Timberwolves at Pistons
The Minnesota Timberwolves have won two in a row for the first time this season and they’ll try to make it three straight when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Minnesota came back from seven points down in the final two minutes to shock the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, just its second win against a team with a winning record this season. Ricky Rubio has been a big spark for Minnesota since he returned Monday from a three-month absence due to an ankle injury.
The Pistons have won three of their last four and seem to be adjusting to the loss of point guard Brandon Jennings, who suffered a torn Achilles on Jan. 24. Detroit lost that game to the Milwaukee Bucks and the next three before rebounding to beat the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat in back-to-back games. After a loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets by 10 on Friday as Greg Monroe had 21 points and a career-high 21 rebounds for his first career 20-20 game.
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TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (10-40): Minnesota has won nine straight against the Pistons by an average of 12.8 points, but Detroit will be facing a much different squad than its used to seeing in recent years. Gone is power forward Kevin Love and into the starting lineup is rookie Andrew Wiggins, who comes in second on the team in scoring at 15.5 a game. Not only has Minnesota been boosted by the return of Rubio from long-term injury, but leading scorer Kevin Martin has played in the last six games since returning from a two-month absence because of a fractured wrist.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (20-31): Detroit will likely lean on its inside game against the Timberwolves, who don’t have the same interior presence without Love. Monroe and starting center Andre Drummond are the only teammates in the NBA averaging double figures in points and rebounds, and they might need to be especially strong against Minnesota if Detroit’s perimeter game fails to show up as it did against Denver, when the Pistons shot 4-for-24 from beyond the arc. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot 6-for-11 from long range against the Rockets last weekend but has attempted just six 3-pointers in the three games since, making half.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Minnesota G Shabazz Muhammad is expected to miss one more game with a strained oblique before a likely return Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.
2. Minnesota last won three straight Feb. 25 to March 3 last season, beating the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Nuggets.
3. The Pistons are averaging 8.7 made 3-pointers a game, which would be their highest average in franchise history.