Minnesota Timberwolves players are brimming with confidence as they return home.
A six-game winning streak will do that — especially when the latest victory was a 20-point thumping Wednesday of the Denver Nuggets on the road.
The Timberwolves will go for their seventh straight win when they tip off against the Orlando Magic on Friday night in Minneapolis. The matchup will open a five-game homestand for the Timberwolves, who are battling to improve their potential playoff seeding in the Western Conference.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert said the team’s top two players, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, deserved much of the credit for the recent surge.
“We came a long way in our chemistry,” Gobert said. “I would say it really starts with ‘Ant’ and Julius. The way they’ve been playing and the way they’ve been making the right play for teammates has been having a tremendous impact for us.”
Orlando also has leaned on its top two players for recent success. The Magic will play on short rest after posting a 113-93 road win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.
Paolo Banchero had 34 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, and Franz Wagner finished with 27 points. It marked Orlando’s second win in its past three games after a five-game losing streak.
Veteran Magic guard Cory Joseph, 33, also will look to stay hot in his second game in as many nights. Joseph tallied 12 points and six rebounds in the win over New Orleans, and Banchero praised him for contributions that have gone well beyond the box score this season.
“It’s no excuses,” Banchero said. “Oldest guy on the team, playing hard as (heck). He’s grateful for every moment he has on the court, and he lets us know that.
“It just shows you that we’re all blessed to play this game. That’s a guy that’s been with different teams, won a championship (San Antonio in 2014), just been everywhere throughout his career.
“It just shows you that you can’t take the game for granted. You’ve got a guy like him, he might not play for five straight games, and then he’s out there and he’s making a difference. It just is a huge lift for everybody.”
Edwards will try to maintain his hot shooting after making 20 of 37 field-goal attempts over his past two games. He leads the Timberwolves with an average of 27.2 points per game to go with 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Randle ranks second on the Timberwolves with 18.9 points per game. Naz Reid rounds out the top three scorers with 14.8.
Wagner and Banchero are tied for the Magic team lead with 24.6 points per game after Thursday’s victory. Wendell Carter Jr. leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game.
This will be the second and final meeting of the regular season between the teams. Minnesota won the first matchup 104-89 on Jan. 9 in Orlando.
Randle scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves in the first game. Gobert also notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
Banchero and Wagner did not play in the first game against Minnesota due to injuries. The Magic’s top scorer that night was Goga Bitadze, who finished with 15 points to go with eight rebounds.
–Field Level Media
