While the Warriors have spoiled their fans in recent years to the point where the 8-3 start is something completely normal, the Wolves fans are ecstatic for their team 7-3 record. One of the two will have to confess the fourth loss, but overall we are ought to see an exciting matchup with a lot of buckets scored on both ends.
Timberwolves at Warriors
Spread: Golden State -11 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 229 points (-110)
Minnesota getting steam, win for the fifth time in a row
Only a year after losing so many close games, the Minnesota Timberwolves additions helped them flip the switch and turn the deciders into their favor. The Wolves have been a winner of five consecutive games and after winning close for three, they’ve now managed to improve and hand double-digit losses to Dallas and Charlotte on back-to-back nights. It’s the first five-game winning streak in eight years, and surely a promise of what’s yet to come.
On Sunday, the hot shooting was on display. The Timberwolves scored 68 first-half points and cruised to victory on the wave of 46 percent shooting, 42 from the three-point range. They were aggressive to go at the rim, resulting in 30 free throw attempts. It was a full squad’s day of work. The shots and points were well distributed with five players scoring between 15 and 20 points, and Butler took only 6 shots to score 13. Karl Anthony-Towns once again had some foul trouble, but it didn’t hurt his contribution as he finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Crawford was slow to open the season, but the Wolves has recently found out what he can bring off the bench, and Dieng had a strong game for the second unit as well. Leading the way was Teague. He got hot from outside in the second quarter, part of a 21-4 run that turned a one-point game into the Wolves’ second consecutive breeze. The defense has also started clicking, although they held a third straight opponent to fewer than 100 only because the Hornets shot just 24 percent in the fourth quarter.
The Wolves are happy and healthy to start this three-game road trip. They will have 3 full days to recover after meeting the Warriors, so they should give their best shot in this game.
Place: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 8th, 2017. 10:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: ESPN
Golden State crushes Miami by defense
I’ve seen it coming. The Warriors have been fixing some of the early season problems like on a checklist. The defense has been the latest among the fixes and the Heat can testify that there’s nothing broke with it any more. Golden State held them to just 80 points in another easy 97-80 victory, one that has tied them with the Rockets on top of the Western Conference standings.
It was as scripted for our bet in the game, including the live bet prospect. The Golden State Warriors used a late first-half surge to create separation from Miami who couldn’t replicate the ball movement that allowed them to create open shots in Clippers’ game. Instead, the Dubs held them to 36 percent shooting and won comfortably despite their own struggles shooting the ball. Miami is a good defensive team, but a part of it was just ignoring it and taking bad shots for the champs. Curry was the most guilty party, with 6-of-19 night, and the other Splash Brother, Thompson couldn’t get going either, connecting on just five of fifteen field goal attempts. Durant and Green (4-of-6 from deep) led the Warriors with 21 and 18 points respectively. The Warriors took care of the ball again, committing 14 turnovers. They had the most success in transition before Miami could set the D, scoring 26 points on the fast break. Despite what the result tells you, it was a game with a decent rhythm, with both sides using smaller lineups after Spoelstra pulled Whiteside early due to poor body language and activity.
There are no injuries on the Warriors roster either, so both sides will be at full strength. This is the second of the four games during this homestand for the Warriors.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors Game Trends & Prediction
The Timberwolves had big expectations from the pundits so it’s good to see them rise to meet them. For us, this means that they’ll provide about 50-50 against the spread, as long as they continue to play well. They are 5-4-1 at the moment, so the best approach is to carefully pick your wagers. They tend to give up more points away from home, and it translates to a 4-1 over/under record on the road. Overall, they are 6-3 against the total points lines.
Despite facing an extremely high handicap, the Warriors finally delivered at home. This shows their progress as well, as they are now a two-headed dragon once again – playing offense and defense. It’s their fourth consecutive cover, and it brings their ATS record to a very respectable 5-6, especially as you know that the books are fading them as much as they can. With 177 points scored and the closing line of 223.5, it was as big of an under as you’ll ever see. Still, the Warriors have been money on the overs side so far, going 7-4 overall.
Admi-Rank: The Warriors are near perfect, but are currently playing in a way that will allow them to stay at this historic rank. The Wolves are climbing, making a name for themselves and figure to be a certain playoff team in the West as of now. They are still miles away from the Warriors, so they should look at this game as a good opportunity to measure their progress against the very best.
I watch as many games as I can, as it provides me a sports perspective to this numbers business and I surely won’t miss this gem. There’s no doubt that the Warriors can manhandle any opposition when playing at their best, but I’m really curious to see how they play this well balanced Timberwolves team, led by a good coach. It’s probably the best squad they faced since the opener, and it works both ways.
With all the promise that the Wolves bring, there’s still no other option for the bookmakers but to set a double-digit spread. The Warriors will have to beat the Wolves by 11 points of more to beat this spread, and if any team can do it at a better than 50 percent clip, it’s them. The Wolves do not pose a threat from deep, usually at least, so they’ll probably have a hard time putting the ball through the hoop. Their defense on the road is a suspect, too. I’m willing to take the big jolly here, as my numbers show at least 13 points of difference between the two sides.
The total points over/under line has been set to 229, which is actually pretty good. My numbers show 227.5, but the model is now overreacting to 50 minus points in Miami game, so there’s no room to bet either way.
My Pick: Golden State -11 (-110)
Total: (no wager on the total points here)
