The Utah Jazz will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in an enticing NBA matchup on Saturday.
The Jazz's remaining schedule is the third-easiest in the league. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have officially been knocked out of playoff contention and are focussing on the upcoming draft.
Match Details
Fixture: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Utah Jazz | NBA Season 2020-21.
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Date & Time: Saturday, April 24th, 2021; 9:00 PM ET (Sunday, April 25th; 6:30 AM IST).
Venue: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT.
Utah Jazz Preview
The Utah Jazz's dominance has slowed down lately. Their inconsistency, coupled with player injuries, has led to four losses in the month of April alone.
Donovan Mitchell is still sidelined due to an injured ankle and will be re-evaluated in a week. Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson have all missed games lately but are expected to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Western Conference-leading Utah Jazz have been running over teams with their spacing and high-volume three-point shooting.
Coach Quin Snyder is the 'Coach of the Year' frontrunner as he has improved the team on both ends of the floor without acquiring any free agents or All-Stars in the offseason.
The Utah Jazz have been in the top 5 in offensive and defensive ratings all year, and several analysts believe they have a shot at the title.
Key Player - Mike Conley
Mike Conley is a critical piece of the Utah Jazz roster, even though he isn't a top scorer like the point guards of this era. He is averaging a career-high 41% from beyond the arc on nearly 7 attempts per game this season.
With Donovan Mitchell out, Conley will have a bugger burden in Saturday's game. The veteran runs the Jazz offense quite well, distributing the ball and leading the team in steals per game.
Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Mike Conley | Shooting Guard - Joe Ingles | Small Forward - Bojan Bogdanovic | Power Forward - Royce O’Neale | Center - Rudy Gobert
Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
The Minnesota Timberwolves are having one of their worst seasons ever because of injury issues. Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and several others were absent for a long time. As a result, coaches Ryan Saunders and Chris Finch have had to deal with a young and inexperienced roster.
However, the Timberwolves can now focus on the upcoming draft headlined by high-scoring guards and two-way forwards. Their main mission this season has been player development, and young players like Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, Jarrett Culver, Malik Beasley, Jaylen Nowell and Josh Okogie have all made significant progress.
If luck favors them, they might also get to keep their top three 2021 draft picks. The majority of players on their roster are younger than 25 years of age, and their future certainly looks bright.
Key Player - Anthony Edwards
The only positive in the Minnesota Timberwolves' sub-par season has been rookie Anthony Edwards. He is a prime candidate for the Rookie of the Year award this season. His thunderous dunks and excellent finishes around the rim have been a sight to behold.
Edwards has shown incredible potential, and many analysts have predicted that he will be an All-Star in the near future.
Minnesota Timberwolves Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Ricky Rubio | Shooting Guard - Anthony Edwards | Small Forward - Josh Okogie | Power Forward - Jaden McDaniels | Center - Karl-Anthony Towns
Timberwolves vs Jazz Match Prediction
The Utah Jazz are obvious favorites to win this game. Donovan Mitchell's absence is not expected to make much of a difference against the bottom-table Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Jazz are 5-1 without Mitchell and have the experience necessary to win games without their main scorer.
Where to watch the Timberwolves vs Jazz game
The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Utah Jazz game will be locally televised on Bally Sports North and AT&T SportsNet - Rocky Mountain. The game can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.
Also Read: Is Ben Simmons making a good case for the Defensive Player Of The Year award? | 2020-21 NBA season
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