The Houston Rockets (1-0) take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (0-1) at Toyota Center in game two of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The game will air on TNT at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.
Houston opened as a 10.5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 214.5 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets Free Prediction
Harden scored a game-high 44 points in game one, in which the Rockets topped the Timberwolves 104-101 but were unable to cover as 11.5-point favorites. He also put up eight assists. The game finished with a total of 205 points, which was 10 points below the projected point total of 215 points. The Rockets’ 10.6 turnover percentage was their largest advantage over the Timberwolves, who had a mark of 12.3.
Houston could have their way on the offensive side of the ball as their high-powered offense goes up against one of the NBA’s worst defenses. The Rockets rank first in offensive efficiency, while Minnesota ranks 24th in defensive efficiency. Moreover, the Timberwolves are among the NBA’s best on the offensive backboards, ranking fourth in offensive rebounding percentage (24.4 percent). The Rockets, however, rank third in defensive rebounding percentage (79.8 percent).
Minnesota comes into the game with records of 47-36 straight up (SU) and 39-41-3 against the spread (ATS). Of the Timberwolves’ 83 games, 45 have finished over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Houston is 66-17 SU and 41-40-2 ATS. Vegas has a tendency to place the total high when the Rockets are involved, as 48 of their 83 games have finished under the projected point total.
Jeff Teague has averaged 19.0 points, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals over the last five games for Minnesota.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets Betting Pick
Free NBA Tip: SU Winner – Timberwolves, ATS Winner – Timberwolves, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Minnesota is 18-22-2 ATS with 21 overs and 21 unders.
At home, Houston is 17-24-1 ATS with 23 unders and 19 overs.
Minnesota is 19-4 when they allow below 100 points, while Houston is 32-3.
In games where they score over 100 points, the Rockets are 63-12 and the Timberwolves are 44-23.
Houston ranks first in three pointers attempted per game (42.3) while Minnesota ranks last (22.5).
The Timberwolves rank fourth in points in the paint per game (49.2) while the Rockets rank 28th (40.9).
Minnesota ranks first in steals allowed per game (6.5) while Houston ranks 11th (7.4).
The Timberwolves rank 17th in assists per game (22.7) while the Rockets rank 27th (21.5).
Houston ranks 16th in fast break points per game (11.4) while Minnesota ranks 25th (9.7).
The Rockets rank fifth in blocks allowed per game (4.4) while the Timberwolves rank 12th (4.7).
Minnesota ranks fifth in points off turnovers per game (17.5) while Houston ranks 11th in points off turnovers allowed per game (15.6).
The Timberwolves average 13.6 second chance points per game, which ranks seventh in the NBA. The Rockets rank ninth in second chance points allowed per game (11.9).
Minnesota is third in the league with 41.8 rebounds allowed per game while Houston is fourth with 42.1 rebounds allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Minnesota is 5-0 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
Houston is 0-5 ATS with 5 unders over their last five games.
The Timberwolves’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.0, up from 2.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Rockets have scored an average of 98.0 points per game (14.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 99.6 points per game (4.2 below their season average).
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