Preview: Sacramento Kings at Minnesota T-Wolves (Game 55)
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight in the Target Center. This article will highlight the main matchup of the game as well as what the purple and white need to do to earn the win.
The Sacramento Kings will be in the Twin Cities tonight to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The last time these two teams met was back in December when the T-Wolves defeated the Kings by a score of 119-96. Here is what I think will be a significant matchup in tonight’s contest.
Willie Cauley-Stein vs. Karl-Anthony Towns.
I think this matchup will be vital for tonight’s game. Both players have been solid contributors for their teams based on their ability to produce on both ends of the floor.
For Cauley-Stein, he is an athletic and lengthy big who is at his best around the paint. If the Kings are able to run the pick-and-roll offense successfully with Cauley-Stein, he will be an offensive force. Defensively, Willie can be a nuisance towards his opponents as his quickness and length give him a huge advantage when defending the rim.
For the case of Towns, the guy is a beast. Offensively, he can do it all. He has great post-up skills which give him success in the paint and his shooting range is solid as he has no trouble shooting the ball beyond the perimeter. Similar to Cauley-Stein, Towns’ physical traits give him an advantage when playing defense. He is also a great rebounder as he averages over 12 boards a contest.
Final Thoughts
Overall, there are many good matchups to watch in this game, but I think the battle between Cauley-Stein and Towns is the best one. I think if Willie is able to be efficient on both ends of the court, it will help immensely for the Kings in getting a win.
The Timberwolves have a lot of star talent on their roster, so stopping it as a whole is close to impossible. Limiting the talent, however, is more realistic. Cauley-Stein may not be able to outplay Towns, but if he plays his role the best way he can it will restrict the dominance of one of Minnesota’s top players.