SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings return to the court Monday evening trying to shake off a blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon. They’ll host Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and the high-flying Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Kings couldn’t find the bottom of the net against the Hornets, shooting just 39.2 percent from the field in the loss. Dave Joerger is still trying to find combinations that work after having his roster reinvented over the break. He’s turned to newcomers Tyreke Evans and Buddy Hield for major minutes, but the change has also opened up opportunities of other players like Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere.
Minnesota is fresh off a 142-130 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. The T-Wolves boast one of the best young duos in the game. Towns put on a show against the Rockets, scoring 37 points and grabbing 22 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins added 30 points.
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LINE
Timberwolves by 4.5
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Willie Cauley-Stein vs. Karl-Anthony Towns -- These two know each other well from their time together at the University of Kentucky. Cauley-Stein was the defensive stopper and Towns was the star scorer. Towns drew the acclaim and was taken with the top overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, while Cauley-Stein went with the 6th overall pick. Cauley-Stein will likely come off the bench behind veteran big man Kosta Koufos, but he’ll play substantial minutes against his former college teammate. Towns is a star on the rise.
NBA
WHERE THEY STAND
Kings: 25-34, third place in Pacific
Timberwolves: 23-36, last place in Northwest
INJURY REPORT
Kings: SG Arron Afflalo (hamstring) questionable, SG Malachi Richardson (right hamstring partial tear) out, G/F Garrett Temple (left hamstring partial tear) out, F Rudy Gay (torn left Achilles) out for season.
Timberwolves: SG Zach LaVine (knee) out, C Nikola Pekovic (Achilles, ankle) out, PF Adreian Payne (illness) out.
SERIES HISTORY
After getting swept by Minnesota last season, Sacramento holds a 2-0 lead in the season series this year. The Timberwolves hold a slight 53-52 all-time advantage over the Kings.
QUOTE
“I’m real happy for him. He’s getting an opportunity to play the game, play a lot more minutes. Like I told him, it’s up him to take advantage of these minutes.” -Karl-Anthony Towns on college teammate Willie Cauley-Stein