Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves – Game #10
DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and the rest of the Spurs aim for another win tonight (Photo via Twitter)
Fresh off of a 125-122 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, the San Antonio Spurs will play the T’Wolves again on Sunday night. In the first battle, San Antonio needed an overtime session to get the job done. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 38 points, even though he went scoreless in the first quarter. Dejounte Murray chipped in 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.
With the win, the Spurs improved to 5-4 on the season. It’s been a season of streaks thus far for the Silver and Black. They began the season with two straight wins, followed with four straight losses and now they’ve won three consecutive games. As it stands, they are one of eight teams in the Western Conference with more wins than losses.
The T’Wolves have also been streaky. Following a pair of victories to begin the season, they’ve dropped seven straight games. At 2-7, Minnesota has the worst record in the West and are tied with the Detroit Pistons for the second worst record in the NBA. Only the 2-8 Washington Wizards are lower in the standings.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
Three individuals in San Antonio’s travel party have been sidelined due to COVID-19 related protocols. Two of those individuals have been identified as backup center Drew Eubanks and assistant coach Becky Hammon. Eubanks and Hammon stayed back in Los Angeles where the Spurs began their current five-game road trip.
It hasn’t been confirmed whether Eubanks, Hammon or anyone else associated with the team has tested positive for COVID-19. It’s possible that Eubanks and Hammon were left behind as a result of contact tracing. Either way, the duo could be away from the team for up to two weeks.
Also out for the Spurs are Derrick White (fractured second left toe) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (knee surgery). While the Spurs haven’t said when Weatherspoon may return, head coach Gregg Popovich indicated that White could be out four to six weeks due to the toe injury.
Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Update
Karl-Anthony Towns returned for the Timberwolves last night after missing six games. He was out after dislocating his wrist earlier in the season. While Towns seemed to be in pain at times on Saturday night, he was still extremely productive. In 37 minutes, the star center had 25 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Spurs at Timberwolves: How the Spurs Can Win
Due to the back-to-back nature of this game, the Spurs will need more production from their younger players if they want to sweep this mini series against the Wolves. Both DeRozan (44) and Aldridge (33) played a season-high number of minutes. The Spurs will need players like Lonnie Walker IV and Jakob Poeltl, who played 28 minutes and 16 minutes respectively last night, to be ready for a bigger role.