Game thread: Utah Jazz look to bounce back against rejuvenated Timberwolves

The Utah Jazz will look to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, but will face a tough task against an improved Minnesota Timberwolves squad.

Just when it looked like the Utah Jazz were primed to go on a big run and surge up the standings due to a friendly stretch against middling foes, the Utah Jazz instead fell in disappointing fashion to the Memphis Grizzlies. The defeat dropped the Jazz to 8-4 and fourth place in the West.

And things likely aren’t about to get any easier for the Jazz as they’ll next take on a resurgent Minnesota Timberwolves squad on Monday. Following the Jimmy Butler fallout last season, the Timberwolves were extremely disappointing to close out the year. Many thought they’d continue in that rut this upcoming season as they rolled out a very similar roster. But the Wolves have actually had some bright moments thus far and find themselves in the top-eight in the West.

They were doing a lot better before they dropped a head-scratcher to the lowly Washington Wizards, then were subsequently dismantled by the Houston Rockets, but this is still a Minnesota team that’s looked good this season. That’s been due largely to the consistently solid play of Karl-Anthony Towns and the frankly surprising performances of Andrew Wiggins.

KAT is averaging 26.8 points per game on extreme efficiency of 51.6 percent from the field and a blistering  43 percent from deep. His ability to bully in the paint and stretch out effectively beyond the three-point line make him an extremely tough matchup for Rudy Gobert, who will almost certainly have his hands full on Monday.

Meanwhile, although Wiggins has gained a reputation for being inefficient and an all-around black hole on offense, he’s been much improved to start the year. Up to this point, he’s notching career-highs with 25.9 points, 47.8 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent from three. If he can remain engaged and effective, he could very well revolutionize this Wolves squad. Although, it should be noted that he’s missed their past two games due to personal reasons, which largely explains their consecutive losses.

Outside of those two, the Wolves haven’t had much noteworthy consistency from the rest of their guys, which is why they’ve been the very picture of mediocrity so far this year with an offensive rating that ranks 16th in the league (106.7), a defensive rating that ranks 17th (108.5) and a net rating that ranks 19th (-1.7).

In other words, the Wolves aren’t much to write home about, but the Jazz issues even against mediocre teams have been prevalent this year. With all the close games they’ve played, it feels that no win, regardless of the opponent, is a guarantee.

Combine that with the fact that KAT is on such a tear and provides one of the worst matchups for Gobert out there, that the Jazz have no good backup against Towns with Ed Davis sidelined, and that Wiggins has represented such a significant threat, and this one is sure to be a battle for the Jazz.

Game Data

Broadcast Info

Tip-off: 7:00 PM MT on November 18 from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, UT
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: The Zone Sports Network (97.5 FM & 1280 AM Salt Lake City)

Projected Starting Lineups

This starting lineup projection is assuming that Wiggins does indeed go, though he’s missed the team’s past two games due to personal reasons.

Injuries

The Utah Jazz continue to be without big man Ed Davis who is dealing with a leg fracture. Meanwhile, as of this writing, Shabazz Napier is listed as out with a hamstring injury and Josh Okogie is day-to-day with a knee issue. Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins’ status is unclear after he’s missed the past two games.

Prediction

Especially at home, the Jazz are the favorites in this one despite the recent issues exposed against Memphis. Especially if Wiggins is indeed out, this should be one the Jazz win. If he plays, it will be more challenging, especially with the prolific presence of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Nevertheless, I’ll go with Utah in this one by a score of 112-107. However, as the Jazz will turn around and head to Minnesota for the rematch, they may not be so fortunate in that one.

Discussion

#MINatUTA is the Twitter hashtag for the game. Feel free to chime in below on our comment thread as well. Go Jazz!