The Minnesota Timberwolves (16-59) will try to bring their five-game home losing streak to a halt when they take on the Orlando Magic (22-53), who are on a 12-game road losing streak. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 3 and can be seen on FSN-FL and FSN-N.
The Timberwolves are are hoping for a better outcome after their 113-99 loss to the Raptors on Wednesday. Andrew Wiggins was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points. The Magic, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 103-91 loss against the Spurs on Wednesday. Victor Oladipo had a game-high 24 points.
Wiggins has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Timberwolves. During that stretch, he has averaged 24.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks. Elfrid Payton has been hot for the Magic. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 2.4 steals.
Scoring opportunities from the charity stripe may be sporadic for the Magic in this one. They’re 27th in the league in free throw attempt rate (23.3), while Minnesota is among the NBA’s least foul-prone teams (yielding a rate of 24.2, ranking fourth overall).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Magic winning the first matchup 112-103. Aaron Gordon had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 17 points, six rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and two three-pointers.
The odds for Minnesota and Orlando are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Timberwolves have gone 16-59 Straight Up (SU) and 31-42-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 9-20 SU and 11-18 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Timberwolves are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 19.6 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Magic have 22-53 SU and 37-37-1 ATS records. Orlando has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record.
The Magic’s win over Minnesota in their last clash bumped their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 8-2. Furthermore, the Magic hold the advantage ATS with a record of 8-2. Over the last 10 matchups, Orlando held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers four times. Minnesota performed this feat once.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIN, ATS Winner – MIN
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 7 games.
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 6 games at home.
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Minnesota is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Orlando.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games when playing Orlando.
Minnesota is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Orlando.
Minnesota ranks 21st in points per game with 97.7, while Orlando ranks 25th in points allowed with an average of 102.1 given up.
On average, Minnesota scores 97.2 points per home game (ranked 25th), while Orlando gives up 101.3 points per away game (ranked 18th).
The Timberwolves have an even 8-8 record in games where they allow fewer than 100 points. The Magic don’t do well when they score under 100 points, earning a 6-44 record on the season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have an underachieving 8-51 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Orlando Magic are 16-9 when they hit triple digits.
Minnesota’s offense and Orlando’s defense both rank 26th this season. Minnesota has an offensive rating of 100.0 and Orlando has a defensive rating of 105.8.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 97.7 possessions and 1.000 points per possession in games this season. The Orlando Magic average fewer possessions with 96.5, as well as fewer points per possession with .993.
Minnesota has an average effective field goal percentage of 46.8%. Orlando is an underachieving 13-45 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.51, rank 21st in the NBA. The Orlando Magic have a lower A/TO (1.45), ranking 24th.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.2 per game. The Orlando Magic average 41.5 rebounds (ranked 25th).
Minnesota is ranked 30th in defensive rebounds, while Orlando ranks 27th in offensive rebounds.
Minnesota is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.1% (ranked ninth). Orlando has a poor record of 10-28 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.1% or greater.
