WOLVES GAMEDAY

at Cleveland Cavaliers, 6:30 p.m. Friday

TV; radio: BSNX; iHeartRadio app

Stats and analytics: Tap here

Odds: Cavaliers by 1.

Pregame reading: Karl-Anthony Towns out because of a meniscus injury, severity unknown.

Chris Hine's preview:

Opening bell: The Wolves will play their second game of a six-game trip in Cleveland, and this will mark their fourth set of back-to-back games since the All-Star break. The Wolves are 7-2 playing on the tail end of back-to-backs this season, but both losses came on the road.

Watch him: Darius Garland will be carrying a significant chunk of the offensive responsibilities for the Cavaliers with Donovan Mitchell out. Garland is averaging 18.2 points and 6.2 assists per game this season.

Injuries: Karl-Anthony Towns will be out for the Wolves. For Cleveland, Mitchell (28 points per game) is out because of a knee injury, power forward Evan Mobley is out because of an ankle injury. Ty Jerome (ankle) is out and Max Strus (knee strain) is out.

Forecast: It's hard to pinpoint what might happen with both teams missing significant pieces of their starting lineup, though Cleveland is down two to the Wolves' one. The Cavaliers get the rest advantage and are at home, so that could swing the matchup in their favor. If the Wolves' defense is up to the task, though, they could slow down a Cleveland offense that is 16th in efficiency — when Mitchell plays.

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