THURSDAY HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS:
BOYS HOCKEY
Rochester Lourdes @ Red Wing
GIRLS HOCKEY
Red Wing @ Mankato West
BOYS SWIMMING
Red Wing @ Austin
BOYS BASKETBALL
Red Wing @ St. Croix Central 7 pm on KCUE 1250 AM/98.9 FM live stream at www.q-mediagroup.com/kcue
Byron @ Goodhue
Lake City @ Pine Island
Cannon Falls @ Kasson-Mantorville
Kenyon-Wanamingo @ Medford
Ellsworth @ Osceola
Melrose-Mindoro @ Pepin-Alma
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Goodhue @ Byron 7 pm on KWNG 106 FM Â live stream at www.q-mediagroup.com/kwng
Pine Island @ Lake City 7:15 pm on KLCH 95 FM Â live stream at www.q-mediagroup.com/klch
Plainview-Elgin-Millville @ Rushford-Peterson on WPVW 1190 AM/99.7 FM live stream at
Cannon Falls @ Kasson-Mantorville
The Timberwolves have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season after falling to the New Orleans Pelicans 117-106 at the Target Center last night. The game was close through one quarter before New Orleans outscored Minnesota by 18 combined points in the second and third. Minnesota trailed by as many as 24 in the losing effort. Anthony Edwards poured in 35 points in the losing effort, while Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 22. Minnesota still leads the Western Conference at 24-and-9. They visit the Rockets tomorrow night.
Injuries are mounting for the Wild. The team placed forward Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon on short-term injured reserve yesterday. Kaprizov suffered an upper-body injury during Minnesota's loss against Winnipeg over the weekend and he hasn't played since. Spurgeon has been dealing with multiple injuries all season and has just five assists in 16 games. The short-handed Wild host the Tampa Bay Lighting at the Xcel Energy Center tonight.
Nick Mullens has been named the Vikings starting quarterback once again. Kevin O'Connell announced that Mullens will start Sunday's season finale at Detroit. Mullens has started two games this season, but he was benched prior to Minnesota's Week 17 game against the Packers. He's one of three quarterbacks to start for Minnesota in the two months since Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon. Mullens has completed over 67-percent of his passes for 910 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions this season.
A pair of Vikings players will be heading to Orlando for the Pro Bowl next month. Edge rusher Danielle Hunter and long snapper Andrew DePaola were both named to the Pro Bowl roster yesterday. Hunter will be making his fourth Pro Bowl appearance, and he's racked up 15-and-a-half sacks in 16 games this season. DePaola is Pro Bowler for the second straight season. Six other Vikings players were named as alternates.