The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Sacramento Kings at Target Center on Monday.

The Kings (31-28) have lost two of their last three games coming into this matchup but analyzing those losses shows just how good this team has been. In fact, Sacramento lost by equal two-point margins at the hands of the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors. Those are the two best teams in the Western Conference and it says a lot about this team and just how competitive they are. They actually followed that up with a three-point victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as that is yet another dominant Western Conference foe. This run has gotten them within a game of the Los Angeles Clippers in eighth, as Sacramento looks like the far better team. Reaching the postseason would be a heck of an achievement, especially when you consider the fact that many people had this team pegged to finish bottom-five at the beginning of the season.

The Timberwolves (28-31) come into this matchup winning three of their last four games, as they're making one final push at a playoff berth. Minnesota currently sits four games back in the Clippers in eighth and that's a lot of ground to make up with Sacramento and the Lakers just ahead of them. Getting Karl-Anthony Towns back is critical in terms of making one final run, as he is currently in concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in a car crash. The good news is that it's not too serious, as he's expected to return possibly for this matchup. Getting Jeff Teague back was huge add too and they need their full arsenal if they want to make up this deep margin.

This is the fourth and final meeting between these teams, with Sacramento prevailing in two of three. In fact, the home team has won all three fixtures, with the home team averaging 131.3 points per game.