NBA Odds: Timberwolves (even)
The Washington Wizards will travel to the Target Center to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 25 and will air on CSN-DC and FSN-N.
The Timberwolves lost to the Rockets 113-102 on Monday. Andrew Wiggins was the team’s high scorer, contributing 30. The Wizards, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-89 loss to the Pistons on Sunday. Marcin Gortat scored 24 points and recorded 10 rebounds earning his 15th double-double of the season.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. Minnesota is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking fifth in offensive rebound percentage at 27.9%. Meanwhile, the Wizards rank third in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 77.6%.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Wizards won the first game 109-95. John Wall played a big role with 21 points and 17 assists.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Timberwolves are looking to improve on their records of 12-43 Straight Up (SU) and 23-30-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 7-15 SU and 8-14 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Minnesota should have an edge at the free throw line. They average 19 made free throws per game, which is fourth-best in the NBA.
On the other side, the Wizards head into the game with records of 23-32-1 ATS and 33-23 SU. Washington has been particularly bad ATS over its past ten matchups, going 3-7. The Wizards are shooting lights out so far, with a .470 field-goal percentage that ranks third in the NBA. The Wizards are a top-five team in the league at finding the open man with an average of 24.4 assists per game.
Following the Wizards’ latest win over Minnesota, the head-to-head record between these two is now an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. They are even bets ATS in their last 10 meetings as well. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Washington held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last 10 meetings. Minnesota did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIN, ATS Winner – MIN
Notes
On average, Washington scores 99.3 points per game (ranked 19th). Minnesota ranks 29th in points allowed per game with 106.3.
Minnesota ranks 27th in points allowed per home game (103.1 PPG), while Washington ranks 20th in points per away game with 96.7.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Wizards are 27-4 on the season. When the Timberwolves score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 4-26.
Both Washington and Minnesota have losing records when they allow and score at least 100 points, respectively. The Wizards are 6-19 in the former situation, and the Timberwolves are 8-17 in the latter.
The Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 108.4 (ranked 30th), while the Wizards rank 16th for their offensive rating of 102.3.
Washington has an average field goal percentage of 47.0% (ranked third). Minnesota is a subpar 5-32 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Washington Wizards both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Minnesota is 28th and 24th in the league for EFF% and FG% respectively, while Washington ranks eighth and third in these categories.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 20th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.53. The Washington Wizards have a higher A/TO (1.70), ranking 10th.
The Timberwolves rank 25th in rebounds per game with 41.6, while the Wizards rank ninth with 44.0 per game.
Minnesota is ranked 29th in defensive rebounds, while Washington ranks 19th in offensive rebounds.
Minnesota ranks eighth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 15.3%. Washington has a 14-10 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
