Minnesota Timberwolves DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (back) won't play on Sunday against Oklahoma City. The multi-time Defensive Player of the Year has struggled this season, averaging 11.0 points, 10.4 boards, and 1.5 blocks, all down from the 2023-24 campaign. While he's stayed healthy, he'll now miss his third game of the year because of back spasms. The Timberwolves remain without Julius Randle (groin), so Naz Reid, coming off a 22-point, eight-rebound, three-block effort in Friday's loss to the Rockets, should continue to get all the minutes he can handle. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, averaging 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in eight starts this season, should also stay more involved on the scoring end.

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley (finger) will be active on Friday against the Houston Rockets. He is ready to return from a four-game absence after the team initially labeled Conley as questionable for Friday's contest. Nickeil Alexander-Walker will likely return to the bench now that Conley is back. Meanwhile, Rob Dillingham will also have a reduced role in the rotation. Conley has been relatively quiet for most of the season, but he had a solid stretch of games just before his injury, averaging 11.3 points and 7.0 assists in 28.8 minutes over four games.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (back) has been ruled out for Friday's matchup against the Houston Rockets. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year will miss a second consecutive game due to back spasms. Naz Reid is expected to carry a huge workload on Friday night. He tallied a team-high 27 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in the previous game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Luka Garza, who finished with eight points and eight rebounds against the Thunder, has a chance to remain in the rotation with Gobert out.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard/forward Anthony Edwards (hip) will play on Friday against the Houston Rockets. The three-time All-Star has been a regular on the injury report lately due to a hip issue, and the team initially listed him as questionable. However, Alan Horton of Timberwolves Radio reports that head coach Chris Finch has confirmed that Edwards will play. On Friday, Edwards faces a challenging matchup against a top defensive team, but Houston has struggled to contain him. Over the previous three games this season, Edwards has averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks against the Rockets.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (finger) is questionable for Friday's contest against Houston. The veteran has been sidelined by a finger injury of late, keeping him off the floor for Minnesota's final four games heading into the All-Star break. If he remains on the shelf versus the Rockets, Nickeil Alexander-Walker will likely continue to operate at the one. But if Anthony Edwards (hip) is also ruled out, Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark may also seen extra work.