The Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and can be seen on FSN and FNo.
The Pelicans come into this game on a high note after defeating the Thunder 123-119 on Thursday. Anthony Davis was the team’s high scorer with 30 points on 11-for-26 shooting. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 114-105 loss against the Raptors on Wednesday. Gorgui Dieng played well for Minnesota, posting 21 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
Davis and Jrue Holiday have played well over the last five games for the Pelicans. During that stretch, Davis has averaged 31.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers, while Holiday has recorded 21.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers a game. On the other side, the Timberwolves have their own duo that have been hot in that span. Karl-Anthony Towns has averaged 22.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.0 blocks, while Ricky Rubio has put up 12.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers.
The Pelicans have emerged victorious in both matchups against the Timberwolves this year, including a 116-102 victory in their last matchup. In the victory, Jrue Holiday led all scorers on the team with 27 points.
The Pelicans are hoping to improve on their records of 23-34 Straight Up (SU) and 24-33 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 23-34 SU and 24-33 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Pelicans have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the league in home offense with 107.2 points per game. New Orleans has given up very few turnovers with only an average of 12.6 per game.
In the other locker room, the Timberwolves head into the game with records of 26-31-1 ATS and 18-40 SU. Minnesota has records of 18-40 SU and 26-31-1 ATS against the West. Minnesota is the top foul-shooting team in the league, knocking down 1,266 shots from the line (21.0 per game).
New Orleans won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record to 7-3 over the Timberwolves in the last 10 games. The Pelicans also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – NO
Notes
“New Orleans is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games “.
“New Orleans is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 14 of New Orleans’s last 19 games “.
“New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“New Orleans is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 11 of New Orleans’s last 12 games at home”.
“New Orleans is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota”.
“New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota”.
“The total has gone OVER in 9 of New Orleans’s last 13 games when playing Minnesota”.
“New Orleans is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota”.
Minnesota ranks 19th in points per game with 100.9, while New Orleans ranks 25th in points allowed with an average of 105.6 given up.
New Orleans ranks 27th in points allowed per home game (105.9 PPG), while Minnesota ranks 11th in points per away game with 101.4.
When allowing under 100 points, Minnesota has a 10-7 record this season. New Orleans, on the other hand, is winless (0-26) when scoring fewer than 100 points.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Timberwolves are just 8-33 this season. New Orleans is a winning 23-8 when registering triple digits.
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 107.2 (ranked 27th), while the Timberwolves rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.2.
Minnesota has an average field goal percentage of 45.8% (ranked 10th). New Orleans is a poor 12-20 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The New Orleans Pelicans rank lower for their field goal percentage (18th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (13th), but the Minnesota Timberwolves have a better FG% ranking (10th) than their EFF% ranking (23rd).
New Orleans makes an average of 21.8 assists per game (ranked 15th). Minnesota ranks higher in assists with 22.5 (ranked 11th).
The New Orleans Pelicans average 4.7 blocks per game for a rank of 16th. The Minnesota Timberwolves rank lower (19th), earning 4.6 blocks each game.
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 22nd in offensive rebounding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves rank 26th in defensive rebounding.
On average, New Orleans makes 7.8 steals per game. Minnesota is a subpar 12-31 when it gives up at least 7 steals.
