Things have been pretty quiet for the Minnesota Timberwolves since Jimmy Butler’s infamous departure. The star took his talents away from Minnesota, but he also seems to have taken the drama.
The post-Butler Wolves are having more fun on the court in spite of their losing record. They’re not quite at the bottom of the Western Conference, but it’s not looking like they’ll find a way to the playoffs with teams like the Jazz, Lakers, and Kings fighting neck-and-neck for that eighth-seed spot. They got a win over the Pelicans on Saturday (who, though they entered the season with high hopes spearheaded by Anthony Davis, will most likely miss the playoffs as well), but only barely, with scoring led by Karl-Anthony Towns’s 27 points and 27 rebounds.
Derrick Rose is Questionable for Tonight
GettyMinnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose
The often-heralded spark plug for this Timberwolves team, veteran superstar Derrick Rose, is questionable for tonight and missed the win against New Orleans. In the team’s previous matchup against the Mavericks, though, he was able to contribute 21 points off the bench and further make his case for Sixth Man of the Year.
In spite of any lingering chemistry issues since the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, the 76ers are full steam ahead, sitting comfortably at 4th place in the East. They got a narrow win over the Knicks in their latest contest, where Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and JJ Redick all scored 20+. Ben Simmons continued his impressive season by tacking on 22 rebounds to his stat line as well.
With a healthy roster, and some momentum after that win over the Pelicans, here’s what the Timberwolves’s starting lineup will look like against the Sixers:
Timberwolves Starting Lineup Against Jimmy Butler and the Sixers
PG: Jeff Teague
SG: Josh Okogie
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Taj Gibson
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Tonight’s game is likely to be a win for the Sixers, and will improve their momentum heading into a difficult stretch. Next up, the team will face the Pacers, Thunder, Rockets, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, and then Warriors–followed by the Kings and the Raptors, then the Nuggets again, then the Lakers again, then the Celtics. In short: the Sixers upcoming schedule is a brutal, relentless onslaught of some of the league’s very best.
The Timberwolves will have it a bit easier heading into this next stretch, though they’re not blessed with quite as much firepower on their roster. They’ll face the Spurs (no easy game at all–the Spurs are a surprising 25-20 and sit at 7th in the West), then the Suns back to back. They’ll see the Lakers after that, who may still be LeBron-less, and then the Utah Jazz back-to-back, who are struggling for a playoff spot, too–so it could go either way.
The Wolves will continue to fight for their season against the Sixers tonight at 7:00 pm EST.
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Timberwolves Visit Jimmy Butler: Wolves’ Lineup Against 76ers in Philly