Beasley, Timberwolves to face Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Sat, Feb 6, 2021
By The Associated Press

Minnesota Timberwolves (6-16, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (9-12, 13th in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota takes on Oklahoma City for a Northwest Division matchup Saturday.

The Thunder are 1-3 in division games. Oklahoma City is 3-9 in games when turning the ball over more than opponents and averages 14.7 turnovers.

The Timberwolves are 2-3 against division opponents. Minnesota ranks eighth in the NBA scoring 48.8 points per game in the paint led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 9.5.

The teams meet for the second game in a row.

TOP PERFORMERS: Al Horford is shooting 45.5% and averaging 13.7 points. Darius Bazley is averaging 6.9 rebounds and 12.6 points per game over the last 10 games for Oklahoma City.

Jarred Vanderbilt is second on the Timberwolves with 6.3 rebounds and averages 6.7 points. Malik Beasley is averaging 20.9 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 47.5% over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 4-6, averaging 109.9 points, 43.2 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points on 45.9% shooting.

Timberwolves: 3-7, averaging 104.8 points, 42.8 rebounds, 24 assists, 8.6 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points on 45.9% shooting.

INJURIES: Thunder: Theo Maledon: out (health and safety protocols), George Hill: out (thumb), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: out (knee), Luguentz Dort: out (knee), Trevor Ariza: out (personal).

Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns: out (health and safety protocols), Juancho Hernangomez: day to day (health protocols), Jarrett Culver: out (left ankle), Naz Reid: day to day (right wrist), D'Angelo Russell: day to day (right quad).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.