Timberwolves vs Suns

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton status is available against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, the team confirmed. Phoenix remains hit by injuries, ...

The team also remains without Jae Crowder as he awaits the Suns to find a trade partner. Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton status is available against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, the team confirmed. Phoenix Suns C Deandre Ayton available vs.

The Minnesota Timberwolves (20-22) return home on Friday night to face the Phoenix Suns (21-22) at Target Center.

- Suns: Deandre Ayton (Left Ankle Sprain) is QUESTIONABLE. Jordan McLaughlin (Left Calf Strain), and Karl-Anthony Towns (Right Calf Strain) are OUT. Minnesota is coming off a 135-118 loss against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

The Phoenix Suns will travel to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Friday night NBA matchup at the Target Center. With that said, it's a good time to ...

Opponents have scored 115.5 points per game on the Timberwolves, which ranks 19th in the league. Even with Ayton and Bridges, Phoenix ranks 13th in the league with 43.4 rebounds per game. Mikal Bridges ranks third on the team with 15.5 points and third with 4.6 rebounds per game. Rudy Gobert has stepped up in his absence, leading the team with 12.0 rebounds, also averaging 14.1 points per game, the lone double-double for Minnesota. Scoring 114.8 points per game, Minnesota’s offense ranks 12th in the league. Phoenix’s offense has slowed a bit, falling to 17th with 112.7 points per game. Phoenix’s defense has been solid, ranking ninth with 111.4 points allowed per game. Third-year guard Anthony Edwards, a former first-overall pick, leads the team with 23.6 points per game. Ayton leads the team with 9.8 rebounds per game and ranks second with 17.5 points per game. Devin Booker had been in and out of the lineup all of December. Phoenix has gone 21-22 this season, seventh place in the Western Conference. Head coach Chris Finch guided the team to the playoffs last season but will need a turnaround to make it two straight seasons.

We go over some of the best betting options for Friday's matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves.

These are the two of the more under-friendly teams in the leagues and that has especially been the case with the Suns without the likes of Booker and Paul on the court. They have failed to crack 100 points in five of their last six games and it’s likely they once again drag the total down on the road tonight. Take the home squad to roll here. Minnesota had its four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday, falling in a 135-118 loss to the Pistons. Phoenix has been decimated by injuries over the past month and dropped its 10th game in 12 outings in a 126-97 blowout loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday. For Phoenix, Devin Booker (groin), Chris Paul (hip), and Cam Payne (foot) have all been declared out once again while Deandre Ayton (ankle) is listed as questionable.

The Suns didn't have it in Friday's loss and that has more or less been the defining aspect of most games they play this season.

He scored a career-high 31 points and 21 of them were in the fourth quarter. He deserves credit for remaining aggressive with his shot on a night the Suns needed him to but a 3-of-15 first half really hurt Phoenix and he finished 5-for-18, the spot in his game where it was evident the ankle was still an issue. Late in the first half, Ayton was preparing for a dribble-handoff sequence and lost the ball after a Gobert strip. While it was a return from an injury that surely is still nagging at him a bit, Ayton had two other two-game spurts away from the court earlier this season because of ankle sprains and he played well in both return games. Ayton is a very good defender, one of the best at his position in the league. Deandre Ayton returned after missing two games because of a left ankle sprain, and those exact qualities we covered earlier are the ones Suns fans have been clamoring for out of him on a night in and night out basis.

Minnesota hosts a spectacularly short-handed Phoenix squad into Target Center for a Friday nigh showdown.

The Wolves need Nowell to keep things simple and take what the defense gives him. With Edwards playing at less than 100%, the Wolves desperately need Nowell to find his game. If he looks hobbled the way he did when he bizarrely returned to the game in Detroit after being ruled out, the Wolves will be in trouble. If Edwards looks healthy-ish, the team should be fine. I know the Minnesota Timberwolves are going through it as far as injuries go, but it is still embarrassing that this team hasn’t been able to give Ant a night off to rest his hip and get back to 100%. We can’t bank on that, though, because this team is just as likely to lay an egg as they are to come out guns blazing. Regardless, how mobile Edwards is will go a long ways in determining the outcome of this game. We should walk into Target Center tonight knowing that this team will handle business and make it a great night for everyone in attendance. Minnesota has to win this game. This should be an absolute blast of an evening, hosting another injury-riddled team in the Phoenix Suns on a Friday night. They have the talent to play with and beat anyone when they’re locked in, but they too often act as if they’re all three-time champions who can coast through the regular season and flip the proverbial switch when March rolls around. »