Kings' 3 Keys to Success vs. Blazing Hot Timberwolves

The Sacramento Kings are coming off a dominant 15-point win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday but have a quick turnaround as they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The Timberwolves have had an overachieving start to their 2023-24 season, going 21-6 to steal first place in the Western Conference.

Minnesota's hot start is not a fluke. The Timberwolves are possibly the most balanced team but are anchored by the best defense in the league. Seven of the top 17 defensive ratings in the NBA come from Wolves.

The Kings are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and one of the toughest three-games-in-four-days stretches possible with the Boston Celtics, Suns, and Timberwolves.

Sacramento will have their hands full with a talented Timberwolves squad and are already 0-3 in back-to-backs this season. With everything stacking against them, the Kings can get their second win of the season over Minnesota.

Here are three keys to success for the Kings to get a statement win over the Timberwolves on Saturday:

Take Advantage of Minnesota's Injuries

The Timberwolves will be without All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who is sidelined with a knee injury. While Minnesota is still a strong team without Towns, the Kings can exploit their lack of big man depth.

Sixth-man Naz Ried will certainly get more opportunities with the starters while Towns is sidelined, but that depletes their size on the bench. Sacramento loves to run a small ball lineup with the second unit, and the Timberwolves might have to do the same or play an inexperienced backup center.

With Towns sidelined, the Kings can keep up with Minnesota's size easier. The Kings are an undersized team, while the Timberwolves have all the size in the world with a dual-center lineup. But, with Towns out, the Kings can more easily match up, diminishing an advantage that Minnesota typically has.

Don't Worry About Anthony Edwards

Minnesota's Anthony Edwards is a phenomenal player and an NBA MVP candidate, but the Kings should not put all their energy into stopping the All-Star guard. In their last meeting, Edwards and Towns combined for 62 of the Wolves' 111 points and still could not get the job done.

With Towns inactive, Edwards cannot win the game by himself. If the Kings focus on shutting down the players around him, they are content with Edwards dropping 40 points in a loss.

The Timberwolves have loads of defensive talent, but their offensive capabilities are limited. Edwards does not typically play well without Towns, so containing the role players around him would likely shut down Minnesota's entire offense.

Let Keegan Murray Cook

Keegan Murray's introduction to the rest of the league has been exciting for Kings fans, even though they have been expecting it. The Kings are 18-1 when Murray scores 20+ points, and the sophomore forward has been on a tear recently.

In his last nine games, Murray averaged 21.0 points, shooting 50% from deep. If the Kings can get Murray to continue scoring at this rate, the rest of the league is in trouble. The Timberwolves were without Jaden McDaniels in their last meeting against Sacramento, who could give Murray a challenge in this matchup.

The Kings will want to spread out their scoring against a talented Minnesota squad, so expect De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Murray to all put up 20+ points in a win.

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