Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings Prediction & Match Preview - April 20th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be on the road for a back-to-back set with the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season.
In the first matchup, which was played on April 5, the Minnesota Timberwolves won 116-106 at home as D’Angelo Russell led the way with 25 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Russell had just returned from knee surgery and came off the bench to help his team get the victory.
De’Aaron Fox had 31 points for the Sacramento Kings, while veteran forward Harrison Barnes contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds. Hassan Whiteside returned for the Kings in this game, posting seven points and five rebounds in 13 minutes.
Match Details
Fixture - Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings | 2020-21 NBA Season
Date & Time - Tuesday, April 20th, 10:00 PM ET (Wednesday, April 21st, 7:30 AM IST)
Venue - Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
The current season has been a rough one for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they have found a few victories to celebrate. They’ve won three of their last eight games, a marked improvement (.375) from their overall record of 12-38 (.240) prior to this stretch. They are now 15-43, tied with the Houston Rockets for the worst record in the NBA this season.
The Timberwolves can get out of the bottom of the standings if they can win the next two games versus the Sacramento Kings.
Russell, Towns and rookie sensation Anthony Edwards will have to bring their A-game if the Minnesota Timberwolves are to accomplish this goal.
Key Player - D'Angelo Russell
If there’s a missing piece in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ triumvirate of stars, it’s De’Angelo Russell.
Over his last four outings, Russell has averaged just 13.0 points on 38.3 percent shooting from the field. Though his three-point shooting during this stretch has been quite good (38.1%), the one-time All-Star has been struggling to mix up his attack and to shoot high-percentage shots.
Perhaps he needs a bit more time to get re-acclimated to coach Ryan Saunders’ offense, which was tweaked to accommodate Edwards’ development during his absence. Despite this, the Minnesota Timberwolves are winning more games than ever.
Russell will likely be guarding De’Aaron Fox during stretches, and the two speedy guards should have quite a showdown.
Minnesota Timberwolves Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Ricky Rubio l Shooting Guard - Anthony Edwards l Small Forward - Josh Okogie l Power Forward - Jalen McDaniels l Center - Karl-Anthony Towns
Sacramento Kings Preview
The Sacramento Kings snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 121-107 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks. Thanks to 30 points and 12 rebounds from De’Aaron Fox, the Kings were able to hold off the Mavs, who cut their 21-point lead to just six with only three-and-a-half minutes left in the ballgame.
The win was the Sacramento Kings' first since March 29. They are 23-34 this season and occupy 12th place in the Western Conference. They are two games behind the New Orleans Pelicans and 5.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the 10th and last spot in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament.
Key Player - De’Aaron Fox
Though the Sacramento Kings haven’t been winning, it has been entertaining to watch De’Aaron Fox light up the scoreboards on a nightly basis.
In his last eight games, Fox has averaged 30.5 points (with a high of 43), 4.8 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game. All these numbers are above his season stats and are proof that the Kings could have an All-Star next season.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fox will be pumped to lead his team to a second straight win on Tuesday, something the Sacramento Kings haven’t done since winning five straight games in late March.
Sacramento Kings Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - De’Aaron Fox l Shooting Guard - Buddy Hield l Small Forward - Harrison Barnes l Power Forward - Maurice Harkless l Center - Hassan Whiteside
Timberwolves vs Kings Match Prediction
The back-to-back set between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Sacramento Kings could go either way. The Kings will have the advantage in momentum after winning their last game. However, the Timberwolves will be playing at home.
Since April 1st, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been the better offensive team (18th compared to 25th), while the Sacramento Kings have been better defensively (26th compared to 30th). In the end, the defensive battle will likely swing this game in the Kings' favor.
Where to watch Timberwolves vs Kings
The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings game will be televised locally by Bally Sports North and NBC Sports Bay Area & California. For international audiences, the game will be livestreamed on the NBA League Pass.
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