The preceding game was won by the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-80. This was their third straight road win against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome. Josh Minott scored 13 points, Anthony Edwards scored 16, and Julius Randle scored 20.
The Golden State Warriors prevailed in their most recent home game. The Houston Rockets were defeated 99-93 at Chase Center. Andrew Wiggins scored 23, Kyle Anderson scored 8, and Jonathan Kuminga scored 33 points.
The previous time they faced the Warriors, the Wolves prevailed. The score was 114-110 at Target Center. In their last four meetings, the Wolves have defeated the Warriors. Additionally, they have won seven of their last ten meetings.
Lately, the Warriors have not performed well. Their victory on Thursday night ended a five-game winning streak, but they failed to score 100 points. In addition, the Warriors have only scored 105.7 points a game on average during their last six games. The defense will help the Timberwolves win games, and this one will be no exception. Minnesota will prevail if their defense plays well.
Golden State must figure out how to make things better. Given that they just played a fierce game against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, they will have a very difficult time scoring against the Timberwolves.
The Warriors can easily restrict Minnesota to just over 100 points this season because they have been playing some excellent defense. They recently stopped the Rockets to 93 points on Thursday night, and they are giving up the eighth-fewest points per game. And that didn't include Draymond Green or Steph Curry. The Warriors will be able to win on Friday if they can play excellent defense one more night.
However, Golden State should be able to match Minnesota on defense because they haven't scored much during their mini-win run. The Timberwolves have only scored 103.3 points per game during their winning streak. If the Warriors hope to win this game, they will need to keep the Timberwolves to about that total.
Both Curry and Green are expected to return on Friday after being absent on Thursday night. Since they are the two most vital members of the Warriors, their return will be extremely beneficial. With 22.6 points per game and 6.6 assists per game, Curry leads the squad in both scoring and assists. With Curry on the court, the Warriors are unquestionably a superior club. The Warriors can quickly resume their winning ways now that he and Green are back.
The Timberwolves are currently on a three-game winning streak, having defeated the Los Angeles Clippers twice and the Los Angeles Lakers once. Both of these teams are highly regarded, yet Minnesota managed to secure comfortable victories in these matchups. The Timberwolves are playing impressive basketball at the moment, and if they maintain this level of performance, they should come out on top in this game.
Minnesota boasts a strong defensive lineup. They rank fifth in the league for fewest points allowed per game, 11th for lowest field goal percentage allowed, and third for limiting three-point shooting. Additionally, opponents take the sixth-fewest free throws against them. Over their last three games, the Timberwolves have allowed an average of just 84 points per game, including two consecutive outings where they limited their opponents to only 80 points. With their current defensive form, the Timberwolves are well-positioned to win this game.
