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Tonight will be an excellent opportunity for the Mavericks to stop one tough loss from becoming a streak as Dallas continues its tour of the Midwest with a stop in Minneapolis to take on the Timberwolves. What can we expect?
What did Minnesota do over the offseason?
Surprisingly, this is the first of the four times these teams will meet this season. Since last season, the Wolves have brought in a few veteran players to round out a team stacked with young potential. They signed Tayshaun Prince and Andre Miller, who is the oldest player in the league and was in fact already playing college ball when Karl-Anthony Towns was born.
What have the Timberwolves done lately?
The Wolves' rebuilding process hasn't started paying dividends just yet. They're currently 13th in the West and riding a five-game losing streak after getting utterly demolished by the Cavaliers on Friday.
But there are certainly bright spots. Ricky Rubio, who still cannot shoot, has been having an impressive year nonetheless. He averages the fifth-most assists per game while turning the ball over less frequently than all of the guys above him in assists. And Karl-Anthony Towns has been a fantastic draft pick by most measures, averaging close to a double-double per game this year (16 points and 9.4 rebounds). His advanced stats also look pretty impressive, if you're into that sort of thing.
The Wolves are still inconsistent on both offense and defense, and the team certainly seems poised to add another year to their record-setting playoff drought. But, the eighth seed is still up for grabs, and they do still have a chance to sneak into the race for the chance to lose in four to the Warriors.
What do the Mavericks need to do to be successful?
That said, this is a game Dallas should win. An athletic young big man like Towns could present some problems for the Mavs' front court, but after letting the young Bucks get the better of them in Milwaukee, they should be prepared to handle the Wolves.
How to watch
The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest in the Dallas area and on Fox Sports North in the Twin Cities. If you're outside of those areas, you can watch via NBA League Pass. Tonight's game tips off early at 4:00pm Central time.