Wolves gameday
6 P.M. at Philadelphia • NO TV, 830-AM
Preview: The Timberwolves have lost two in a row and six of their past seven and are coming off a 10-point home loss to Milwaukee in which they had a 17-point first-half lead. It marked the eighth time this season the Wolves have built a lead of 10 or more points and lost.
Players to watch: This will be the second and final matchup this season of rookies Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor. Towns was taken No. 1 by the Wolves in the draft, Okafor No. 3 by the 76ers. In the first meeting — a 100-95 Wolves win Nov. 23 — Okafor had 25 points and 12 rebounds to Towns' 11 and one. Towns is coming off a difficult eight-point, 4-for-17 outing vs. Milwaukee. Okafor, meanwhile, has been limited somewhat recently because of knee soreness. … Wolves G Zach LaVine has shot 5-for-23 in his past three games. … F/G Andrew Wiggins had 32 points vs. Philadelphia on Nov. 23. … Okafor (17.3 ppg) and F Robert Covington (11.1) lead the 76ers in scoring.
Numbers: In their past seven games, the Wolves have been outscored by an average of 11.4 points and outrebounded by 7.7. The Wolves haven't shot 50 percent or better in 24 consecutive games, the second-longest such drought in team history and the longest in the league this season.
Injuries: C Nikola Pekovic (Achilles' surgery) is out. 76ers C Joel Embiid (foot) and F Hollis Thompson (eye) are out.
Kent Youngblood
