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The Utah Jazz will travel to Minnesota to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at the Target Center in Minneapolis, as the two teams with postseason aspirations in the Western Conference go head to head.
The Utah Jazz have had a tough run of results of late as their incredible performances from earlier in the season seem like a distant memory at the moment. The Jazz are coming into this game hoping to break their four-game losing streak as they have won just two of their last eight games. Rudy Gobert is out for this matchup while the participation of Donovan Mitchell is doubtful.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been lacking consistency all season long as questions have been asked as to what the identity of the team is. They are also coming into this game on a two-game losing streak and have won five of their last 10 games in the league. Despite strong performances from the likes of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves have not been able to establish a strong foothold in the West this season.
With all that said, this could be an enticing matchup between two teams desperate to end their respective losing streaks and come away with a much-needed win.
Match Details
Fixture: Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA Season 2021-22.
Date & Time: Sunday, January 30th; 8:00 PM ET (Monday, January 31th; 6:30 AM).
Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN.
Utah Jazz Preview
The Utah Jazz came into this season with huge expectations and a belief that they could improve upon last season's results of reaching the Western Conference Semifinals, where they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers. However, the last month or so has put some serious doubts around the Jazz organization.
Utah currently sits as the fourth seed in the highly competitive Western Conference with a record that reads 30 wins and 20 losses. They have an identical home-and-away record of 15 wins and 10 losses. Like the rest of the league, injuries and COVID-19 have plagued the franchise as they are desperate to cash in on the best years of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
The objective of the team at the moment is to get all their key players back fit and playing together and get back on track.
Key Player - Bojan Bogdanović
With Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in likely to miss this game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the onus falls on the shoulders of Bojan Bogdanović to lead the team alongside the likes of Mike Conley and Royce O'Neale.
Bogdanović is averaging 17.8 points and 4.1 rebounds for the season, while shooting the ball at over 45% from the field and nearly 38% from beyond the arc. Bogdanović also has the ability to play solid defense from time to time and is a valuable part of the Jazz franchise. His ability to shoot lights out from the perimeter has helped the Jazz space the floor better. He can also handle the defensive assignment of guarding the opposition's best player in the absence of Rudy Gobert and Royce O'Neale.
Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Mike Conley; Shooting Guard - Joe Ingles; Small Forward - Bojan Bogdanović; Power Forward - Royce O'Neale; Center - Hassan Whiteside
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Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
With Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the personnel to challenge for the championship in the near future. That is unlikely to happen this campaign, as the West is packed with great teams and the team has been lacking consistency.
The Timberwolves find themselves less than six games behind fourth seed Utah Jazz. A lack of consistency has been the root of problems for Minnesota this season. That is especially true with injuries and players entering the league's health and safety protocols.
But with almost half the season still to be played and with the way Anthony Edwards has been performing off late, if the Timberwolves can make a strong push now, then there is no reason why they can enter the postseason and pose problems to others.
Key Player - Karl-Anthony Towns
One of the best big men in the league right now, Karl-Anthony Towns has been a man on a mission this season to get his team into the postseason. At nearly 7', Towns is a proper big man, but can also space the floor, which opens up the opposition defense and is widely considered to be the best shooting big man in the game barring Nikola Jokić.
Towns is averaging 24.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting the ball at 40% from beyond the arc and over 51% from the field. He is also shooting over 80% from the line. Towns has also recorded 20 double-doubles this season for the Timberwolves. He has missed seven games this season and Minnesota has lost five of them, underlying his importance to the team.
Minnesota Timberwolves Predicted Lineup
Point Guard: Jaylen Nowell; Shooting Guard: D'Angelo Russell; Small Forward: Anthony Edwards; Power Forward: Jarred Vanderbilt; Center: Karl-Anthony Towns.
Jazz vs Timberwolves Match Prediction
With Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell missing, the Utah Jazz are up against it in this matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are coming into this game on better form and will be disappointed if they don't come away with a win against a Jazz side missing their two best players.
Where to watch Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves?
You can watch the action between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Brooklyn Nets on the NBA League Pass. The game will also be broadcast on local ATTSN-RM and BSN.
