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Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves
By Jay Desai
The San Antonio Spurs conclude their quick two game road trip tonight in Minnesota against the Timberwolves.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest. The game can also be heard on the radio on WOAI 1200 AM.
How will San Antonio fare against Minnesota? We take a look at recent history, injuries, and key matchups to predict the outcome of the game!
Recent Games
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs head into this game hot. Winners of five of their last six, and four of their last five road games, the Spurs are looking to continue to roll after a slow start, this time against a struggling Minnesota team.
San Antonio won its last game in a 92-90 thriller against one of the predicted Eastern Conference contenders, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs will also look to get another great performance out of Tim Duncan, who has already picked up seven double-doubles this season.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves come into this game looking to get their first back-to-back wins. The Timberwolves blew-out a reeling New York Knicks 115-99 team at home in Minnesota.
This was a great win for a Minnesota team that had been struggling since starting the season 2-2, 1-5 since. It seems like fate though that the Timberwolves will stay at the bottom though, with news that Kevin Martin will miss tonight’s game following Wednesday’s win.
Injuries
San Antonio Spurs
Marco Belinelli, Shooting Guard – Belinelli suffered a groin injury towards the end of the first quarter in the win over the Atlanta Hawks. He is probable and could finally suit up for the team after missing the Spurs last eight games. If he does, he is expected to only play limited minutes.
Matt Bonner, Power Forward – Bonner has been dealing with a stomach virus which put him out for the Spurs last game. He is listed as probable for tonight. If he does not play, Jeff Ayres, Aron Baynes, or Austin Daye could see increased minutes.
Patty Mills, Point Guard – Mills is still healing from surgery on his torn rotator cuff. Expect his minutes to go to Cory Joseph.
Tiago Splitter, Center – Splitter re-aggravated his right calf injury in the game against the Hawks and is expected to miss tonight’s game. He is expected to visit a specialist and remains uncertain for future games. Look for Boris Diaw to pick up his minutes.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Martin, Shooting Guard – Martin suffered a wrist fracture in the first quarter of the Timberwolves win on Wednesday. The surprising part is that the guard was still able to finish the game with 37 points. Expect Corey Brewer and rookie Zach LaVine to take up his minutes.
Ricky Rubio, Point Guard – Rubio has been dealing with a severe ankle sprain he suffered early in the season. The Spaniard is not expected back until January. Expect Mo Williams to pick up the start for the injured point guard.
Ronny Turiaf, Center – Turiaf is still recovering from a hip injury. He is listed as doubtful tonight meaning he will most likely not play. Turiaf is low on the depth chart so the Timberwolves should not have to make to many adjustments to the rotation with his loss.
Key Matchups
For most San Antonio Spurs fans, tonight will be the first time they witness highly touted rookie Andrew Wiggins. Even better for Spurs fans, the rookie will be matched up against Kawhi Leonard. Tonight’s key matchup between these two forwards should make quite a show. Although San Antonio is expected to win handedly, it will be interesting to see how Wiggins fares against another one of the league’s rising stars in Leonard. This game will provide a huge opportunity for Kawhi to prove to Spurs fans that he is that elite talent that he displayed in the Finals.
SF. Kawhi Leonard is still looking to establish himself as an NBA star. He will get another chance to do that tonight against Wiggins. Leonard has been dealing with injuries all season, stunting his growth a little this season. However, if he wants to be considered elite, Leonard will have to take advantage of matchups like the one he has tonight even in the face of injury.. SF. San Antonio Spurs. KAWHI LEONARD
SF. Andrew Wiggins has been good not great to start his rookie campaign. In the forward’s first ten games, he has been averaging 10.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Wiggins has displayed a nice three-point touch, shooting 60% from beyond the arc so far, which has helped to shield criticism for the rookie. The phenom will have a chance tonight to prove that one day he could be among the NBA’s elite. Tonight he will be matched up against Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Wiggins has played decent against teams with good forwards, so it will be interesting to see if he can hold his own tonight.. SF. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANDREW WIGGINS
Prediction
The San Antonio Spurs keep rolling along. It’s a different opponent this time but the result will be the same. The Spurs are just simply too talented and experienced to lose this game, even with their injuries.
While the Minnesota Timberwolves did pick up some momentum with their blowout of the New York Knicks, it will be tough to sustain, especially with their leading scorer Kevin Martin out for tonight. Expect San Antonio to grab a double-digit win tonight. (Note: Air Alamo is 6-5 in predictions)
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