Minnesota's Winning Run Meets Chicago's Skid, but Edwards Is Out

Minnesota arrives with five straight wins and seven straight covers of the spread, while Chicago has lost eight in a row. The form gap is wide, so the real questions are narrower: can Minnesota keep winning without Anthony Edwards, and does a Bulls roster missing a first-round rookie have enough to stay competitive at Target Center?

The Timberwolves routed Dallas 133-94 on Thursday, their most lopsided win of the season, and they were 8-3 and third in the Western Conference heading into that game. At home they have won four straight and covered four straight. Edwards is out after an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, yet the team is on a five-game winning streak. Donte DiVincenzo is also out with an Achilles injury, a long-term absence already built into Minnesota's season results.

Chicago is 1-9 and 14th in the Eastern Conference. The losing streak includes four straight on the road, and five straight in non-division, in-conference games away from home. Wednesday's 124-119 loss to San Antonio showed both sides of that: the Spurs had to overcome a 22-point deficit, so the Bulls can build a lead, but they could not hold it. Chicago's last three games have also gone over the total, which describes recent scoring rather than forecasting it.

Chicago's injury list has grown. Caleb Wilson fractured his right hand in Wednesday's loss, had successful surgery and is expected to miss four to six weeks, with a reevaluation set for three weeks out. Dailyn Swain (back) and Tobe Awaka (back) are also out, both ruled out for Friday's game against the Hawks. Chicago was scheduled to play Atlanta on Friday in NBA Cup group play, so this is a quick turnaround for a short-handed group.

The recent meetings do not line up with the current form. Chicago won 120-115 in Minneapolis on January 23 and won a preseason game 133-116 on October 17, though preseason results carry little weight. Minnesota won 136-101 in Chicago on December 30. Rosters have changed since then, with Edwards now out, so these results are weak evidence for tonight.

Overall, recent form, home record and cover streaks all point toward Minnesota, and Chicago's roster keeps getting thinner. Against that, the Timberwolves are without their star guard, and Chicago won the most recent regular-season meeting in this building. Streaks describe what has happened rather than what comes next, and a seven-game cover run is the kind of streak that can end on any night.