Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers look to extend the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>. Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards is the league\u2019s third leading scorer. The team\u2019s center, Rudy Gobert, is the NBA\u2019s fourth best rebounder (just behind Portland\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n Can the suddenly Blistering Blazers ride a recent surge of health to victory over the Timberwolves in Tumult?<\/p>\n Portland Trail Blazers (26-28) at Minnesota Timberwolves – (33-22) Wed. Feb 11 – 5:00pm Pacific<\/p>\n How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the<\/a> Rip City Television Network<\/a><\/p>\n How to stream: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else<\/p>\n How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network<\/a><\/p>\n SB Nation Affiliate: Canis Hoopus<\/a><\/p>\n Trail Blazers Injuries: Damian Lillard, Kris Murray, Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle Out.<\/p>\n Timberwolves injuries: Terrence Shannon Jr. Out.<\/p>\n Kit: The Blazers will take the floor in its classic white City Edition<\/a> jerseys. Minnesota will wear its black Icon Edition unis.<\/p>\n Trail Blazers: W vs MEM, W vs MEM, W vs PHI<\/p>\n T-Wolves: W at TOR, L vs NOP, L vs LAC, W vs ATL<\/p>\n Trail Blazers:<\/a> Points, Avdija (25.5 per game). Rebounds, Clingan (11.4). Assists, Henderson (8). Steals, Thybulle (2.5). Blocks, Williams (1.4). Trail Blazers:<\/a> Offensive rating: 113.6 (20th place) Defensive rating: 115.4 (19th 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.<\/p>\n With Avdija, Henderson and Holiday all taking the court in a single game for the first time this season in Monday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n When Avdija is on the floor, he lifts all boats. Cameron Crowell over at The Mercury <\/a>captured the sheer Blazers Joy on display Monday night.<\/p>\n In what could only be described as a \u201cToumani Camara Legacy Game,\u201d 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\u2014a trademark hustle play from the young NBA All-Defense award winner.<\/p>\n Minnesota has endured five losing stretches this season.<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n The most recent \u2018Wolves slide had Derek Hanson of Canis Hoopus<\/a> persnickety, perplexed and perturbed:<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n After what was often characterized as a rocky relationship<\/a> 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<\/a> after a Friday loss to the Pelicans.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not an easy position for a coach to take guys out of the game. It\u2019s not something that you want to do, but I think if the players don\u2019t show any effort, at some point, no matter how talented we are as a team, if you don\u2019t have that, you just can\u2019t be a winning team.\u201d<\/p>\n Gobert didn\u2019t single out any teammates, but Minnesota coach Chris Finch said he was aware of the 33-year-old center\u2019s concerns and that the team\u2019s effort was addressed on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI handle all my conversations with ourselves in-house,\u201d Finch told reporters. \u201cDisappointing [Gobert] felt the need to go outside. Nonetheless, that\u2019s been addressed already today. There\u2019s never been a team that\u2019s won anything meaningful that substituted their way there.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps Finch is the One Who Has Lost the Locker Room:<\/p>\n The \u2018Wolves dysfunction in a home blowout loss to the Clippers on Sunday led ESPN announcer Marc Jones<\/a> to recall, \u201cAt this time of the year, some 53 games in, 54 games in. I remember what George Karl told me once. You can\u2019t air out your team more than five times in a year, because after that fifth time, they\u2019re not listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Timberwolves:<\/a> Points, Edwards (29.6 per game). Rebounds, Gobert (11.2). Assists, Randle (5.5). Steals, Dosunmu (1.5). Blocks, Ware (1.6).<\/p>\n
Timberwolves:<\/a> Offensive rating: 116.8 (8th place) Defensive rating: 112.6 (9th place)<\/p>\n