the Cavs continue to play excellent halfcourt defense. The Wolves have been struggling on the defensive end at times, and they have not been able to slow down opponents on the O glass. This should be a great game to target.
*Anthony Edwards is in a terrible slump lately, averaging just 8.8 points, 3.5 boards, 3.5 dimes, and 0.5 treys on a 21/9/56 shooting line. The Wolves have been asking a lot of him on the defensive end lately, but he shouldn’t have a tough job here. Still, it’s a really tough sell unless his price is down.
*Karl-Anthony Towns gets a bad matchup here, but the Wolves will really likely lean on him. KAT had a 33.8 usage rate against the Cavs earlier this year for his sixth-highest usage rate on the year, and he’s been above his average in each of the last two games since Finch mentioned he wanted to get KAT more involved. I’m down for some Towns, but D’Angelo Russell is also in play despite likely seeing Isaac Okoro.
*Speaking of Okoro, he’s interesting. Obviously his floor is about as low as any starter, but he gets an attractive matchup with likely DLo on him.
*Brandon Goodwin gets a slightly subpar matchup against Pat Beverley, and he’s coming off a 38-minute start against the Wizards. Tim Frazier could get in the mix today, but it’s fairly obvious Goodwin’s minutes should be safe.
*Jarrett Allen could really smash here. The Wolves are routinely wrecked on the O glass, and there’s not much of a drop off from Garland to other PGs this year. He’s doing a little more than just dunking, and may get some post-up opportunities against Vando and/or KAT.
Indiana Pacers (back end) at Orlando Magic
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