Timberwolves at Kings game preview: Karl-Anthony Towns will sit out with sore knee
Chris Hine's breakdown: Sacramento handed the Wolves their only home loss so far, and present a tough matchup for the Western Conference leaders.
December 22, 2023 at 11:46PM
at Sacramento Kings, Golden 1 Center, 9 p.m. Saturday
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Chris Hine's preview:
Opening bell: The Wolves (21-6) get a crack at one of the few teams to beat them this season, and the only team to beat them at home. Sacramento downed the Wolves 124-111 on Nov. 24 in Minnesota. Sacramento (16-10) will be playing on a back-to-back after facing the Suns on Friday.
Watch him: Malik Monk is likely to be in contention for Sixth Man of the Year. Monk is shooting a career-best 42% from three-point range while averaging 14.6 points per game, also a career high. The Kings have a net rating of 2.2 when he plays, and -2.2 when he is off the floor.
Injuries: Karl-Anthony Towns exited Thursday's win over the Lakers in the fourth quarter and will sit out because of right knee soreness. For the Kings, who were playing Friday, Monk (foot) came in as questionable but was expected to play. Alex Len was out because of a high ankle sprain.
Forecast: The Kings had one of the best offensive performances any team has had against the Wolves defense. Their combination of speed and shooting presented problems for Minnesota, which will have to adjust if it wants to pick up a road win on this single-game trip to California. The Wolves won twice in Sacramento a season ago, with Anthony Edwards saying it's one of his favorite arenas in which to play. Expect a close one in a good challenge for the Wolves.
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Correction: Previous versions of this story misstated the score of the Nov. 24 game.
Host Michael Rand starts with the Twins signing relief pitcher Danny Coulombe to a modest one-year, $3 million deal. Star Tribune Timberwolves writer Chris Hine joins the show to break down all the big story lines.
