Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – Game #7
Jakob Poeltl will need to do even more than usual against the Timberwolves (Photo via Twitter)
Coming off an impressive victory over the Chicago Bulls (see the Grades), the San Antonio Spurs will try to get another win over the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the AT&T Center. The Spurs beat the Bulls, 129-124, as Keldon Johnson led the way with a season-high 33 points as San Antonio got their first home win of the season.
This will be the third time the Spurs and Timberwolves face off already this season and both teams have a record of 4-2. The Spurs won the first meeting by a final score of 115-106. The Timberwolves were victorious in the second meeting, 134-122. The two teams will meet for a fourth and final time on April 8th in San Antonio, which will be the second to last regular season game for both squads.
Latest Josh Primo Update
The Spurs released Primo on Friday evening. He is expected to clear waivers on Monday. Since the Spurs waived him, it came to light that Primo is accused of exposing himself to multiple women. At least one of those women was formerly employed by the Spurs.
San Antonio Spurs Injury News
Early in the regular season, the Spurs had no one injured on the entire team. Unfortunately, those healthy days didn’t last. Tonight against Minnesota, the Spurs will be without Devin Vassell, Josh Richardson and Jeremy Sochan. Vassell will miss his third straight game due to a sore knee. Richardson is out with a lower back tightness, while Sochan is sidelined with an illness.
Additionally, Dominick Barlow and Charles Bassey are unavailable because they have been assigned to G League.
San Antonio Starting Lineup
Vassell and Sochan have started every game they’ve played this season. When Vassell went out, Richardson started in his place. With all three players out (and Primo no longer being on the team), San Antonio’s starting lineup will be completely shuffled.
It’s safe to say Jakob Poeltl will start at center, Keldon Johnson at small forward and Tre Jones at point guard. Beyond that, it’s difficult to guess what head coach Gregg Popovich will do. The best guess is Keita Bates-Diop starting at power forward and Doug McDermott starting at shooting guard.
Alternatively, Popovich could go with Isaiah Roby at power forward. At shooting guard, it’s possible that Romeo Langford, Blake Wesley or even Malaki Branham could start.
Minnesota Timberwolves Winning Streak
Since the Timberwolves beat the Spurs on Wednesday, they had time to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night by a final score of 111-102. The Timberwolves were led by Anthony Edwards’ 29 points in that game. The Lakers dropped to 0-5 following that defeat in Minnesota and they’re the only team in the NBA without a win this season.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are favored by six points against the Spurs. The over/under for this game is set at 238.5 points. The best bet tonight is taking the under on the over/under. The Spurs have been playing well but they could struggle to score with three rotational players on the sidelines (four if you count Primo).