The Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Portland Trail Blazers for the first time this season on Saturday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Final Injury Reports Portland Trail Blazers – Minnesota Timberwolves
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Friday night’s games were not included in this preview, and the 12-12 Minnesota Timberwolves traveled to Utah to try to win their second straight game.
The Timberwolves defeated the Indiana Pacers 121-115 at home last Wednesday, covering a 4-point spread. Minnesota blew a 23-point halftime lead before rallying from an 8-point third-quarter deficit to earn its second win in three games.
Taurean Prince (shoulder) is “at least a week away, maybe a little bit more,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said on Friday.
It appears likely that Finch is targeting Wednesday, Dec. 21 as a potential return date for Prince, who will miss his seventh straight game Friday due to a shoulder injury.
Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) is out until December, so Kyle Anderson, Jahlil Okafor, and Naz Reid will see the majority of the power-forward minutes for the time being.
Gary Payton (abdomen) is out for Saturday’s game against the Timberwolves, according to Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers’ official website.
Payton has yet to make his season debut due to offseason core surgery. The defensive-minded guard has recently been fully participating in practices, so he should be close to returning to game action.
Payton’s next opportunity to play will be against Minnesota on Monday.
Josh Hart (ankle) is expected to play against Minnesota on Saturday.
Hart is still dealing with an ankle injury, but he will most likely play in his third straight game after missing the previous two. The versatile guard has averaged 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 steals in 35.0 minutes over his last two appearances.
