The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to win their fifth game in a row when they welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Minnesota is coming off a 118-103 win at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Anthony Edwards scored 28 points to lead the Timberwolves, who became the first team in the Western Conference to notch 30 wins.
Second-place Oklahoma City likely will make it difficult for Minnesota as it pursues victory No. 31.
The Thunder have won five of their past seven games and 10 of their past 14. They are coming off a 134-129 road win against the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win. Jalen Williams finished with 27 points to go along with a team-high eight assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder have found success in playing aggressively. It is something they will look to continue to do against Minnesota.
“We try and play downhill,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s our identity. We run and we want to touch the paint whenever we can.”
The Timberwolves’ identity includes a defense-first mentality that features Rudy Gobert in the paint and Jaden McDaniels on the wing. Minnesota is allowing opponents to score 107.4 points per game, which is the lowest mark in the NBA this season.
Edwards leads Minnesota’s offense with 26.1 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Karl-Anthony Towns ranks second with 21.6 points per game to go along with 8.8 rebounds.
Mike Conley also has proven key to the Timberwolves’ rise. He scored 17 points and tallied 10 assists in the most recent win over Memphis, and teammates have praised him for his steadiness and veteran leadership.
Minnesota coach Chris Finch said Conley was easy-going off the court and fierce on it.
“Being a nice guy and being a killer on the court when it comes (to) winning time, they’re not mutually exclusive,” Finch said. “From the get-go, when he came here, I think one thing he was most excited about was he saw the potential in the team, and he knew we were trying to win.”
For the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander leads the way with 31 points per game on 55.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent shooting from 3-point range. Jalen Williams is next with 18.8 points per game, and Chet Holmgren is averaging 17.4 points.
Saturday’s game will mark the latest homecoming for Holmgren, who starred at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis before playing for Gonzaga in college.
This will be the third of four meetings between the teams during the regular season. They have split their first two contests, with each team winning on its home court.
Minnesota won 106-103 on Nov. 28. Edwards led the Timberwolves with 21 points, and Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 32 points in a losing effort.
Oklahoma City got revenge with a 129-106 win on Dec. 26. Gilgeous-Alexander once again led all scorers with 34 points, and Edwards topped the Timberwolves with 25 points in the loss.
–Field Level Media
