Timberwolves at Thunder
After holding their own throughout a tough stretch of the schedule, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be expected to cruise past their next two opponents. The Thunder look to snap a two-game skid and move back above .500 when they host the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. The Timberwolves have dropped four straight and 20 of 22 and own the worst record in the NBA.
The Thunder were on their way to a fantastic five-game road trip before dropping the final two contests at Atlanta and Cleveland. They have a chance to regain some momentum with their next two against the league's two worst teams in Minnesota and New York, and they're only three games behind eighth-place Phoenix in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves have lost four straight overall in the series and nine in a row at Oklahoma City.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (7-36): Minnesota had a solid night at the offensive end in its 112-100 loss at Atlanta on Sunday, shooting 52.1 percent, but allowed the Hawks to hit 56.3 percent and couldn't close the gap. Thaddeus Young (14.1 points) had a big night with 26 points and center Nikola Pekovic (12.4 points, 7.4 rebounds) had 15 points in his first start since Nov. 15. It was a somewhat quiet night for rookie Andrew Wiggins (15 points), who managed only 12 points but has scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (22-22): Kevin Durant (25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (24.9 points, 7.7 assists, 6.1 rebounds) continue to carry Oklahoma City, but their combined 54 points weren't enough in Sunday's 108-98 loss at Cleveland. The Thunder didn't get much production in the post against the Cavaliers because center Steven Adams sat out with a migraine. Forward Serge Ibaka had a tough road trip, shooting at a 38 percent clip — 15 percentage points below his career average.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Minnesota SF Robbie Hummel suffered a broken hand against the Hawks and is expected to miss at least four weeks.
2. The Timberwolves have allowed 100 or more points in 35 of their 43 games, while the Thunder are 17-5 when hitting triple digits.
3. Westbrook and Durant have combined for at least 38 points in eight straight games and have topped 50 in four of those contests.