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The Chicago Bulls play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday from the United Center in a crucial mid-season matchup. Both teams are entrenched in their respective playoff battles, while both are also coming off of losses the last time out. In the lone meeting between the two this season, the Timberwolves dominated en route to a 24-point win all the way back in December. Both sides know how important this one is and this could end up being one of the more exciting games on Friday night's NBA slate.
Heading into the weekend, Minnesota finds itself seventh in the Western Conference standings but they still only remain 3.5 games ahead of the 13th-place team. With the standings so tight when it comes to playoff positioning, the Timberwolves would love nothing other than to replicate their success against Chicago from earlier in the season. In that December showdown, Minnesota was able to score 150 points, a remarkable number for this group, though being at home likely contributed toward some of that success. They're 15-18 in road games this season and with a 1-3 record over their last four games, this could be a tough bounce-back game for this group. With a couple of challenging road games following this one, Minnesota would love to get momentum trending back in a positive direction.
The injury bug hasn't been kind to this group, with five players either ruled out or questionable heading into this one. Karl- Anthony Towns (calf) and Jaylen Nowell (knee) are both out, with Towns being an obvious miss in this one. Beyond those two, Rudy Gobert (ankle) and Naz Reid (calf) are a pair of other frontcourt players questionable, while Austin Rivers (back) will be questionable in the backcourt.
double-double Ant. ????
28 PTS / 10 REB / 7 AST pic.twitter.com/G8L8wnR6Jt
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 16, 2023
After scoring over 150 points in the first meeting between these two teams, all eyes will be on how the offense matches up in this one. The Timberwolves rank 12th in scoring this season and fourth in field-goal efficiency, though without much certainty in the frontcourt, points in the paint could be a concern. Defensively, they'll have their work cut out, again, especially in the frontcourt. The three-point defense has also been scarce this season, which they'll be hoping doesn't come back to bite them on the road. Anthony Edwards (25.0 ppg) continues to be their go-to scorer but recent injuries has them struggling to find him much help.
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