The Minnesota Timberwolves and Charlotte Hornets meet Friday in NBA action at the Spectrum Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves have won 5 straight games. The Charlotte Hornets have lost 6 of their last 8 games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are averaging 114.3 points on 48.6 percent shooting and allowing 113.7 points on 44.4 percent shooting. Anthony Edwards is averaging 22.1 points and 5.8 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 21.5 points and 5.3 assists. D’Angelo Russell is the third double-digit scorer and Rudy Gobert is grabbing 12.3 rebounds. The Minnesota Timberwolves are shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 78.1 percent from the free throw line. The Minnesota Timberwolves are allowing 36.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.3 rebounds per game.

The Charlotte Hornets are averaging 109.4 points on 44.4 percent shooting and allowing 114.5 points on 46.7 percent shooting. Terry Rozier is averaging 20.3 points and 5 rebounds, while Kelly Oubre Jr. is averaging 19.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. LaMelo Ball is the third double-digit scorer and Gordon Hayward is grabbing 4.5 rebounds. The Charlotte Hornets are shooting 31.7 percent from beyond the arc and 73.2 percent from the free throw line. The Charlotte Hornets are allowing 33.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.4 rebounds per game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are quietly playing good ball, and that includes winning their last 5 games by an average of 8.8 points while shooting 51.8 percent from the filed. The Charlotte Hornets haven’t played well without Ball this season, and they’ll be down their star point guard again here. The line is reasonable. Give me the Timberwolves.