National Basketball Association

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Golden State Warriors: Game 17 Preview

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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October 25, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) against the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

After clinching their 14th win of the season against Los Angeles, the Warriors will play the Timberwolves in Oracle Arena tonight.

Tip-off : Saturday/ November 26th /10:30 p.m.

Where to watch: CSBA, FSN

Game Notes

Starting Line-ups/Team Stats Comparison

Golden State Warriors

118.6 Points Per Game (1st), 44.0 Rebounds Per Game (14th), 105.4 Points Allowed (19th), 31.9 Assists Per Game (1st)

Draymond Green is cleared to play thus far. There should be no changes to the Warriors’ Starting 5 for this game to be expected. The Warriors dodged a huge bullet last night as they would have a hard time without their all-star Power Forward being available.

Point Guard- Stephen Curry

Shooting Guard- Klay Thompson

Center- Zaza Pachulia

Power Forward- Draymond Green

Small Forward- Kevin Durant

Minnesota Timberwolves

103.1 Points Per Game (19th), 42.7 Rebounds Per Game (26th), 102.7 Points Allowed (12th), 21.5 Assists Per Game (19th)

The Timberwolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns will be looking to win two in a row. They have a tough test ahead, especially for a young and developing team. Here is who they are coming in with tonight.

Point Guard- Ricky Rubio

Shooting Guard- Zach LaVine

Center- Gorgui Dieng

Power Forward- Karl-Anthony Towns

Small Forward- Andrew Wiggins

November 25, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Thomas Robinson (15) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors’ Kevin Durant and Draymond Green will have an entertaining match-up with budding stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns.

The Present Vs The Future

Andrew Wiggins is having a breakout season. At the moment he is averaging well over 20 points per game and is really taking some of the offensive responsibilities outside of play-making. Kevin Durant can surely put the young and budding star to the test. We should expect to see some box-office possessions between the two of these high-volume scorers. Andrew Wiggins also has some defensive ability that will be tested against the smooth game of the former MVP who is currently the leading scorer of the Warriors. While there is no doubt the perennial all-star is at an advantage in experience, don’t expect him to give the young aspiring star any breaks.

KAT will duel Draymond Green

Draymond Green is one of the premier Front court players in the NBA. Karl-Anthony Towns shows promise and is definitely breaking out this season. Draymond Green will be probably the best defender that KAT has faced and the toughest cover for the young Forward. Draymond runs the offense for the Warriors and the second year player will be testing his progress in trying to win this match-up alone. Draymond is obviously the better player at this point, but this will tell us a lot about how Towns has progressed this season. Just like Kevin Durant, don’t expect the Warriors’ star Forward to pull back any punches on the sophmore (no pun intended) for this game.

Keys to the Game

Warriors

Timberwolves

Predictions

This is a should win game for the Warriors. Barring any catastrophe or really really bad play, the Timberwolves will keep it interesting for at least three and a half quarters. The Warriors will pull away. the final score will be 110-96 Golden State Warriors.