Timberwolves at Kings
The Minnesota Timberwolves aren't having much luck on their current road trip, which is part of a season-long trend of the team struggling away from home. The Timberwolves will try to earn their third road win of the season and give themselves a shot at splitting the four-game trip when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Minnesota dropped a 113-105 decision at Portland on Saturday to begin the trip and fell 116-108 at defending-champion Golden State on Monday but did not come away discouraged after the latest setback. "I liked the resiliency and the fight," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. "It's just that a team like that, you can't give them a second and third crack at it." The Kings don't have the same problems on the road and finished off a 3-1 trip with a 108-89 victory at Chicago on Monday. Sacramento won four of its last five overall to run its record to two games over .500 and is thriving behind a young roster led by second-year point guard De'Aaron Fox.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), NBCS California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (13-14): Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns collected 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting and 11 rebounds on Monday but also committed four of his team's 16 turnovers, which led to 27 points for the Warriors. "The second-chance points and turnovers are what led us to our downfall tonight," Towns told reporters. "It's disheartening, but at the end of the day also you have to understand that those things happen. We've got to fix them. We didn't stop the bleeding all night. That's what really led us to our demise." It was the fourth consecutive double-double for Towns, who is averaging 27.3 points and 11 rebounds in that span.
ABOUT THE KINGS (14-12): Fox scored 15 of his 25 points in a decisive third quarter on Monday and added six assists, four steals and four rebounds while knocking down four 3-pointers. Fox is averaging 20.8 points and 7.4 assists over the last five games and was part of a perimeter defensive effort on Monday that limited the Bulls to 8-of-28 from beyond the arc. Manning the inside is fellow Kentucky product Willie Cauley-Stein, who collected 11 points and a season-high 16 rebounds on Monday for his third double-double in the last six games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Timberwolves SF Robert Covington (knee) returned from a one-game absence on Monday and managed seven points on 2-of-7 shooting in 26 minutes.
2. Kings SG Buddy Hield made at least four 3-pointers in each of the last three games.
3. Sacramento knocked off Minnesota at home 121-110 on Nov. 9 behind 16 points and 10 assists from Fox.