Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will look to sweep two-game set and season series against Collin Sexton, Keyonte George and the Jazz on Monday night.
In a rematch of Saturday’s face off, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves will look to sweep the season series with the Utah Jazz, who are once again deep into tank mode.
Rudy Gobert (left rib sprain) is questionable after missing the previous game, while Kyle Anderson (right shoulder pain) and Monte Morris (left hamstring strain) are also questionable despite playing in the win at Delta Center on Saturday.
The Jazz, 3-7 in their last 10 games, and have seen a rookie breakthrough for Keyonte George coincide with a growth in their injury report that is probably exactly what Danny Ainge and the front office were hoping for. Utah will get John Collins back for this one after the forward rested on the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday. Lauri Markkanen (right quadriceps contusion) has been upgraded to questionable, while Jordan Clarkson (right groin strain) remains out.
Nevertheless, after beating them just two days before this game, the Wolves are looking to maintain momentum as they chase the top seed in the West, currently held by the Oklahoma City Thunder, only one game in front.
Game Info
- Who: Minnesota Timberwolves (46-21) at Utah Jazz (29-38)
- When: Monday, March 18 at 8:00 PM CT
- Where: Delta Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
- TV: Bally Sports North (Michael Grady, Jim Petersen and Kevin Lynch)
- Radio: Wolves App, iHeart Radio, KFAN 100.3 FM
- Line: Wolves -7.5 | Total: 223 (courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Injury Report
Minnesota:
QUESTIONABLE:
- Kyle Anderson (right shoulder pain)
- Rudy Gobert (left rib sprain)
- Monte Morris (left hamstring strain)
OUT:
- Jaylen Clark (right achilles tendon rupture rehab)
- Daishen Nix (two-way contract)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (left meniscus tear)
Utah
QUESTIONABLE:
- Lauri Markkanen (right quadriceps contusion)
OUT:
- Darius Bazley (G League assignment)
- Jordan Clarkson (right groin strain)
- Johnny Juzang (G League assignment)
- Kenneth Lofton Jr. (G League assignment)
- Micah Potter (G League assignment)
- Jason Preston (G League assignment)
What To Watch For
(Technically) Former Wolves Draft Pick Putting It Together
Keyonte George, after a good, but certainly not breath-taking rookie season, is figuring it all out. The first pick from the Rudy Gobert trade has been blazing in his last five games.
Keyonte George’s last 5 games
25 PTS, 5 AST, 2 STL
26 PTS, 6 AST, 5 3PT, 2 BLK
29 PTS, 6 AST, 5 3PT
0 PTS in 6 MINS (left with illness)
31 PTS, 6 3PT, 4 AST pic.twitter.com/hjqp4xp5Vv— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 16, 2024
George has been starting for the Jazz since November, but has been shooting far more with the sporadic absences of Clarkson and Markkanen. To add to an improved ability to attack the rim, George has been shooting far above his 35% season average from deep, making around 40% in his last 15 games.
The obvious story here is the Jazz getting a talented youngster with the first conveyed pick of the massive Gobert blockbuster, but the arguable more important trade on court in this game will be the D’Angelo Russell trade of last year’s deadline.
If Markkanen is back, Nickeil Alexander Walker will be the primary defender dealing with not just George, but also bench slashing guard Collin Sexton.
All in all, the Jazz have seen their loss of scoring options buoyed by the duo of Keyonte George and Collin Sexton. Hampering those two and their ability to get to the rim will be massive in shutting down the Jazz’s offense in a manner characteristic of this year’s Timberwolves.
To Chase or Not To Chase: Who Will Rest?
This will be confirmed before the Jazz or Wolves take a step on the hardwood floor of the Delta Center, but it’s still worth a thought.
With all of the injuries and nicks and bruises the Timberwolves are facing, is it worth it for Minnesota to play questionable players to chase to top seed or should they simply start preparing for the playoffs?
Utah is not even close to a play-in spot, let alone a top-six seed, so they’ll be facing the opposite question: do we want to rush Markkanen back when we can sandbag another game?
For the Wolves, Gobert was sidelined with a rib sprain, while Kyle Anderson has been dealing with a shoulder injury. Gobert missed the last game, while Slow-Mo played a substantial 31 minutes. It’s worth noting that deadline acquisition Monte Morris missed the first 43 games of the season for the Detroit Pistons and is still on the injury report as he plays on a very obvious minutes restriction. Additionally, Mike Conley is 36 with over 1,100 career games. It would be good to minimize the tread on his already well-worn tires.
The Wolves need to decide organizationally if the allure of the No. 1 seed is worth it. They sit only one game behind the Thunder and half a game behind the Denver Nuggets. That would allow for them to face on of the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, or Dallas Mavericks. Those are, despite their records, some scary teams led by consensus top-10 players. It is, however, better than facing the New Orleans Pelicans, who are 2-2 against the Wolves (2-0 with Zion Williamson in the lineup) but seem to be a terrible matchup.
Monitoring the decisions made on injury statuses will offer insight to what the Wolves value for the rest of the season.
Can Ant Do It Again?
Last time Anthony Edwards played the Jazz, he went 12/20 from the field, 5/7 from deep, and tallied a 31-point double-double with 10 rebounds. He was the team’s only offense for the first half while the rest of the team languished on the way to a two-point deficit, and then took over in the fourth quarter to power the team to a 19-point victory.
The question will be, as it often is for Ant, if he can duplicate that performance once again on Monday night.
During the Wolves 4-4 stretch in their last eight, the Wolves are 3-0 when Edwards scores 30 or more points. They are 1-2 when he scores less than 20. To add to that, they are 1-3 when the former No. 1 overall pick shoots below 45% from the field.
The answer is pretty clear. When Ant is succeeding, the Wolves are succeeding. When he’s struggling, they struggle too. That’s usually the case when it comes to franchise stars, so this is an unsurprising stat, but it’s become even more important with the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns or any other real offensive pillar on the roster.