Timberwolves' Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo close to return from injury, team says
The Minnesota Timberwolves should soon get a boost on the court, with two key contributors set to return from injury.
The team said Thursday that Julius Randle has been cleared for 5-on-5 basketball practice activities, while Donte DiVincenzo can now perform non-contact basketball activities.
DiVincenzo has been out since Jan. 15 with a toe injury, while Randle strained his groin on Jan. 30.
Both players came to the Wolves via the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the New York Knicks last offseason. Randle's been in the starting lineup all year and is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. DiVincenzo, who has seen his minutes go up throughout the season, is shooting 36.9% from three-point range and averaging 11 points a game, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists a night.
It's unclear when Randle or DiVincenzo will actually return to the court. The Wolves are back from the All-Star break Friday night with a road game against the Houston Rockets.
The Wolves sit at 31-25, in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference. Just before the break, they earned one of their best wins of the season, handling the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 116-101. In addition to missing Randle and DiVincenzo, Rudy Gobert sat out that game.
Earlier this month, an arbitration panel's ruling cleared the way for Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to take control of the Wolves from owner Glen Taylor.
