Kings at Timberwolves
Two teams that have clinched losing records square off on Wednesday when
the Sacramento Kings visit the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings have
fallen apart with 12 losses in the last 15 games while the Timberwolves
have dropped eight of their past 11 contests.
Sacramento will miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season while Minnesota won't be part of the postseason for the 12th straight campaign. The Timberwolves put up a good fight in Monday's contest against the league-best Golden State Warriors before falling 109-104. "We had a chance to win the game. That's all I'm thinking about right now," Minnesota interim coach Sam Mitchell told reporters. "There are no moral victories in professional sports. We had some opportunities and I just think we had some lapses in focus at times." The Kings also had a chance to post an impressive victory on Monday but collapsed over the final six minutes and lost 109-102 to the Chicago Bulls.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE KINGS (27-43): All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins continued his stellar season with 19 points and 18 rebounds against Chicago for his fourth consecutive double-double. Cousins is averaging 19 rebounds over the past two games and his streak of consecutive 20-point performances ended at nine. Point guard Rajon Rondo's passing game has been on hiatus the past two games as he's averaging 5.5 assists during the span after being in double digits in 13 of the previous 17 games.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (22-48): Point guard Ricky Rubio had a solid all-around game against the Warriors with 20 points, 11 assists and four steals. Rubio has picked up his offensive performance with five straight double-digit scoring efforts along with four double-doubles. Rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double as he soars toward winning Rookie of the Year honors.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Timberwolves SG Andrew Wiggins is averaging 27 points in two victories over the Kings this season.
2. Minnesota backup SF Shabazz Muhammad is averaging 15.5 points against Sacramento this season.
3. Sacramento reserve G Darren Collison is averaging 17.4 points and made 12-of-18 3-point shots over the past five games.