Northwest Division foes will collide when the Minnesota Timberwolves (8-10) play the Portland Trail Blazers (8-12) at the Target Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 5 and can be seen on POR and FS+.
The Timberwolves are expecting a better outcome after their 96-93 loss to the Magic on Tuesday. Andrew Wiggins was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a 123-111 win against the Pacers on Thursday. Damian Lillard was the team’s top scorer, registering 26 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
Wiggins has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Timberwolves. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, and 1.0 three-pointer.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first matchup 106-101. Lillard was the game’s top overall scorer with 34 points.
The Timberwolves are a slim two-point favorite at home against Portland. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 205 points. The Timberwolves come into this game 8-10 Straight Up (SU) and 10-8 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-4 SU and 4-3 ATS against the Western Conference. The Timberwolves are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 22.0 per game.
As for their opponent, the Trail Blazers have 8-12 SU and 10-10 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Portland is 7-9 SU and 9-7 ATS.
Portland beat Minnesota in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. Furthermore, the Trail Blazers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Por, ATS Winner – Por, O/U – Under
Notes
Minnesota is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games at home.
Minnesota is 2-15 SU in its last 17 games at home.
Minnesota is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Minnesota’s last 21 games when playing Portland.
Minnesota is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games when playing Portland.
Minnesota is 3-10-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Portland.
Minnesota is 4-13 ATS in its last 17 games when playing at home against Portland.
Minnesota is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Portland.
Minnesota scores an average of 100.7 points per game (ranked 15th). Portland ranks 20th in points allowed per game with 102.2.
On average, Minnesota puts up 97.8 points per home game (ranked 23rd), while Portland allows 101.4 points per away game (ranked 17th).
Minnesota has a 6-3 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. Portland has yet to win a game in which it puts up fewer than 100 (0-6).
At 2-7, the Minnesota Timberwolves have an underachieving record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Portland Trail Blazers are 8-6 when they put up triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 104.0 (ranked 23rd). The Timberwolves rank 18th for their offensive rating of 101.3.
Minnesota averages 99.5 possessions per game, scoring 1.013 points on each possession. While Portland averages fewer possessions per game with 98.6, the team scores more points per possession with 1.032.
Portland has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.2% (ranked eighth in the league}. Minnesota is a subpar 1-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Minnesota makes an average of 20.2 assists per game (ranked 22nd). Portland ranks higher in assists with 20.5 (ranked 20th).
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 4.9 blocks per game for a rank of 17th. The Portland Trail Blazers rank lower (21st), earning 4.5 blocks each game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 21st in offensive rebounding, while the Portland Trail Blazers rank eighth in defensive rebounding.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 7.1 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Portland Trail Blazers have a losing record (4-8) this season.
