Minnesota @ Golden State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 8, 2019 ) Golden State 119, Minnesota 125

The Golden State Warriors own the worst record in the Western Conference, but the Minnesota Timberwolves are playing like they want that spot. The Timberwolves will try to snap a league-worst 10-game slide when they visit the lowly Warriors on Monday.

Minnesota allowed an average of 127.6 points during the first seven games of its slide but cut that number down to 109.7 over the last three, only to see the offense fall off. "Our offense is just not really good right now, so we just try to rely on our defense to get some stops, get some easy scores," point guard Jeff Teague told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We're competing on that end, hopefully shots can start falling." The Warriors snapped a five-game slide with a 106-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday as D'Angelo Russell's 25 points helped them stave off a rally. "More than anything, I'm just relieved and happy for the players because these are great guys that are working hard every day and putting in the effort," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "They are just young, and it's hard to win in this league. It was really good to see us close the game down the stretch."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (10-18): Minnesota's slow down on the offensive end comes with All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) sitting out the last three games, and the team is hopeful he can return as soon as Monday. "(We miss) his ability to stretch the defense, being a focal point of the offense and probably the main person on the other team's scouting report," Teague told the Star Tribune. "It takes a lot of pressure off all of us." Towns averages 26.5 points and 11.7 rebounds and is shooting 41.8 percent from beyond the arc to force opposing big men out of the middle.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (6-24): Golden State's season went off the rails early due to injury and the ailments keep piling up, with rookie forward Eric Paschall the latest to go down. Paschall is averaging 15.4 points but was forced to leave Friday's game with a right knee injury and has been dealing with a hip injury of late as well. "Hopefully it's nothing serious, but honestly it may be a blessing if he has to miss a week or two," Warriors forward Draymond Green told reporters of Paschall. "Things came at him really fast; all of sudden he's playing 36, 37 minutes as a rookie, carrying the scoring load with eight guys, playing more games than he's ever played, quicker than the games have ever come on his schedule, in a league that he's never played in. And he handled that well. But it may not be the worst thing he has to miss a week or two and just kind of get through the hip thing, kind of let all that stuff clear up and get back to where he was."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Warriors SG Alec Burks is averaging 16.4 points in December.

2. Timberwolves C Gorgui Dieng is averaging 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games starting in place of Towns.

3. Minnesota earned a 125-119 overtime victory over Golden State at home on Nov. 8 despite Russell's 52 points.

PREDICTION: Timberwolves 116, Warriors 110