MINNEAPOLIS – As one of the NBA’s most improved teams, Minnesota (24-16) is on pace to not just reach the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in 14 years, but also carry homecourt advantage into Round 1. The West’s current fourth-best squad has made major strides for a variety of reasons, with one of the biggest being it no longer must rely too heavily on the rising duo of 22-year-olds Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. For example, Towns is averaging just 6.5 points this season vs. New Orleans in two matchups, but the Timberwolves prevailed relatively comfortably in both visits to the Big Easy, by margins of six and 18 points.
Pelicans shootaround update presented by HUB International: New Orleans tries to break through for first win over well-rounded Minnesota
