Minnesota Timberwolves vs Orlando Magic Prediction: The Wolves look in a great touch, the Magic has promise

The NBA trade deadline is less than a week away so there are a lot of permutations and combinations that are involved. We will see a lot of big names being moved at a constant rate which implies that we have to keep a tab at the trade rumors at all times. At any rate, in this NBA Regular Season game, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to take on the Orlando Magic.

In the last game, the Wolves defeated the Warriors 119:114 in Overtime as D’Angelo Russell stacked up 29 points. They have won six of their last eight games which means that they have done a lot of good things lately. They have compiled 28 wins and 26 losses, and they have picked up their game since January. They have done well to recover from a below 50% win record.

The main reason for their turnaround has been their much-improved defense and they are conceding 10+ points compared to earlier periods. Anthony Edwards has been amazing scoring-wise, averaging over 27 points a game for more than a month. D’Angelo Russell has been playing much better whereas Rudy Gobert has been nabbing important boards. Jaden McDaniels has been a strong defender.

Orlando comes into the game after losing 94:105 against the 76ers despite an 18 points performance by Markelle Fultz. The Magic has lost three of their last four games but compared to other rebuilding squads, they have done much better. They started the season with five wins and 20 losses, but have since won 15 and lost 12 games, bringing their record to 32 losses and 20 wins.

The team is missing depth in the Point and Shooting Guard positions but the frontline is just amazing. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have both emerged as regular 20+ points scorers whereas Wendell Carter helps out in terms of scoring, rebounding, and defense. Bol Bol has slumped a bit but showed flashes of brilliance whereas Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony have been on and off

• Timberwolves: OUT: Jordan McLaughlin, Karl Anthony-Towns. Game-Time Decisions: Rudy Gobert, Bryn Forbes;
• Magic: OUT: Chuma Okeke. Game-Time Decision: Jonathan Isaac.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Anthony Edwards(26-33 Points), Paolo Banchero(19-23 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Rudy Gobert(13-16 Rebounds), Wendell Carter Jr.(9-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Markelle Fultz(6-8 Assists), Anthony Edwards(5-7 Assists).

The Timberwolves' defense has taken them to a whole other level and this team has figured out how to win at the right time. The Magic’s vulnerabilities are on full display at a constant rate which implies that there is a lot of work to do but their young core has also shown a lot of resilience. I expect the Wolves to win big and predict a scoreline of 113:101 in their favor.