The Minnesota Timberwolves' quest to reach the ever-elusive .500 mark will continue starting on Friday night, as the team will play back-to-back games. If they can pull off victories in both games, they will even their record at 12-12, putting them at the break-even mark for the first time since the second game of the 2010-11 season.
The first game of the back-to-back will see them head out to the East Coast to do battle with the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center. This will be the only meeting between the Timberwolves and the Nets this season. The Nets' 8-15 record currently has them sitting in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, but they have won three of their last five overall, including a 99-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons in their last game on Wednesday. The Nets are led in scoring by Deron Williams, who averaged 20.5 points per contest, and their leading rebounder is former Minnesota Golden Gopher and former Mr. Kim Kardashian Kris Humphries, who averages 10.5 rebounds a game. Tip-off for this one is scheduled for 6:30 PM Central time.
On Saturday night, the Timberwolves will return to the Target Center to take on the Houston Rockets for the third time in less than two weeks. At the Target Center back on January 23, the Rockets handled the Timberwolves pretty well, defeating Minnesota by a score of 107-92 despite 39 points from Kevin Love. The Timberwolves returned the favor at the Toyota Center this past Monday, riding Michael Beasley's 34-point performance to a 120-108 victory. The Rockets currently sit in fourth place in the Southwest Division, but their 12-10 record puts them just half a game behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. The festivities will get underway at the Target Center at 7:00 PM Central time.
There will not be any local television coverage for either of these games, so the only way to see them will be through NBA League Pass, if that's an option for you. You can listen to both of the games on the Timberwolves' Radio Network, and specifically on WCCO-AM 830 in Minneapolis.