The Brooklyn Nets face the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night at Target Center in Minneapolis in the Wolves’ 1st game since trading Jimmy Butler.
For the Brooklyn Nets, Monday night closes out their longest road trip of the season thus far, a four-game Western trek during which they are 2-1.
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, Monday night marks the first game of the new normal in the Twin Cities after All-Star Jimmy Butler was traded Monday to the Philadelphia 76ers some six weeks after requesting he be moved.
Both the Nets (6-7) and Timberwolves (4-9) come in off losses, with Minnesota looking to snap a five-game losing skid.
After opening its road trip with consecutive wins over the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn ran into a hot-shooting Golden State Warriors club at Oracle Arena Saturday night, losing 116-100 to break a three-game win streak.
Joe Harris paced the Nets with 24 points in just 21 minutes. Jarrett Allen and Ed Davis had seven rebounds apiece and Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 14 points and six assists.
Minnesota has been idle since finishing an 0-5 road trip with a 121-110 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 39 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves and Butler logged 13 points and eight assists in his final game for the club.
The Nets are just 24-31 against Minnesota since the TImberwolves joined the NBA as an expansion club in 1989 and have lost their last three games at Target Center.
Minnesota has the longest winning streak in the series, with three separate four-game runs. The first was Jan. 9, 1997, to Jan. 10, 1998; the second came from Feb. 25, 2004, to March 1, 2006; and the most recent was March 29, 2009, to Jan. 1, 2011.
The Timberwolves scored the most points by a team in this matchup in a 132-118 win at Target Center on March 5, 2016, and also own the biggest blowout in the series — a 111-81 victory at Minneapolis on Nov. 22, 2013.
The single-game individual scoring leader in head-to-head play between the Nets and Minnesota is something of a surprise.
Anthony Morrow erupted for a career-high 42 points for the New Jersey Nets in a 108-105 win by the Timberwolves at Prudential Center in Newark on Feb. 3, 2012.
Minnesota’s top individual effort in the series belongs to Al Jefferson, who put up 40 points in a 98-95 win over New Jersey at Target Center on Jan. 27, 2008.
Since the Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012, they are 5-7 against the Timberwolves, with two players sharing the scoring lead since the move.
Brook Lopez had 26 points in a 119-110 Brooklyn win at Barclays Center on Nov. 8, 2016, and Spencer Dinwiddie matched that total, which included a go-ahead jumper with 10 seconds remaining, in a 98-97 win by the Nets in Brooklyn on Jan. 3.
*-Historical research courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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Here’s how you can catch the happenings Monday night:
Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves
Target Center, Minneapolis
Time: 8 p.m. Eastern
TV: YES Network
Live stream: NBA League Pass
The skinny
Season series: First meeting (Teams split last season 1-1)
Records: Brooklyn (6-7), Minnesota (4-9)
Scoring: BKN 108.8 (21st), MIN 110.5 (t-14th)
Defense: BKN 108.4 (t-12th), MIN 117.7 (28th)
Off. Rating: BKN 107.0 (12th), MIN 105.4 (16th)
Def. Rating: BKN 108.4 (22nd), MIN 113.0 (30th)
Pace: BKN 100.48 (25th), MIN 104.51 (11th)
Shooting: BKN 45.6% (14th), MIN 43.1% (t-25th)
3-point: BKN 36.5% (t-11th), MIN 35.7% (15th)
Opponent shooting: BKN 45.7% (t-13th), MIN 47.4% (t-26th)
Opponent 3-point: BKN 35.0% (15th), MIN 37.7% (26th)
Injuries
Brooklyn: PROBABLE–Caris LeVert (left knee); OUT–Treveon Graham (left hamstring strain).
Minnesota: PROBABLE–Andrew Wiggins (right quad contusion); OUT–Jeff Teague (left knee contusion), Jerryd Bayless (left knee sprain); NON-INJURY RELATED–Robert Covington, Dario Saric (acquired in trade from Philadelphia 76ers Monday, game-time decisions).
Last meeting
Jan. 27 at Minneapolis: The Timberwolves outscored the Nets 22-3 over the final 8:30 of the first quarter and cruised to a 111-97 victory at Target Center.
Jahlil Okafor had a season-high 21 points for Brooklyn. Quincy Acy added seven rebounds and two blocks and Spencer Dinwiddie dished 10 assists.
Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler scored 21 points apiece for Minnesota, with Butler adding five assists. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 16 points, 19 rebounds and three blocked shots and Tyus Jones had 13 points and five assists.
What’s next?
Brooklyn: vs. Miami, Wednesday; at Washington, Friday; vs. L.A. Clippers, Saturday
Minnesota: vs. New Orleans, Wednesday; vs. Portland, Friday; vs. Memphis, Sunday