Timberwolves at Kings
The Minnesota Timberwolves were down on themselves following a series of lackluster performances but are riding high now after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in overtime on Tuesday. The Timberwolves will try to ride that momentum to back-to-back victories when they continue the road trip by visiting the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Minnesota overcame a 17-point deficit and got 32 points and six steals from Andrew Wiggins in Tuesday’s 124-117 triumph. Zach LaVine added four steals and 16 points while Rookie of the Year favorite Karl-Anthony Towns completed a huge game for the Timberwolves’ trio of young stars with 20 points, 12 rebounds and solid defense against Golden State star Stephen Curry when he was forced to switch. The Kings are playing out the string with an eye to the future as well and have only two games left in their arena before moving into a new state-of-the-art building in time for next season. The roster that christens that new building could have several new pieces, though enigmatic star center DeMarcus Cousins figures to be in the middle as Sacramento tries to find a way to build around the Kentucky product.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (26-52): Shabazz Muhammad was Minnesota’s prized first-round pick in 2013 but fell behind Towns, Wiggins and LaVine in the pecking order as he struggled to adjust to the pro game at both ends of the floor. The UCLA product looked like he found his way in the NBA on Tuesday, when he kept the Timberwolves within shouting distance with his scoring off the bench in the first half and finished with a career-high 35 points in a career-high 39 minutes. Muhammad totaled one point in an 88-78 loss to Dallas on Sunday but was 9-of-12 from the floor against the Warriors and relentlessly attacked the rim en route to a 15-of-17 effort from the line.
ABOUT THE KINGS (31-47): Cousins scored 30 points on Tuesday to match Mitch Richmond’s franchise record of 26 30-point outings in a season and Rajon Rondo set a franchise single-season mark with his sixth triple-double, but Sacramento still lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 115-107. The Kings don’t plan on playing Cousins on the road the rest of the way and are liberally resting players in a transparent effort to hang onto a top-10 protected draft pick. Forward Rudy Gay, who had 25 points and nine rebounds in a 115-106 win at Denver on Saturday, took his turn on the bench Tuesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kings G Seth Curry is averaging 15.3 points in the last seven games and is 17-of-33 from 3-point range in that span.
2. Towns has recorded 13 consecutive double-doubles.
3. Minnesota has taken each of the first three meetings this season, including a 101-91 win in Sacramento on Nov. 27.