Portland plays Minnesota in conference showdown
Minnesota Timberwolves (23-23, seventh in the Western Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (20-26, 10th in the Western Conference)
Portland, Oregon; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Norman Powell and the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
The Trail Blazers have gone 1-5 against division opponents. Portland has a 9-19 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Timberwolves are 4-4 in division games. Minnesota has a 13-14 record against opponents over .500.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 116-111 on Dec. 13. Anthony Edwards scored 24 points to help lead the Timberwolves to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anfernee Simons is averaging 15.2 points and 3.4 assists for the Trail Blazers. Jusuf Nurkic is averaging 16.8 points over the last 10 games for Portland.
D'Angelo Russell is averaging 19 points and 7.1 assists for the Timberwolves. Edwards is averaging 22.6 points, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals over the last 10 games for Minnesota.
LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 6-4, averaging 106.3 points, 44.2 rebounds, 22.6 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.7 points per game.
Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 121.8 points, 44.1 rebounds, 27.9 assists, 9.6 steals and 6.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.4 points.
INJURIES: Trail Blazers: Larry Nance Jr.: out (knee), Norman Powell: out (personal), Damian Lillard: out (abdominal), Cody Zeller: out (knee).
Timberwolves: Patrick Beverley: out (ankle), Jordan McLaughlin: day to day (reconditioning).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by