2 min read • January 18, 2022
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When the Timberwolves and Knicks face off at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, who will have the health edge?
Advantage: Timberwolves
The Knicks traded for third-year Cam Reddish last Thursday, but he has yet to make his debut for the team as he continues to deal with a nagging ankle injury.
Reddish, however, is not the only new Knick to be missed.
Kemba Walker will be out for his 10th consecutive contest with left knee soreness seemingly related to the arthritis that developed after surgery to repair a torn meniscus in 2015. He left midway through the 3rd quarter of a back-to-back on Dec. 29 and has not played since.
The Knicks started the season 3-10 without Kemba Walker, with five of the losses coming by double-digits. In their last seven games without Walker, however, they are 5-2 (albeit against teams with a combined 121-143 record).
On the other side, the Timberwolves have every player that averages 15-plus minutes per game, including their key pod of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, D'Angelo Russell, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley.
Specifically, the Wolves are 19-14 when D'Angelo Russell plays, and only 2-8 without him.
The Timberwolves have been through multiple losing streaks of five-or-more games that has mostly coincided with the absences of D'Angelo Russell and Patrick Beverley.
Minnesota has also won five straight games multiple times this season, and just beat the Warriors by 20 points on Sunday night.
The Timberwolves are favored by 1.5 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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