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Brooklyn Nets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves preview: Thursday night hoops

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Minnesota Timberwolves v Denver Nuggets
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets are a few games away from the off-season while the Minnesota Timberwolves hope to improve their playoff odds.

A few more shifts to go. The Brooklyn Nets were in Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night and came away with a four point win. The team has been off since then so everyone got a chance to get some much needed rest and relaxation.

The opponent tonight is coming off of the wildest regular season games in recent memory. It took two overtimes and a dash of luck, but the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to survive a Nikola Jokic 61/10/10 game to hold on and beat the rival Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night in an instant classic. The Wolves come into this game tied with the LA Clippers for sixth place in the Western Conference standings, but they have the tiebreaker.

Where to follow the game

WLNY (Channel 55) on TV. Gotham Sports on the app. WFAN on the radio. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.

Injuries

It was announced on Wednesday that Noah Clowney will miss the remainder of this season due to an ankle sprain. Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Day’Ron Sharpe, DeAnthony Melton, and Ziaire Williams are out. D’Angelo Russell is probable with right ankle soreness. Jalen Wilson is questionable with right ankle soreness.

Terrence Shannon Jr is out with a right groin strain.

The game

Amazingly, this is the first meeting between these two teams this season. They play again a week from tomorrow in Minny.

For the past few years, there’s been an ugly between in Wolves ownership. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez (yeah, that Alex Rodriguez) purchased the team from Glen Taylor, but Taylor decided not to honor it and everything got incredibly messy. It got incredibly personal and it looked as if the sale was going to fall apart, but on Wednesday, Taylor reportedly gave in and will sell his entire stake in the Wolves and Minnesota Lynx to Lore and Rodriguez. Minnesota basketball is in a great space right now, and it’s up to Lore and Rodriguez to keep the good times going.

The center matchup should be interesting. The Nets know what they have in Nic Claxton, so this month will be focused on figuring out what they have in Drew Timme. He’s continued to stack good days together and as Brooklyn figures out what their Draft position will be, they’ll have to decide what path they want to go down. In the meantime, Timme and Claxton will be matched up with Rudy Gobert. For a player who’s probably heading to the Hall of Fame, he doesn’t get any of the respect that usually comes with that.

The Nets might be focused on their Draft position, but this is a game the Wolves have to have. Derek Hanson of Canis Hoopus explains:

So here’s the reality: Minnesota cannot let up now. There are six games left. They have two against Brooklyn, matchups with tanking Philly and Utah, a huge one in Memphis, a sneaky-tricky matchup against Milwaukee. They win five or six? They’re in the six-seed. Maybe even the four. They drop a game like this? They’re back in play-in purgatory, where one bad shooting night could end your season.

Yup. They’ll be helped by the returns of Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid, who were both suspended for one game after a round of shenanigans with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Depth matters a lot, especially when you’ve got four more games to go on this road trip.

Last time a Minnesota basketball team was in Barclays Center, this happened:

Good times!

Player to watch: Anthony Edwards

There’s been so much discussion as to who should be the “face” of the NBA once the big Three of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant step away from the game. It was gonna be Zion Williamson, but injuries and the failures of the New Orleans Pelicans got in the way of that. It was gonna be Ja Morant, but… yeah. Anthony Edwards doesn’t want it, but brother let me tell you, when you’re a franchise player that everyone loves to watch and you have shoes that everyone wants to wear, you kinda are. That’s part of the job.

Speaking of the job, Edwards has got it under control for the most part. Since the All Star break, Edwards is averaging around 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists a night on 45/38/82 shooting splits. What’s most encouraging is he’s averaged 7.5 free throws attempted per game during that stretch, which is the best mark of his young career. Edwards is almost impossible to stop once he gets inside the restricted area, so your best hope as a defense is to keep him on the perimeter as long as possible. He sometimes has tunnel vision when he’s got the ball, but when you can kick it like this

You’ll live with it.

Having D’Angelo Russell back is extra helpful with Cam Johnson being out. It always helps to have shot creation and Russell is coming off a game in which he handed out 11 assists. As Brooklyn starts to wind things down, having a vet like Russell who can provide a helping hand and take on scoring duties will help keep the offense afloat against one of the league’s best teams. It’s also a revenge game as Russell played in the Twin Cities for two and a half seasons. That’s always fun.

From the Vault

It’s time for the FINAL FOUR!

And we are about two weeks away from WRESTLEMANIA!

More reading: Canis Hoopus and SB Nation NBA