The New Orleans Pelicans (43-36) will have their hands full against the top shooting defense in the league when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (16-64) at the Target Center. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Apr. 13 and will air on FSN-NO.
The Timberwolves were beaten by the Warriors 110-101 on Saturday. Zach LaVine finished with 37 points to lead the game. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 90-75 win over the Suns on Friday. Anthony Davis led the team in scoring with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Over the last five games, Andrew Wiggins and LaVine have played at a high level for the Timberwolves. During that stretch, Wiggins has averaged 24.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals. Not to be outdone, LaVine has put up 20.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers.
New Orleans could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as it ranks fourth in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 27.2%. Conversely, Minnesota places 30th in the league on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 71.7%.
The Pelicans have won all three matchups against the Timberwolves this season, including a 110-88 blowout in their last matchup. Davis scored a game-high 28 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Timberwolves look to improve upon their records of 16-64 Straight Up (SU) and 33-45-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games.
On the other side, New Orleans has a SU record of 43-36 and an ATS record of 45-34. New Orleans has a record of 27-22 SU and 29-20 ATS against the West. New Orleans is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, converting .370 of their shots from three-point range. Switching gears to New Orleans’s defense, teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Pelicans, who are second in the league in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 521 this season. They average 6.2 blocks per game, good for tops in the league.
New Orleans won the last meeting this season between these two teams, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. The teams also have an even record ATS in the last 10. Minnesota has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10, while New Orleans accomplished this once.
Predictions: SU Winner – NO, ATS Winner – NO
Notes
On average, New Orleans puts up 99.0 points per game (ranked 16th). Minnesota ranks 30th in points allowed per game with 106.2.
New Orleans scores an average of 96.5 points per away game (ranked 22nd). Minnesota ranks 29th in points allowed per home game with 103.4.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Pelicans are 30-14 on the season. When the Timberwolves score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 6-41.
Both New Orleans and Minnesota have losing records when they allow and score at least 100 points, respectively. The Pelicans are 13-22 in the former situation, and the Timberwolves are 10-23 in the latter.
The Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 108.7 (ranked 30th), while the Pelicans rank ninth for their offensive rating of 105.0.
The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with a FG% of 45.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Minnesota Timberwolves have an abysmal 8-49 record.
Minnesota makes an average of 21.6 assists per game (ranked 16th). New Orleans ranks higher in assists with 22.1 (ranked 10th).
New Orleans averages a league-best 6.2 blocks per game. Minnesota is the worst team in terms of blocking, with 3.9 per game.
Minnesota is ranked eighth in offensive rebounding. New Orleans ranks 16th in defensive rebounds.
The Timberwolves record 8.2 steals per game on average (ranked eighth). The Pelicans are 14-16 when allowing at least 8 steals.
