Timberwolves at Jazz
THE STORY: Al Jefferson spent three seasons with Minnesota from 2007-10 and carried the offensive load, averaging 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds in 208 games. Jefferson was traded by Minnesota to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Kosta Koufos and two first-round draft picks on July 13, 2010. A new star has emerged in Minnesota since Jefferson’s departure, and the two big men will do battle as the teams face off Saturday night in Utah. Timberwolves sensation Kevin Love ranks in the top five in league scoring and rebounding. He drained a three-pointer at the buzzer on Friday night to lift the Timberwolves to a 101-98 victory. Love finished with yet another double-double, netting 17 points and hauling in 14 rebounds. Minnesota is coming off consecutive home wins over Sacramento and Detroit. They haven’t won three straight since a four-game stretch from Jan. 29, to Feb. 6, 2010.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (7-8): Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio has added some flare to a Timberwolves team that hasn’t given fans anything to get excited about in a long time. Rubio leads the league in alley-oop assists and is among the league leaders in offensive fouls and charges drawn. Rubio swiped a season-high six steals in Wednesday's victory over Detroit, the highest total by a Timberwolves player since Kevin Garnett picked off seven at the L.A. Clippers on Jan. 27, 2007.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (9-5): The Jazz suffered a 94-91 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. Jefferson led the way for Utah with 22 points and Paul Millsap recorded his fifth double-double in the losing cause. Utah had won three straight prior to falling to the defending NBA champions. Eight of the 13 players on the Jazz roster are 26 years old or younger. Enes Kanter ranks second among NBA rookies in rebounding.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Utah is 60-31 all-time against Minnesota with a 34-11 record at home.
2. Jazz are third in the league in blocked shots with 6.28 per game. Al Jefferson leads the team with an average of 1.6 blocks per game.
3. Love has double-doubles in all 15 games he's played this season. Orlando's Dwight Howard is the next closest with 11 double-doubles.