Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers look to extend the team’s three-game winning streak in a matchup with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves today. On paper Minnesota looks like the superior squad, but the two teams appear to be on opposite trajectories.

Minnesota sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 33-22 record. The team is loaded with talented players who have carried the Timberwolves to two consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances. Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards is the league’s third leading scorer. The team’s center, Rudy Gobert, is the NBA’s fourth best rebounder (just behind Portland’s Donovan Clingan), and he is shooting a field goal percentage higher than any other player in the league. Guard, Donte DiVincenzo, has made 170 three pointers this season, the fifth most in the league.

However, in spite of this seeming wealth of talent, Minnesota has endured multiple losing streaks and has mustered an anemic 18-17 record against Western Conference opponents. The team has played so inconsistently that many are now calling for its head coach, Chris Finch, to be fired.

Meanwhile, at 26-28, Portland has the ninth best record in the West. The Blazers are stocked with young players displaying a ton of grit through what has been a challenging, injury riddled season. Clingan is the third best rebounder in the league. He is the only Blazers player in the top five season leaders of any league-wide statistical category. The team continues to lead the league in turnovers. It has the worst three point shooting percentage in the league. And, a six game losing streak is still visible in the rear view mirror.

While Portland has struggled with health all season, the team has remained cohesive. It has put together a 20-15 record against Western Conference opponents. And, with Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams III healed from injury, Portland’s roster is now battle hardened and arguably stronger than the Chauncey Billups coached squad that narrowly lost to the Timberwolves 118-114 in their Oct. 22 season opener. Indeed, Portland enters Minnesota winners of three-in-a-row, including one of its best games of the season, a 135-118 shellacking of the 76ers on Monday night.

Can the suddenly Blistering Blazers ride a recent surge of health to victory over the Timberwolves in Tumult?

Portland Trail Blazers (26-28) at Minnesota Timberwolves – (33-22) Wed. Feb 11 – 5:00pm Pacific

How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network

How to stream: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else

How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network

SB Nation Affiliate: Canis Hoopus

Trail Blazers Injuries: Damian Lillard, Kris Murray, Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle Out.

Timberwolves injuries: Terrence Shannon Jr. Out.

Kit: The Blazers will take the floor in its classic white City Edition jerseys. Minnesota will wear its black Icon Edition unis.

Trail Blazers: W vs MEM, W vs MEM, W vs PHI

T-Wolves: W at TOR, L vs NOP, L vs LAC, W vs ATL

Trail Blazers: Points, Avdija (25.5 per game). Rebounds, Clingan (11.4). Assists, Henderson (8). Steals, Thybulle (2.5). Blocks, Williams (1.4).
Timberwolves: Points, Edwards (29.6 per game). Rebounds, Gobert (11.2). Assists, Randle (5.5). Steals, Dosunmu (1.5). Blocks, Ware (1.6).

Trail Blazers: Offensive rating: 113.6 (20th place) Defensive rating: 115.4 (19th place)
Timberwolves: Offensive rating: 116.8 (8th place) Defensive rating: 112.6 (9th place)

Coming Attractions: The game is the front half of a Blazers back-to-back. The team plays the Jazz in Utah tomorrow before the week-long All-Star break. Four Blazers, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Damian Lillard and Yang Hansen, will appear in All-Star contests.

With Avdija, Henderson and Holiday all taking the court in a single game for the first time this season in Monday’s tilt against Philadelphia, Portland looked like the team that opened the year 6-3 and dared Blazers fans to dream of a breakout season. Turbo hung 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on the Embiid-less Sixers. After the game, all he would talk about was the play of his teammates.

When Avdija is on the floor, he lifts all boats. Cameron Crowell over at The Mercury captured the sheer Blazers Joy on display Monday night.

In what could only be described as a “Toumani Camara Legacy Game,” the Portland Trail Blazers soundly blew out a solid Eastern Conference playoff team in front of a mostly full Moda Center crowd last night, February 9. The Belgian Bestie was truly out of his mind, finishing with 30 points on 12 shot attempts (8-10 from three), three rebounds, three steals, and drew a charge—a trademark hustle play from the young NBA All-Defense award winner.

Minnesota has endured five losing stretches this season.

Oct. 24-29: Lost 3 of 4Nov. 21-26: Lost 3 straightDec. 25-31: Lost 3 of 4Jan. 16-25: Lost 5 straightFeb. 2-8: Lost 3 of 4

The most recent ‘Wolves slide had Derek Hanson of Canis Hoopus persnickety, perplexed and perturbed:

Long stretches of lifeless basketball. Porous defense that felt optional. An offense that oscillated between stagnant isolation and desperate late-clock heaves. And then, right on cue, a brief surge of effort when the deficit became uncomfortable, like someone finally remembering they left the stove on. The Wolves would claw back, tease you into believing, and then promptly step on a rake.

After what was often characterized as a rocky relationship with Donovan Mitchell when the two were teammates in Utah, Gobert showed he is not afraid to spread blame when he disparaged his Timberwolves teammates to Peter Botte of the California Post after a Friday loss to the Pelicans.

“It’s not an easy position for a coach to take guys out of the game. It’s not something that you want to do, but I think if the players don’t show any effort, at some point, no matter how talented we are as a team, if you don’t have that, you just can’t be a winning team.”

Gobert didn’t single out any teammates, but Minnesota coach Chris Finch said he was aware of the 33-year-old center’s concerns and that the team’s effort was addressed on Saturday.

“I handle all my conversations with ourselves in-house,” Finch told reporters. “Disappointing [Gobert] felt the need to go outside. Nonetheless, that’s been addressed already today. There’s never been a team that’s won anything meaningful that substituted their way there.”

Perhaps Finch is the One Who Has Lost the Locker Room:

The ‘Wolves dysfunction in a home blowout loss to the Clippers on Sunday led ESPN announcer Marc Jones to recall, “At this time of the year, some 53 games in, 54 games in. I remember what George Karl told me once. You can’t air out your team more than five times in a year, because after that fifth time, they’re not listening.”

Seeking to correct course, Minnesota acquired guard Ayo Dosunmu in a four-player trade deadline deal with the Chicago Bulls. Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated said the addition of Dosunmu was critical to the ‘Wolves get right victory over the tanking Hawks on Monday night.

Playing 30 minutes off of the bench, Dosunmu scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and chipped in 3 assists, a steal, and a block. His speed and aggressiveness in transition were a big reason why the Wolves were able to pull away late in the second quarter and build a 25-point halftime lead in an eventual 138-116 victory.

Dosunmu, who is shooting 45 percent from three this season, hit two of those on four tries. When left open, he is lethal from long range. But what stood out even more about his performance on Monday was the way Dosunmu got to the rim. Six of his seven two-point makes were right-handed layups where he got all the way to the basket. He is a decisive straight-line driver with the burst to fly by defenders in transition or against a closeout in halfcourt offense.

About that Hawks game… Minnesota sixth man, Naz Reid, missed all five threes he attempted before scuffling with Atlanta’s Mo Gueye at the start of the fourth quarter. Both players were ejected as chants of “NAZ REID” filled the arena.

How can the tight knit Blazers build on the momentum of the last three games to earn a victory in Minnesota? Sound off.