Timberwolves at Hawks: Game #6

Wolves at Hawks
7 pm CST
Fox Sports North

After an impressive win against Chicago in which the Timberwolves held their opponents to a scoreless overtime (the first time in Bulls' franchise history), Minnesota is headed to Atlanta in search of another road win. The Hawks will be no easy assignment, as they already have eight games under their belts and have lost only once.

Both teams are mainly healthy, and Atlanta's lineup looks quite similar to its 2014-2015 roster in which it grabbed 60 wins.

While most expected the Wolves to have a solid offense coming into this season, it's actually the defense that has looked drastically improved over the first five games. Hopefully for Minnesota, the trend will continue tonight against a dynamic Hawks shooting squad.

The matchup to watch this evening will be No. 1 overall Draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns against Atlanta center Al Horford. The rookie should be able to hold his own against Horford, but he could have his hands full. Towns is already proving his worth, averaging 15.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and three blocks per game. Horford is averaging 17 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.

Andrew Wiggins had a monster game Saturday, tallying 31 points against the Bulls. The second-year guard averaged 13.8 points throughout the first four games. Wiggins and Towns will both need to be on track offensively for Minnesota to hold the Hawks at bay.

Last season, the Wolves were 0-2 against Atlanta. Horford recorded 28 points against Minnesota in their Feb. 9 contest, and DeMarre Carroll added 26 to the effort. Top performers for the Timberwolves in that game were Kevin Martin (21 points) and Shabazz Muhammad (18 points). Ricky Rubio scored eight points after missing a majority of last season.

One area the Wolves will need to focus on defending is the three-point line. Atlanta's perimeter shooting has a dangerous reputation, with veteran Kyle Korver historically leading the way. Korver has notched 10 three-point buckets so far this season, but it's Kent Bazemore who's impressing from the outside; the guard is 14-of-24 from behind the arc.

With Sam Mitchell at the helm and a number of new faces on this year's roster, do the Wolves have what it takes to take down the No. 1 team in the East? Tune in tonight to find out!

Expected Lineups

Wolves
Ricky Rubio
Andrew Wiggins
Tayshaun Prince
Kevin Garnett
Karl-Anthony Towns

Hawks
Jeff Teague
Kent Bazemore
Kyle Korver
Paul Millsap
Al Horford

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Enjoy the game. Chat here. Go Wolves.