Wolves vs. Lakers: Remembering Flip

By: Jonah Sprinkel

After the first loss at Target Center in what feels like an eternity, the Minnesota Timberwolves will try to return to form against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight.

However, the game itself will not be the center of attention as the Timberwolves will honor the life of the late Flip Saunders. Saunders’ name will be placed in the rafters of Target Center and a commemorative coin will be given out to fans in attendance. The ceremony will take place at 7:15 p.m.

Outside of Kevin Garnett, Saunders is the single most important figure in Wolves history. He has the most coaching wins in franchise history by a mile. He's also the original architect of the Wolves current squad. The people who spent any amount of time around Saunders only had positive things to say about him. While I could give you a list of Saunders' accomplishments, I think it’s more appropriate to let his peers and former players speak on him.

Three Things

For anyone interested, here are the projected starting lineups and prediction for tonight's game.

Projected starters

Lakers: PG Josh Hart, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Brandon Ingram, PF Julius Randle, C Brook Lopez

Wolves: PG Jeff Teague, SG Jimmy Butler, SF Andrew Wiggins, PF Taj Gibson, C Karl-Anthony Towns

Prediction

The Wolves right the ship and take advantage of a young team with some new faces, 115-107.