The Minnesota Timberwolves head to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. The game gets underway at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday, Nov. 7 and will air on WGN, FS+ and C+D.
The Bulls beat the Thunder 104-98 on Thursday. Derrick Rose was the team’s high scorer with 29 points on 12-for-25 shooting. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 96-84 loss to the Heat on Thursday. Shabazz Muhammad had a team-high 14 points.
The Bulls are a heavy nine-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is 199 points. The Bulls enter the game with records of 4-2 Straight Up (SU) and 2-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect Chicago to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Timberwolves, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the league with an average of 25.5 fouls per game.
Across the court, the Timberwolves head into the game with records of 2-2 both ATS and SU. The Timberwolves are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .820 free throw percentage that ranks fifth in the NBA.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time the Bulls and the Timberwolves played, Chicago won, moving its SU record against the Timberwolves to 9-1 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, the Bulls have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi, ATS Winner – Min, O/U – Under
Notes
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 7 games.
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games at home.
Chicago is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago’s last 6 games when playing Minnesota.
Chicago is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago’s last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Chicago ranks 17th in points per game with 101.2, while Minnesota ranks eighth in points allowed with an average of 97.8 given up.
On average, Chicago scores 97.7 points per home game (ranked 20th), while Minnesota allows 94.5 points per away game (ranked sixth).
When giving up under 100 points, Chicago has a winning record of 3-1 this season. Minnesota has an even record of 1-1 when it puts up fewer than 100 points.
Chicago is an even 1-1 when it gives up 100 or more points in a game, while Minnesota is also at 0.500 (1-1) when it hits triple digits.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 100.4 (ranked 15th). The Timberwolves rank ninth for their defensive rating of 96.3.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 101.0 possessions per game and .970 points per possession. The Chicago Bulls earn fewer possessions with 100.8, but they score more points with 1.004.
Chicago is ranked ninth in the NBA with an average effective field goal percentage of 50.0%. Minnesota has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-2).
Chicago has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.46 this season (ranked 13th), while Minnesota ranks lower at 14th with an A/TO of 1.43.
The Chicago Bulls rebound 43.8 times per game and are ranked 17th. Ranked 19th, the Minnesota Timberwolves rebound 43.2 times per game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 27th in offensive rebounding, while the Chicago Bulls rank ninth in defensive rebounding.
Minnesota has forced an average turnover rate of 14.6% this season. In games where their turnover rate is 14.6% or higher, Chicago is an even 1-1.
