Timberwolves-Knicks Preview

By KEVIN CHROUST

(AP) -- Duke's Jahlil Okafor and Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns will make their NCAA Tournament debuts over the next two days. Meanwhile, their futures could be in part determined by an otherwise meaningless game taking place at the next level.

The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the New York Knicks on Thursday night, and while the winner will for the time being avoid the worst record in the NBA, the loser will gain the inside track on top lottery odds for June's draft.

The Knicks (14-53) haven't done those odds any good by winning two of their last four as they continue a seven-game stretch against the Western Conference. Tuesday's 104-100 overtime win over San Antonio was their sixth victory in 12 at home after winning three of their first 20 at Madison Square Garden, one of two potential sites for the draft.

Langston Galloway had a career-high 22 points for the Knicks, Alexey Shved scored 21, and Lou Amundson finished with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.

"It a special win for the team and a good win for the fans," said Shved, who's had the unfortunate path of playing the previous two seasons in Minnesota before beginning this year with Philadelphia, spending nine games with Houston and eventually landing in New York. "They saw a great game today and I hope we will show a little bit more wins. We just try to play hard every time."

Shved has started six straight games and averaged 17.8 points.

Galloway was 10 of 18 from the field, and though his scoring average hasn't ballooned like his fellow guard's, his efficiency has improved. Over the past six games, the rookie is shooting 51.7 percent after entering with a 38.1-percent mark.

The Timberwolves (14-53) have won two of three in the series, including a 115-99 victory in Minnesota on Nov. 19. Kevin Martin had a season-high 37 points with a 7-of-11 3-point mark in what would be his last game for more than two months due to a fractured right wrist. The shooting guard scored 30 and was 5 of 5 from beyond the arc in his last visit to MSG on Nov. 3, 2013, bumping his career average as a starter in the building to 27.8 points while hitting 51.6 percent from long range.

Martin matched that season high of 37 in Wednesday's 105-100 loss in Toronto, while reserve Chase Budinger had 19 and is averaging 15.7 in his last three.

It was Minnesota's sixth straight defeat and seventh consecutive on the road. At 5-28 on the road, only 5-30 New York is worse. Only the 9-25 Timberwolves are worse at home than the 9-23 Knicks.

Defensively, Minnesota has been even more of a mess than normal over the last 10 games with teams averaging 108.2 points while shooting 49.7 percent and 40.6 from 3-point range. Toronto was 12 of 29 from beyond the arc.

"They made some tough 3s, some timely 3s, and just broke our back with them," assistant coach Sam Mitchell said after filling in for Flip Saunders, who was away from the team to be with his ailing father.

Saunders is expected to rejoin the team in New York.

Minnesota's Kevin Garnett (left knee) and Nikola Pekovic (right ankle) were absent for a fourth straight game. Gary Neal (right ankle) missed his third straight.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (sprained right wrist) and Cleanthony Early (sprained left ankle) both missed the Knicks' latest contest.