Winning on the road so far hasn’t been a problem for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They hope that trend continues on Friday night as they play the second contest of a four-game road trip at the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A little more than a month into the season, Minnesota is 7-3 away from the Target Center in Minneapolis. If the Wolves are able to keep up their winning ways on the road, they figure to be in good position around the midpoint of the season.
Friday’s game is part of a stretch in which Minnesota plays 14 of 22 away from the Target Center.
After Friday’s contest, Oklahoma City hits the road for four consecutive games to finish off a stretch of playing nine of 13 on the road.
In Wednesday’s 121-114 loss at Dallas, Minnesota’s Robert Covington made 6 of 10 shots from 3-point range to score a season-high 22 points. That included one from far behind the 3-point line.
“That’s what I work on, those type of shots,” Covington told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “And I’m very confident shooting them. My coaches and teammates are very confident in me shooting, and they’re all in rhythm. I just feel like I got the shot, let it fly.”
Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams is coming off probably his best game of the season with 20 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday’s 107-100 loss to Indiana. Adams made all eight of his field goals against the Pacers.
Adams has been dealing with a knee injury that forced him to miss a game in early November.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Adams is getting closer to 100 percent.
“I think he looks more athletic,” Donovan said. “He looks more lively, he looks more springy, he’s running better.
“I think everything for him looks a lot better.”
In the last three games, Adams has scored a combined 28 first-quarter points. Wednesday, he had 10.
“I think it was just putting emphasis on it early,” Adams said of his recent early scoring. “That’s what the game plan is, and then just kind of make adjustments as the game goes on, just try and find little windows in and amongst the offense.”
The Timberwolves have lost six of their last nine games, including two straight.
Friday’s meeting is the first of four meetings between the teams this season. Minnesota won three of the four meetings in 2018-19.
The Thunder will be without Hamidou Diallo for the sixth consecutive game as he continues his recovery from a hyperextended elbow.
Timberwolves’ forward Jake Layman will miss his seventh consecutive game with a hyperextended toe.
–Field Level Media
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