Golden State Warriors vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction: Warriors remain top-notch at home

The NBA season is heading to crunch time and we are in a virtual knockout window for various teams. A decent chunk of units have already been eliminated and there will be more on the way. For some teams, each game becomes only more valuable. And two of those squads, the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves will clash here.

The Warriors enter the fray after beating the 76ers 120:112, surviving a 46 points night from Joel Embiid. Their ambitions were upheld by the superb play of sharpshooter Jordan Poole who stacked up 33 points. The Warriors have won three in a row and this came after a three-game losing streak to provide much-needed relief. The Warriors have 39 wins and 36 losses and they will fancy their chances to finish in the top six and enter the First Round of the Playoffs.

The Warriors after a title-winning season last time around have been rather underwhelming. They lost 29 and won just nine away from home but the home-court prowess has somehow allowed them to be a Postseason squad. Their defense hasn’t been turned on all season long and Andrew Wiggins’ long-term absence has weakened the balance. Steph, Poole, and Thompson form an impressive shooting trifecta but there has been an apparent lack of defensive balance.

The Timberwolves come into this game after defeating the Hawks 127:126 as Naz Reid put up 26 points. The Timberwolves have won two in a row and this came after a three-game losing streak. The team acquired these two victories against Postseason bound squads and that too without their top two players Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns. The Wolves have 37 wins and 37 losses which places them in the Play-in tournament and an outside chance at a Playoffs spot.

This hasn’t been an ideal season for the Wolves. The potential return of Karl Anthony-Towns and Anthony Edwards is going to boost the squad that has shown great fight in their absence. The trouble for the Wolves all season long has been their defensive end of the floor. The departure of D’Angelo Russell has hurt the long-range shooting department. The Wolves will need to do some strong lifting to end the season.

• Warriors: OUT: Andre Iguodala, Ty Jerome, Ryan Rollins, Andrew Wiggins;
• Timberwolves: Game-Time Decisions: Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Nowell.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Stephen Curry(28+ Points), Klay Thompson(24+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Rudy Gobert(11+ Rebounds), Kevon Looney(11-13 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Draymond Green(8-11 Assists), Kyle Anderson(7-9 Assists).

The Warriors are brilliant at home and they have been pulling away during crucial moments. The Wolves await the return of Edwards and Anthony-Towns and if they two come back, it will be a big boost. However, I expect the Warriors to pull through and predict a scoreline of 127:120 in their favor.