The Minnesota Timberwolves will be at the Moda Center to square off against a divisional foe in the Portland Trail Blazers. The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 9 and will air on CNW and FNo.
The Trail Blazers beat the Thunder 120-115 on Wednesday. Al-Farouq Aminu led all scorers on the team with 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 105-97 win over the Kings on Thursday. Zach LaVine stood out, recording 18 points, three steals, and two assists.
The physical Timberwolves offense seems poised to make an impact from the foul line. They rank third in the NBA at getting to the stripe (free throw attempt rate of 33.2), while Portland is among the league’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 27th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 30.8).
The Trail Blazers have won all three matchups against the Timberwolves this season, including a close 96-93 victory in their last matchup. Despite the loss, Ricky Rubio was a top performer in the game with 15 points, four rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and one three-pointer.
The Trail Blazers are attempting to build on their records of 43-37 Straight Up (SU) and 44-36 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 3-12 SU and 6-9 ATS against teams from their own division. The Trail Blazers have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire league, averaging 108.2 points per game. The Trail Blazers are a high-volume three-point shooting team with 10.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. The Trail Blazers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the fifth-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 45.6 per game, while the Timberwolves rank 26th in the league with 41.6 per game.
On the other side, Minnesota has a SU record of 27-52 and an ATS record of 37-41-1. Minnesota has records of 10-4 SU and 8-6 ATS against the Northwest. Minnesota has been playing better lately, averaging 110.8 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 101.8. Minnesota is the top foul-shooting team in the league, knocking down 1,691 shots from the line (21.0 per game).
The Trail Blazers’ win over Minnesota in their last game moved their SU record against Minnesota to 8-2 over the last 10 meetings. The Trail Blazers also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Por
Notes
“Portland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Portland’s last 9 games “.
“Portland is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Portland’s last 7 games at home”.
“Portland is 11-4-1 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Minnesota”.
“Portland is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing Minnesota”.
“The total has gone OVER in 16 of Portland’s last 23 games when playing Minnesota”.
“Portland is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota”.
“Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota”.
Portland is 10-4 SU against the division, while Minnesota is struggling at 3-12 SU.
On average, Minnesota scores 101.8 points per game (ranked 20th), while Portland allows 104.4 points per game (ranked 19th).
Minnesota scores an average of 103.2 points per away game (ranked seventh). Portland ranks 19th in points allowed per home game with 102.3.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 12-11 record. When scoring fewer than 100 points, the Portland Trail Blazers have an abysmal record of 4-19.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Timberwolves are just 15-41 this season. Portland is a solid 39-18 when registering triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 106.1 (ranked 20th), while the Timberwolves rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
Minnesota has an average field goal percentage of 46.1% (ranked eighth). Portland is a subpar 11-23 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Portland Trail Blazers rank lower for their field goal percentage (15th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (ninth), but the Minnesota Timberwolves have a better FG% ranking (eighth) than their EFF% ranking (20th).
On average, the Minnesota Timberwolves make 23.1 assists per game and the Portland Trail Blazers make 21.4. Minnesota is ranked ninth, while Portland is ranked 21st.
The Portland Trail Blazers average 4.6 blocks per game for a rank of 18th. The Minnesota Timberwolves rank lower (19th), earning 4.5 blocks each game.
Portland ranks fourth in offensive rebounding, placing the team near the top of the pack. Minnesota, however, ranks 27th in defensive rebounds.
Minnesota makes around 7.9 steals per game. When Portland gives up 7 or more steals, the team has an even 26-26 record.
