Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction & Match Preview - April 26th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21

The Utah Jazz will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday at The Target Center to continue their two-game mini-series in the 2020-21 NBA.

The two teams will face off for the third time this season. Surprisingly, the bottom-table Timberwolves have beaten the Western Conference-leading Utah Jazz on both occasions.

KAT & ANT push @Timberwolves past Jazz in Utah!@KarlTowns: 24 PTS, 12 REB@theantedwards_: 23 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 5 STL pic.twitter.com/kLa4Q9Gbt4

— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2021

Match Details

Fixture: Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA Season 2020-21.

Date & Time: Monday, April 26th, 2021; 8:00 PM ET (Tuesday, April 27th; 5:30 AM IST).

Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN.

Minnesota Timberwolves Preview

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been officially knocked out of playoff contention.

The Golden State Warriors own the Minnesota Timberwolves draft pick for 2021, but it is top-3 protected, so the Timberwolves have a 40% chance of keeping their pick. The Timberwolves should focus on the upcoming draft and if luck favors them, they'll get to keep their 2021 NBA Draft pick.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' main objective this season has been player development. Coaches Ryan Saunders and Chris Finch have done a great job in developing the young players in the team.

Players like Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, Jarrett Culver, Malik Beasley, Jaylen Nowell and Josh Okogie have made significant progress this season. The majority of the Minnesota Timberwolves team is younger than 25, so their future looks bright.

Key Player - Anthony Edwards

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards talking to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Anthony Edwards' rookie campaign has been the silver lining in the Minnesota Timberwolves' dismal season.

He is the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award ever since Hornets' LaMelo Ball went down with an injury. Edwards is averaging 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 40% shooting from the floor.

Edwards has had 28 games with 20+ points this season, including a career-high 42 points. He scored 23 points in his team's win against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

Most 25-point games by a teenager ever:13 — Anthony Edwards12 — Other Timberwolves combined pic.twitter.com/1nAeFudbVq

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 21, 2021

Minnesota Timberwolves Predicted Lineup

Point Guard - Ricky Rubio | Shooting Guard - Anthony Edwards | Small Forward - Josh Okogie | Power Forward - Jaden McDaniels | Center - Karl-Anthony Towns.

Utah Jazz Preview

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz's dominance this season is appearing to have faded away. The absence of Donovan Mitchell has hurt them down the stretch, as they lost five games in April, including three of their last seven.

The Jazz came up short against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Bojan Bogdanovic's 30 points weren't enough to rally them to victory, as Mike Conley shot five of 15, Jordan Clarkson shot five of 16, and Joe Ingles went one of nine.

Mitchell remains sidelined for another week. He is making good progress in his ankle rehab and will be re-evaluated next week. The Utah Jazz are now 5-2 without Mitchell, so they need to show their ability to win as a cohesive unit without their main scorer.

Donovan Mitchell was re-evaluated by the team’s medical staff on Friday for a sprained ankle he sustained vs. Indiana on April 16. He is making progress towards a return and will be re-evaluated in one week.

— kristen kenney (@kristenkenney) April 24, 2021

Key Player - Mike Conley

Mike Conley with the Utah Jazz

Mike Conley has been an important piece for the Utah Jazz's fabulous run this season.

Although he isn't a high-scoring guard like most point guards, he serves as the ball distributor for the Utah Jazz. He is averaging 41% from beyond the arc, and the veteran is expected to carry the team in the absence of Donovan Mitchell.

Mike Conley had 47 assists in his last four games. That's the most in a 4-game stretch during any time of his 14-year NBA career, and the most by a Jazz player since Deron Williams ten years ago. @MCONLEY10 pic.twitter.com/1am2lCMtkO

— Dana Greene (@dana_greene) April 22, 2021

Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup

Point Guard - Mike Conley | Shooting Guard - Joe Ingles | Small Forward - Bojan Bogdanovic | Power Forward - Royce O’Neale | Center - Rudy Gobert.

Jazz vs Timberwolves Match Prediction

The Utah Jazz are the favorites on paper to win this game. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves have gotten the best of them in both their meetings this season.

The Timberwolves are playing like they have nothing to lose, coming back from a 17-point deficit to win the second game between the two teams, 101-96. They kept the high-volume shooting Utah Jazz under 100 points and showed their prowess on the defensive end as well.

Where to watch the Jazz vs Timberwolves game?

The Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves game will be locally televised on The CW - Twin Cities and AT&T SportsNet - Rocky Mountain. The game can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.