The Minnesota Timberwolves (22-47) will have their chance to bring down the league’s top team when they play the Golden State Warriors (62-7) at the Target Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 21 and will air on GS2 and FNo.
The Timberwolves were beaten by the Rockets 116-111 on Friday. Despite the loss, Karl-Anthony Towns earned his 40th double-double this season with 32 points and 11 rebounds. The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-79 loss against the Spurs on Saturday. Draymond Green had a good game for Golden State, recording 11 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
The prolific offense of the Warriors (first in the league with an offensive efficiency of 113.1) will look to pick apart the poor defense of the Timberwolves (27th in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 107.8), a matchup that could favor Golden State.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Warriors won the first game 129-116. Stephen Curry was the game’s top overall scorer with 46 points.
The Timberwolves are hoping to improve on their records of 22-47 Straight Up (SU) and 32-36-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Even though they have an 11-21-1 record ATS, they are at home against Western Conference opponents. The Timberwolves have made 1,495 free throws this season (21.0 per game), which leads the league.
On the other side, the Warriors head into the game with records of 37-29-3 ATS and 62-7 SU. Against the Western Conference, Golden State is 62-7 SU and 37-29-3 ATS. The Warriors convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking second in the league at .487. Golden State is one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. The Warriors average 46.2 rebounds per game, making them the third-best team in the league for that category. The Warriors rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.98. Switching gears to Golden State’s defense, teams seem to consistently miss three-point shots against the Warriors, who are the third-best team in the league in terms of three-point field goal percentage allowed at .329. They average 6.0 blocks per game, good for fourth in the league.
With the Warriors’ last win against Minnesota, their SU record rises to 9-1 over the Timberwolves in the last 10 games. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
Both Golden State and Minnesota rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Golden State puts up 0.0 points per game, while Minnesota allows 0.0.
Golden State and Minnesota are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Golden State puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Minnesota gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Warriors are 22-1 on the season. When the Timberwolves score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 5-24.
Golden State has an outstanding 40-6 record when it gives up 100 or more points this season. Minnesota is 17-23 when it hits triple digits.
The Warriors have the league’s top offensive rating (113.1). The Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 107.8 (ranked 27th).
The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the league with a FG% of 46.2%. The Golden State Warriors have a superb 16-5 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 15.0 three point attempts per game, and the Golden State Warriors attempt 31.0 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, Minnesota is an even 1-1, while Golden State has a record of 57-6.
Golden State ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.98 (ranked second). Minnesota is ranked 15th, with an A/TO of 1.60 this season.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 46.2 per game (ranked third). The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the worst rebounding teams with 41.6 rebounds per game (ranked 28th).
Minnesota is ranked 28th in defensive rebounds, while Golden State ranks 19th in offensive rebounds.
The Timberwolves’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 14.4% this season. The Golden State Warriors have a superb 31-3 record when their TOV% is 14.4% or higher.
