Oklahoma City Thunder (28-13, second in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-11, first in the Western Conference)
Minneapolis; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota comes into a matchup against Oklahoma City as winners of four consecutive games.
The Timberwolves have gone 21-6 against Western Conference teams. Minnesota ranks second in the NBA with 34.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Rudy Gobert averaging 8.9.
The Thunder are 7-2 against opponents from the Northwest Division. Oklahoma City is third in the league scoring 122.2 points per game while shooting 50.6%.
The Timberwolves make 49.0% of their shots from the field this season, which is 4.2 percentage points higher than the Thunder have allowed to their opponents (44.8%). The Thunder are shooting 50.6% from the field, 6.1% higher than the 44.5% the Timberwolves' opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Thunder won the last matchup 129-106 on Dec. 27. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points to help lead the Thunder to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Edwards is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 23.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the last 10 games for Minnesota.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Oklahoma City.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 114.2 points, 42.7 rebounds, 27.6 assists, 8.0 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.6 points per game.
Thunder: 6-4, averaging 125.1 points, 41.1 rebounds, 31.9 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 52.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.2 points.
INJURIES: Timberwolves: Jaylen Clark: out (achilles).
Thunder: Luguentz Dort: out (illness), Ousmane Dieng: out (illness).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
