The Minnesota Timberwolves (3-2) will have their chance to bring down the Eastern Conference’s best team when they take on the Atlanta Hawks (7-1) at Philips Arena. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 9 and will air on FxS and FNo.
The Hawks beat the Wizards 114-99 on Saturday. Kent Bazemore was the game’s high scorer with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 102-93 win over the Bulls on Saturday. Nemanja Bjelica had a good game and claimed his first double-double of the season, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hawks are a heavy nine-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 200 points. The Hawks enter the game with records of 7-1 Straight Up (SU) and 5-2-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Atlanta has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .815. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Atlanta, which ranks fifth at 1.86. If its opponents turn the ball over, Atlanta has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 23.4 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category. Minnesota has a habit of getting in foul trouble (25.2 fouls per game), so expect the Hawks to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
Across the court, the Timberwolves head into the game with records of 3-2 both ATS and SU. Minnesota’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking fourth in the NBA with only 94 points allowed per road game.
This is the first meeting of the season for the Hawks and the Timberwolves. The last time they played Atlanta came out on top, moving its SU record against the Timberwolves to 8-2 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. However, the Timberwolves lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl, ATS Winner – Atl, O/U – Under
Notes
Atlanta is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 6 games.
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Atlanta is 18-6 SU in its last 24 games at home.
Atlanta is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 6 games when playing Minnesota.
Atlanta is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota.
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Atlanta ranks sixth in points per game with 103.9, while Minnesota ranks seventh in points allowed with an average of 96.8 given up.
On average, Atlanta puts up 101.5 points per home game (ranked 16th), while Minnesota gives up 94.0 points per away game (ranked fourth).
Atlanta has not lost a game this season when giving up under 100 points (5-0). Minnesota is even (1-1) when it scores fewer than 100 this season.
When the Hawks give up 100 or more points, they are 2-1. When the Timberwolves hit triple digits, they also have a winning record (2-1).
The Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 93.6, third-best in the NBA. The Hawks also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 104.9 (ranked sixth).
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 102.6 possessions per game and .963 points per possession. The Atlanta Hawks earn fewer possessions with 99.0, but they score more points with 1.049.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average an effective field goal percentage of 43.8% this season. The Atlanta Hawks have a superb 7-1 record in games where opponents have an EFF% of 43.8% or greater.
Atlanta ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.86 (ranked fifth). Minnesota is ranked 13th, with an A/TO of 1.49.
Atlanta ranks 26th in rebounds per game with 42.1, while Minnesota ranks eighth with 46.2 per game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 24th in offensive rebounding, while the Atlanta Hawks rank 16th in defensive rebounding.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 15.0% this season. The Atlanta Hawks have a winning 2-1 record when their TOV% is 15.0% or higher.
