Trail Blazers at Timberwolves First Half Game Thread

Trail Blazers at Timberwolves
7:00 pm Central
FSN

The Trail Blazers, coming off a close win last night in Cleveland, visit Target Center for the first meeting of the year with the Wolves.

The Blazers are of course off to an awesome start this year, sitting at 22-4, which is the best record in the NBA. They have been tremendous offensively, driven by very strong three point shooting and offensive rebounding. Five players have taken double figures in 3 point attempts for the Blazers, and they are all shooting better then 38%. As a team, they are over 41%, and Damian Lillard, Nic Batum, and Wesley Matthews are all over 40% individually.

This will put pressure on the Wolves to rotate and close out quickly and effectively, something that they have had trouble with at times this year. This is especially true since LaMarcus Aldridge is having an excellent year carrying a heavy usage rate and scoring pretty efficiently, while doing excellent work on the defensive glass.

Hopefully the Wolves will be able to take advantage of their home court and the fact that the Blazers are on the second night of a back to back, because the next three meetings between these teams will all take place with the Wolves on the second night of a back to back. They will need big nights from the front court to counteract the scoring perimeter players of the Blazers.

No official word on the availability of Kevin Martin, who missed the Celtics game with knee soreness, or Dante Cunningham, who left that game after turning his ankle.

Expected lineups

Blazers

Damian Lillard
Wesley Matthews
Nicolas Batum
LaMarcus Aldridge
Robin Lopez

Wolves

Ricky Rubio
Corey Brewer
Robbie Hummel
Kevin Love
Nikola Pekovic

This is your first half game thread. This is link to Blazers Edge. Please be excellent. I know we've gotten some unwelcome "visitors" from out that way, but let's not respond in kind, OK? Or at all, would probably be best.

No this that or the other thing.

Enjoy the game. Go Wolves.