Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves – Game #20

Zach Collins and the Spurs will to tame the Timberwolves (Photo via Twitter)

If the San Antonio Spurs (3-16) are going to snap their 14-game losing streak, they will have to pull off a big upset against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the season, the Spurs are 2-7 on the road, while the Timberwolves are 9-1 at home.

While San Antonio is cold, Minnesota is red hot. They’ve won four straight games and seven of their last eight games. Looking back even more, the Timberwolves are 14-2 since losing two of their first three games of the season. Currently, they have the best record in the entire NBA at 15-4.

The Spurs are on the other end of the standings. At 3-16, only the 2-18 Detroit Pistons have a worse record. The Pistons have lost 17 straight contests — so the Spurs don’t have the league’s longest losing streak just yet.

San Antonio Spurs Injury Update

The great news for the Spurs is the fact that Victor Wembanyama is back in the lineup after missing their last game, a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans (see the Grades). Wembanyama had been dealing with hip soreness but he wasn’t even listed on San Antonio’s injury report. Hopefully that means his hip soreness is behind him.

Not only do the Spurs have their star rookie back in the lineup, everyone else is available. 

San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup

With the team healthy, head coach Gregg Popovich could go back to his normal starting lineup. That would mean Jeremy Sochan at point guard, Devin Vassell at shooting guard, Keldon Johnson at small forward, Victor Wembanyama at power forward and Zach Collins at center. 

That said, Popovich has had Vassell on a minutes restriction since his return from an adductor injury and has opted to bring him off the bench. If Vassell doesn’t start, expect either Malaki Branham or Julian Champagnie to be in the starting five in his place. 

Betting Guide: Spurs at Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are favored by 12.5 points and the over/under is 230.5 points. The smart money is actually on the Spurs. In their last five games, the Silver and Black has only lost by more than 12 points once. The Spurs are healthy, Victor Wembanyama specifically should be fresh and ready to go, and the team has to be really motivated to snap their losing streak. Even if San Antonio doesn’t win, expect them to keep it relatively close and lose by 12 or fewer points.