Portland Trail Blazers – Minnesota Timberwolves: divisional showdown
In the stacked Northwest Division, the Blazers and Wolves meet for their third-to-last game of the season. Portland still hasn’t found an answer to last season’s Western Conference finalists, and with key Blazers sidelined it’s hard to see them leaving with a win. Still — don’t write off a trap game for Minnesota.
Portland Trail Blazers: fight with what’s left 
The Blazers’ last two games couldn’t have been more different. First they were smashed by the Nuggets (103-157) — a defensive trainwreck — then they reset and held the Suns to just 77 points (92-77). Tiago Splitter’s crew showed they can move on fast and patch the holes that blew up in Denver.
For tonight they’ll be missing two key wings: Deni Avdija (back) and Shaedon Sharpe (calf). Against a full-strength Minnesota side that’s a serious handicap. But if Portland defends like they did against Phoenix, this isn’t a foregone conclusion. They still have top defenders — Jrue Holiday, Sidy Cissoko, Matisse Thybulle, Donovan Clingan — and those guys will need to be on it to blunt one of the league’s best attacks.
INJURY REPORT : Deni Avdija (OUT) – Shaedon Sharpe (OUT) – Caleb Love (OUT)
Minnesota Timberwolves: own the favorite tag 
Thanks to the struggles of Denver, Houston and Los Angeles, the Wolves are sitting in a useful spot as the season winds down: third place is within reach. But they can’t repeat the Philly flop (108-135), a game that exposed how much Rudy Gobert matters on the defensive end. This is the first stop on a three-game road trip — Chris Finch’s team needs an instant reaction to kick off a run.
Minnesota should be almost fully healthy — only Naz Reid is listed as questionable. Against Portland the plan is simple: shut down their possessions and let Minneapolis’ firepower do the talking. They run the fourth-best offense in the league at 119.5 points per game.
INJURY REPORT : Naz Reid (questionable)
Probable starters
Portland Trail Blazers : Jrue Holiday, Sidy Cissoko, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, Donovan Clingan
Minnesota Timberwolves : Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert
NBA pick Portland Trail Blazers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Wolves by 5 points or more
On one hand, Portland will be missing two notable pieces. On the other, Minnesota arrives mostly healthy and hungry after a poor showing versus the Sixers. All the ingredients point to a Wolves team coming in sharp, looking to close this out early and build confidence for the road trip. Without Avdija and Sharpe, Portland’s offense looks short on firepower — expect Minnesota to win comfortably.
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