The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a tailspin at the worst possible time as they fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are cruising, firmly in a playoff spot, and playing winning basketball.
Back November, the Knicks beat the Timberwolves by 13 points in Minnesota. This time, the Timberwolves will be playing on the road, and they’ll be greeted by the fans at Madison Square Garden on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Update Injury for Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks
When Minnesota made a huge trade to get center Rudy Gobert, it was thought that they would be in the running for a championship.
Instead, they are in the middle of a mess in the Western Conference. They are tied for eighth with two other teams but are only one game ahead of 12th (and tied with 11th and 12th in the loss column).
On Saturday, The Timberwolves lost to the Toronto Raptors, 122-107, making it two games in a row where they didn’t win.
The Timberwolves (35-37) are in a bad slump right now. They have lost three straight games and five of their last six. They are almost as close to getting into the top six as they are to dropping out of the playoff race altogether.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been out since November with a calf injury. This has been a big factor.
- Anthony Edwards – Questionable
Anthony Edwards, an NBA All-Star, left the game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday because he hurt his ankle. With only a few weeks left in the season, he doesn’t know when he’ll be back.
Edwards didn’t play in Minnesota’s 15-point loss to Toronto on Saturday. This was the third straight loss for the team. Their three-point shooting was terrible, making only 5 of 23 shots, and it was clear that they were missing their two best scorers.
Dane Moore of “The Dane Moore NBA Podcast” says that Edwards’s ankle injury makes it unclear if he will be able to play against the Knicks on Monday.
Edwards missed Saturday’s game because of his ankle injury, so Taurean Prince started in his place and Jaden McDaniels took on a more active offensive role.
Edwards will test his ankle at shootaround, but don’t be surprised if he ends up being a game-time decision before Monday’s 7:30 p.m. ET tip.
- Rudy Gobert – Questionable
Rudy Gobert might not be able to play on Monday in New York because of an ankle injury.
Gobert has been listed as “questionable” for the last four Timberwolves games, but he has been playing through an ankle injury, so he feels more like “probable” than “questionable.”
If he can’t play, Naz Reid’s (calf) injury would make him a good streamer.
The Knicks will try to keep their spot in the top six in the East when they host the struggling Timberwolves on Monday night. This will be the last regular-season game between the two teams.
When Jalen Brunson came back on Saturday afternoon, it helped the New York Knicks get closer to securing a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Brunson scored 24 points and made several key plays in the final minutes of a 116-110 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets.
Brunson came back after missing the last three games because of a foot injury. He scored the most points for the Knicks. The point guard didn’t have to work his way back into the lineup slowly because his 32 minutes were only three less than before his season-long injury.
If nothing goes wrong, he should be ready to play regularly again and help his team keep up what has been a breakout season.
