In a battle of the NBA’s two worst teams by record, the Minnesota Timberwolves (10-34) will host the Houston Rockets (12-31) on Friday and Saturday nights in Minneapolis.
With veteran guard Victor Oladipo traded, the Rockets no longer have any player who automatically sits out for planned maintenance in half of all back-to-backs. Thus, barring injuries, the lineup and rotation used by head coach Stephen Silas could be similar in both games.
Newcomers Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk are unlikely to play in either game, since they will be reporting to Houston — rather than Minneapolis — to complete physicals related to the trade. Thus, their debuts are more likely to come when the Rockets host Memphis on Monday.
As far as the injury report, Kevin Porter Jr. remains questionable with right quad soreness, while Eric Gordon (groin), Dante Exum (calf), and David Nwaba (wrist) are sidelined by longer-term injuries.
The Timberwolves will be without D’Angelo Russell (left knee surgery), Malik Beasley (league suspension), and Josh Okogie (health and safety protocols). Jordan McLaughlin is questionable due to conditioning issues following his health and safety protocols stint.
Here’s when you should tune in to see Friday’s game:
- Date: Friday, March 26
- Time: 7 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (12-31)
- Guard: John Wall
- Guard: Sterling Brown
- Forward: Danuel House Jr.
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Center: Christian Wood
Minnesota Timberwolves (10-34)
- Guard: Ricky Rubio
- Guard: Anthony Edwards
- Forward: Jaden McDaniels
- Forward: Jarred Vanderbilt
- Center: Karl-Anthony Towns
After Houston’s decision to trade Oladipo at Thursday’s deadline without making an acquisition of significance, it’s clear that winning games over the remainder of the 2020-21 season isn’t the team’s top priority.
With that in mind, the best opportunity for the Rockets to maximize their odds of gaining a high draft pick following the season is if they finish with one of the league’s three-worst records. (If Houston’s pick is not in the draft’s top four, they would lose it to Oklahoma City as part of the ill-fated Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook swap.)
Considering that Minnesota is also in the running for those top draft-lottery percentages, the three regular-season games between the Rockets and Wolves could prove pivotal. Two of those three will take place over a span of roughly 24 hours at Target Center this weekend.
Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
Odds the Rockets keep their first rounder
1-3: 52.1%
4: 48.1%
5: 42.1%
6: 37.2%
7: 31.9%
8: 23.5%— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) March 25, 2021
