NBA Matchups: January 1

Happy New Year! I wrote some of this early on Sunday, so some of these stats may not be up to date. That said, the points made from those stats all hold up. Let’s get it today!

MIN @ NYK | CLE @ TOR | DET @ HOU | IND @ MIL | CHA @ DEN | POR @ PHX | DAL @ UTA | MIA @ LAC

Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks

Team Totals: Wolves 112.8, Knicks 111.8

Injury Report: Malachi Flynn (O, ankle)

Wolves projected starters: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert

Knicks projected starters: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein

Finch quotes: Said the Lakers switching so much bothered them, said Ant getting to the line so much really helps them, said he wanted to try to get to SloMo later to help close the game, said Ant is playing high-level ball, said Rudy and Conley are “the anchors out there”, said McDaniels’ tech late was “inexcusable”.

Thibs quotes: Most of the pressers were about shouting out R.J. and IQ, said he’s excited about getting OG and Precious, said OG has positional size and he has a lot to develop in his game, said they’ll look at how they can use Precious.

Stats and Notes: 

*This is a pretty gross game environment here with the Wolves and their top-ranked defense, ranking first in halfcourt D, first in putback points per miss allowed in the halfcourt, first in rim defense, third in PNR handler PPP D, and they’re even up to third in transition points allowed. They are just incredible, and the Knicks match up terribly with them. The Knicks have been a respectable defense since Mitch went down, and we’ll see how the new pieces fit.

*Anthony Edwards rolled his ankle late in the second quarter on Saturday, so that will be something to watch. He got one of the quickest re-tapes of all time, and he might be OK. OG Anunoby has been used differently in the last couple of years. We saw Nick Nurse put OG on the best guy regardless, but Darko was using him as more of a wing defender. You would think that Anthony Edwards is going to get the OG matchup, but who cares? OG has been getting wrecked more often than not, and Ant has flourished when he has a tough matchup on him. He’s driving a ton right now at 17.4 drives per game over his last five outings, and he’s been excellent in his shot selection. The matchup isn’t great, but I’m more in on Ant than out.

*Karl-Anthony Towns should be in a pretty good spot here, but it’s a little concerning that his minutes haven’t been great. He’s also lost his rhythm as a shooter and the touches aren’t great recently. It’s a bit of a hard sell to play KAT stuff.

*Rudy Gobert’s matchup isn’t great either. Isaiah Hartenstein is plus rim protector, but the Knicks are getting beat up on the glass a little. It’s far from ideal, but there’s a path to Gobert turning in a 15/15 game.

*Jalen Brunson gets one of the worst matchups possible, as he’ll certainly get the Jaden McDaniels spot. He’s playing excellent ball right now, but his drive-heavy game doesn’t mesh well against one of the best defenders in the league.

*Julius Randle’s matchup is a little better 1-on-1, but Gobert protecting the paint behind him makes this a clear spot to avoid. As mentioned for a while now, Randle’s finishing is fixed, but this just isn’t the spot.

Great matchups: Karl-Anthony Towns (minutes concerns)

Good matchups: Anthony Edwards (OG is washed now)

Bad matchups: Jalen Brunson has it worst among the Knicks

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Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors