The Sacramento Kings will travel to the Target Center to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 18 and will air on CSA and FNo.
The Timberwolves lost to the Knicks 107-102 on Wednesday. Ricky Rubio was the top performer for the Timberwolves, contributing nine points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. The Kings, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-97 win over the Rockets on Tuesday. Omri Casspi stood out, accumulating 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Over the last five games, Rajon Rondo has been on a tear for the Kings. During that stretch, he has averaged 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 2.6 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Timberwolves won the first game 101-91. Rondo played a big role with 16 points and 16 assists.
The Timberwolves are favored by a slight one-point margin in their matchup against Sacramento. The matchup currently has a 213-point Over/Under (O/U). The Timberwolves enter the game with records of 9-16 Straight Up (SU) and 10-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 2-7-1 ATS. The Timberwolves are an exceptional shooting team from the line with 22.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Across the court, the Kings head into the game with records of 12-13 ATS and 10-15 SU. In Western Conference games, Sacramento has gone 4-11 SU and 7-8 ATS. They sport the third-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 105.0 points per game. The Kings are shooting very well so far with a .367 three-point field-goal percentage that ranks fifth in the NBA.
Minnesota won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Kings still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 6-4 SU. The Timberwolves hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sac, ATS Winner – Sac, O/U – Over
Notes
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 7 games.
Minnesota is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games.
Minnesota is 3-18 SU in its last 21 games at home.
Minnesota is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games at home.
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento.
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Minnesota’s last 23 games when playing at home against Sacramento.
Sacramento ranks third in points per game with 105.0, while Minnesota ranks 23rd in points allowed with an average of 104.0 given up.
Sacramento averages 106.9 points per road game, placing the team third-best in the NBA. Minnesota, on the other hand, gives up 106.5 points per home game (ranked 27th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Sacramento Kings are a dazzling 5-1. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a poor record of 2-5.
Both Sacramento and Minnesota have losing records when they allow and score at least 100 points, respectively. The Kings are 5-14 in the former situation, and the Timberwolves are 7-11 in the latter.
The Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 104.0 (ranked 17th), while the Kings rank 12th for their offensive rating of 102.7.
The Sacramento Kings have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the league with a FG% of 45.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Minnesota Timberwolves have an abysmal 3-10 record.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 16.0 three point attempts per game, while the Sacramento Kings attempt 22.0. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Minnesota is a perfect 1-0, while Sacramento is an even 4-4.
Minnesota has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.46 this season (ranked 18th). Sacramento ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.52 (ranked 14th).
The Minnesota Timberwolves rebound 44.2 times per game and are ranked 13th. Ranked 11th, the Sacramento Kings rebound 44.4 times per game.
The Sacramento Kings rank seventh in offensive rebounding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
Sacramento is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.8% (ranked eighth). Minnesota has a 4-5 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.8% or greater.
