The Minnesota Timberwolves (25-51) challenge the visiting Dallas Mavericks (38-38) at the Target Center. The game gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 3 and can be seen on FSW and FNo.
The Timberwolves are expecting better results after their 98-85 loss to the Jazz on Friday. Nemanja Bjelica played well for Minnesota, recording 15 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are coming off a 98-89 win against the Pistons on Friday. J.J. Barea was the team’s top scorer, recording 29 points on 13-for-23 shooting.
Over the last five games, Barea has been hot for the Mavericks. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.8 three-pointers.
The Mavericks have won all three games against the Timberwolves this season, including a decisive 128-101 victory in their last matchup. In the victory, Chandler Parsons led all scorers on the team with 29 points.
The Timberwolves are looking to improve on their records of 25-51 Straight Up (SU) and 35-40-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 7-3 ATS. The Timberwolves have made 1,625 free throws this season (21.0 per game), which leads the league.
On the other side, Dallas has a SU record of 38-38 and an ATS record of 40-34-2. Against the Western Conference, Dallas is 38-38 SU and 40-34-2 ATS. Dallas is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, hitting .797 of their shots from the line. The Mavericks rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.81.
In their previous meeting this season, Dallas beat Minnesota, moving its SU record against the Timberwolves to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The Mavericks also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Dal
Notes
“Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 7 games “.
“Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games at home”.
“Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Dallas”.
“Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas”.
“Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas”.
“Minnesota is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Dallas”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas”.
Minnesota’s offense and Dallas’ defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Minnesota puts up 101.8 points per game (ranked 18th). Dallas allows 103.5 points per game, which is also ranked 18th.
Minnesota ranks 25th in points per home game with 100.9 points, while Dallas ranks 16th in points allowed on the road with 104.3.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves have an 11-10 record. When they don’t reach the century mark, the Dallas Mavericks have a poor record of 12-21.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Timberwolves are just 14-41 this season. Dallas is a solid 26-17 when it hits the century mark.
The Mavericks have a defensive rating of 105.3 (ranked 17th). The Timberwolves rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
With 97.4 possessions and 1.045 points per possession, the Minnesota Timberwolves perform worse on both metrics than the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas averages 97.8 possessions and 1.053 points per possession.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average an effective field goal percentage of 49.5% this season. The Dallas Mavericks have a poor record of 13-28 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.5% or greater.
On average, the Minnesota Timberwolves attempt 16.0 three point field goals per game and the Dallas Mavericks attempt 28.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Minnesota has a winning 3-1 record, while Dallas is 27-28.
Dallas ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.81 (ranked fourth). Minnesota is ranked 15th, with an A/TO of 1.60 this season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.6 per game. The Dallas Mavericks average 43.1 rebounds (ranked 19th).
The Dallas Mavericks rank 26th in offensive rebounding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves rank 28th in defensive rebounding.
Minnesota has forced an average turnover rate of 14.4% this season. In games where their turnover rate is 14.4% or higher, Dallas is an even 14-14.
