The Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Utah Jazz tonight as part of the 10-game NBA slate. But, they will be forced to do so without star guard Anthony Edwards, who will miss the matchup due to a suspension for technical foul accumulation.
Edwards was ejected in the previous matchup with the Lakers with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter. He picked up his first technical foul after getting into a bit of a shoving match with the Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt when the two teams went to the bench for a time-out. Edwards’ second technical was given for arguing a no-call when Gabe Vincent seemingly hooked his arm on a drive attempt, which led to Edwards being thrown out of the game. Edwards also tossed the ball into the crowd on his way to the locker room which earned a delay-of-game warning.
Following the game, Edwards campaigned for the technical to be rescinded, but the NBA league office did not agree, so he will officially miss tonight’s game.
The outlook for the Timberwolves greatly changes without their star player, but this is the type of matchup they can still survive. Despite being without Edwards and playing in Utah, Minnesota enters as 4.5-point favorites and -192 on the Moneyline. The Jazz are +160 underdogs on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook and the over/under for the game is set at 226.
It also creates some opportunities for some of the youthful members of the Minnesota roster. Jaylen Clark has made his impact felt in recent weeks and had his contract upgraded from a two-way deal to a standard NBA contract as a result. Minnesota has also unleashed their pair of first-round guards in recent games. Both Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham have seen an expanded opportunity in recent games, which should be expected to be the case tonight.
Naz Reid also has been especially productive of late and has made the most of Rudy Gobert’s absence, which will continue tonight. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has produced a career-best 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game this season. Reid will be expected to take on an even greater share of the Timberwolves’ offense with Edwards now sidelined. Over his past 11 games, Reid is averaging 19.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Reid’s player props are set at over/under 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.5 made three-pointers for the matchup with the Jazz.
