On Sunday, it’s the only time the Charlotte Hornets play at Target Center, as they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite two rarely connected, they are in a similar situation – both franchises traded for veterans to improve their chances of getting to the big dance, and can already see some improvement. This game is a good opportunity to see how they stack up against a team trying to grab the last spot in the opposing conference.
Hornets at Timberwolves
Spread: Minnesota -5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 216.5 points (-110)
In a search for offense, the Jazz forget to play D against Toronto
Nice three-game win streak came to an end in San Antonio, but the Charlotte Hornets have to be happy with the fight they put in. In a close game where neither team could create much separation, the Hornets gave themselves a decent chance. On a road, there’s not much you can ask. The Hornets played without starting small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who was away from the team with an excused personal absence.
They were in this game until the last two minutes, falling behind 101-108 on some bad free throw shooting and previously, poor bench play. In fact, the starters not only held their ground, but managed to build a 6-point lead midway in the third, but when they sat for a breather, the Spurs bench dominated the game and took the momentum away. It was a waste of a terrific shooting night for Jeremy Lamb, who got hot early and stayed hot. He scored season-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, and he added 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals for a complete performance. Walker had better games than the 13-points, 4-assists, no rebounds showing in San Antonio, and Dwight Howard managed to play a key factor by dominating performance in the paint, only to be undone at the charity stripe. He double-doubled with 20 points and 13 rebounds (7 on the offensive end), but he missed 10 of 20 free throws. Bench guys scored only 16 points total. The Hornets were shorthanded, so that’s a part of the explanation, but it’s still negative when the reserve unit allows so many points to the other bench (64!).
Point guard Michael Carter-Williams was cleared medically to play but Clifford didn’t use him, as Carter-Williams works to regain game conditioning. Batum is weeks away, and Kidd-Gilchrist should return for this game.
Place: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date/Time: Sunday, November 5th, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSN, FSSEC
With Anthony-Towns in foul trouble, others step up to win in NOLA
Baring a slip up at home against Dallas, the Minnesota Timberwolves could be coming to the game against Charlotte on a 4-game win streak. They managed to knock some good team along the way, but nothing had come easy – the Wolves had to work hard to achieve this, and this will help the younger forces to understand how much effort it takes to win constantly. Prior to the Dallas game, the Wolves have won 5 games this season, 4 of which by a single shot. Only the last game against the Pelicans was ‘dominant’ – Wolves 104 Pelicans 98.
While the final score indicates irony, the Wolves were mostly in control in that game. They led the entire way, opening up double-digit lead at halftime, and responding to a Pelicans third-quarter run with a run of their own. This pushed the lead back to 10 with half of a quarter to go. The Wolves lost it all and came in the clutch minutes tied before Jimmy Butler made an And-1 to wrap up the game. The game was a testament to resilience and growth, but there’s still work to be done. The Wolves usual malaise, three-point shooting, created trouble again. Despite having good touch on the inside, they’ve shot only 6-of-22 outside the arc. Five of the six makes came off the bench, where Bjelica and Crawford finally had some decent contributions to help out. The starters struggled with shooting in this one. Wiggins was just 9-of-21, 0-of-5 from three and 0-of-3 on freebies. KAT was held to 2 points, going 1-of-7 from the field and struggling with foul trouble from the get-go, as he was completely overwhelmed by Cousins and Davis. The Wolves also gave up 22 possessions on turnovers, suffering for poor point guard play. So how did they win? They made shots when it mattered and defended for the most part of the game.
Coming into the first game of a weekend home back-to-back set, the Wolves are healthy and happy. They continue the season with a three-game road trip, with a visit to Oakland to kick start it.
Charlotte Hornets at Minnesota Timberwolves Game Trends & Prediction
Being only a small dog in San Antonio, the Hornets failed to cover, breaking a streak of three moneymaking games. They are still positive this season, sporting a 5-4 ATS record, but are only 1-3 away from home. This was also a fourth consecutive game with an over, after they kicked off the season with 5 unders. It’s worth noting that they faced lines higher than 210 just three times so far.
Despite winning just barely, the Minnesota T-Wolves managed to cover three times, and during this win streak, they’ve enjoyed two of those, along with one push. They are 3-4-1 this season, which is not a bad record considering high expectations. The game against the Pels also marked the first time this season that they’ve played an under, an only the second time that they’ve held opponents under 100 points. In the total market, they are 6-1-1 coming to the Saturday’s game.
Admi-Rank: One loss doesn’t have enough negative effect to undo the previous good the Hornets had done, so they still carry some momentum coming to this game. The Wolves are also just warming up their engines, so it’s not like we have totally hot teams. Hosts have a minor edge in comparison to their foes, but additional factors will affect the spread.
With the injuries to Hornets players, and the regular short rotation of the Timberwolves, both teams will have to maintain the high intensity for the entire 48 minutes. KAT has an opportunity to show that he’s not a softie, battling on the inside with Howard, but the Wolves have to shoot better from the outside to disturb usually a very steady Hornets defense. If Kidd-Gilchrist finally gets his head into playing basketball, the Wolves will have one of their wings weapons neutralized. On the other side, the Hornets can afford falling behind each game like they tend to, and should try to wake the Wolves fatigue for playing with no rest kicking early on.
The books have set the Timberwolves at a 5-point jolly at home. This opens up a slight away value, but not exactly enough to be accepted. Should you get a 6-point of an advantage at the standard price, then go for the Hornets cover. My investment is going to be the under 216.5 points. The two teams match up really well, and both coaches preach defense. The units are also capable of shutting down the easy baskets, so my own number of 212 points looks much more realistic.
My Pick: (currently no bet, minimum price for Charlotte is +6 (-110))
Total: Under 216.5 points (-110)
