MINNESOTA WELCOMES UTAH
2015-16 Wolves vs. Utah (1-3)
Wednesday, Dec. 30 at Minnesota W94-80
Friday, Jan. 29 at Utah L90-103
Saturday, Mar. 26 at Minnesota L84-93
Friday, Apr. 1 at Utah L85-98
STACKING UP: The visiting team has won seven of the last 11 games between the Jazz and Wolves, starting with Minnesota’s 112-97 victory on Jan. 21, 2014.
Towns
First Meeting: Karl-Anthony Towns scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Ricky Rubio dished a club-record-tying 17 assists to help the Timberwolves register a 94-80 victory over Utah on Dec. 30 at Target Center. Towns added 10 rebounds for Minnesota while Trey Burke tallied all23 of his points in the second half for the Jazz and Trevor Booker pulled down 15 rebounds.
Second Meeting: Rodney Hood tallied 22 points and Derrick Favors added 20 in Utah’s 103-90 win over the Timberwolves on Jan. 29 at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Karl-Anthony Towns poured in 32 points for Minnesota while Gorgui Dieng chipped in 20 points and a season-best 15 boards.
Third Meeting: Derrick Favors scored 19 points and Gordon Hayward added 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as Utah bolstered its playoff hopes with a 93-84 victory over the Timberwolves on Mar. 26 at Target Center. Ricky Rubio scored a game-high 23 points while Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 with 11 rebounds for Minnesota.
Fourth Meeting: Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and Trey Lyles put in 18 as Utah won for the ninth time in 12 starts with a 98-85 decision over the Wolves on Apr. 1 at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Rudy Gobert hauled down 14 rebounds for the Jazz, while Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota with 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 with 11 boards.
Tonight’s Matchup
· The Wolves trail in the series 37-75, and are 23-33 at home. Utah won the 2015-16 season series three games to one, winning the last three matchups. Utah has held the Wolves under 100 points in seven of the last eight meetings.
Wolves Notes
· Karl-Anthony Towns has scored 20+ points and grabbed 10+ rebounds in six of the last 10 games. He ranks 21st in the NBA in scoring (21.1 ppg), 15th in rebounding (9.4 rpg) and 20th in blocks (1.31 bpg).
· Towns has blocked at least one shot in 23 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in club history (Kevin Garnett 26 from 1/24/96-3/17/96; Garnett 24 from 3/20/96-11/14/96)
· Andrew Wiggins ranks 15th in the NBA in scoring at 23.5 ppg and sixth in minutes (36.4 mpg). He attempted 10+ free throws in two of the three games on the recent road trip, and has five such games in total this season.
· Zach LaVine had his fifth career 30+ point night Saturday at Golden State. He has made 3+ treys in a game seven times this season. LaVine ranks 21st in the NBA in FT percentage at 87.8%
· Gorgui Dieng is averaging 14.8 ppg on 57.8% shooting over the last four games. He ranks 21st in rebounding (8.4 rpg), 14th in field goal accuracy (53.7%) and 19th in blocks (1.38 bpg).
· Kris Dunn leads rookies in steals (1.38 spg), is fourth in assists (2.8 apg) and 10th in rebounding (2.6 rpg).
· The Wolves lead the NBA in first-half offensive rating (116.2) and are second in field goal percentage (49.9%) and three-point accuracy (42.9%) and fourth in first-half scoring (57.1 points).
Jazz Notes
· Utah has won its last two games after losing the previous four contests. The Jazz is 9-8 overall, 5-5 on the road. Utah has used 10 different starting lineups this season, second-most in the league (Dallas 11).
· Utah is allowing the fewest points per game (92.8 ppg) and the lowest field goal percentage (42.3%) in the NBA.
· Gordon Heyward is averaging 23.7 points over the last three games. He ranks fifth in the NBA in free-throw percentage (93.3%).
· Rudy Gobert is the only player to start all 17 of Utah’s games. He is averaging a double-double with 10.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg. Gobert ranks ninth in the NBA in rebounds and third in blocked shots (2.47 bpg) and is shooting 64.2% (61-of-95) from the field.
· George Hill has recorded six 20+ scoring games in his nine games played this season. He ranks ninth overall, and first among point guards, in field goal percentage at 55.2%.