On Tuesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Brooklyn Nets in a contest between two teams that could end in a championship.
Minnesota (39-40) at present sits 10th in the Western Conference and could guarantee itself no more regrettable than a spot in the play-in competition with a success over the Nets combined with an Utah Jazz misfortune to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the interim, Brooklyn (43-35) would secure no more awful than the No. With a victory over the Timberwolves and a loss to the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat moves up to the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
After winning 124-123 in overtime against Minnesota last month, the Nets will be looking to sweep the season series. With 36.8 seconds remaining, Dorian Finney-Smith scored a 3-pointer to break the tie and propel Brooklyn to victory.
Since then, the Nets have only won five of their last 11 games, but three of those victories have come during a winning streak that is much-needed right now. The Nets have defeated the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, and Utah Jazz to begin a four-game homestand that ends on Tuesday.
The Nets nearly lost a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter in Sunday’s 111-110 victory over the Jazz.
After that, Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn saw the learning experience as a positive for a roster that has only really known each other since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were traded during the season for multiple players.
In the victory, Mikal Bridges scored 30 points. In 11 of his 24 games for the Nets, he has scored more than 30 points, including 34 in the win over Minnesota.
The Timberwolves, who appeared to be in control of the Western Conference a week ago, begin a two-game trip to Brooklyn and San Antonio with three losses in a row.
On Sunday, they were taken aback by the Portland Trail Blazers, who beat them 107-105 at home. Kyle Anderson missed a 3-footer that would have sent the game into overtime.
The Timberwolves appear to be undergoing an in-season transition, just like the Nets. They also made a significant trade at the last minute, acquiring the Utah Jazz’s point guard Mike Conley. However, their biggest problem lately has been getting Karl-Anthony Towns back into the lineup after he missed 52 games with a strained calf.
In the defeat against Portland, Towns attempted just three shots, a career-low.
In the defeat against Portland, Anthony Edwards scored 37 points. Last month, he scored 32 against the Nets.
