The Golden State Warriors (9-0) look to extend their hot start when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (4-3) at the Target Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Nov. 12 and can be seen on TNT, GS2 and C+D.
The Timberwolves are hoping for a better outcome after their 104-95 loss to the Hornets on Tuesday. Despite the loss, Karl-Anthony Towns earned his fifth double-double this season with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a 100-84 win against the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Stephen Curry led the game in scoring by accounting for 28 points on 9-for-21 shooting.
The Warriors are favored by eight points over Minnesota and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 210 points. The Timberwolves have the same record (4-3) both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, the Warriors have 9-0 SU and 6-3 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Golden State is 8-0 SU and 5-3 ATS. Offensively, they average 112.2 points per game on the road, which is second in the league. The Warriors are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fourth in the NBA at 1.84. Moving on to Golden State’s defense, the Warriors allow very few three-pointers on defense with 5.0 given up per game. Golden State is the third-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 21.4 per game.
The conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Golden State came out on top, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS, O/U – Under
Notes
Minnesota is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games at home.
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Minnesota is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games when playing Golden State.
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Golden State.
Minnesota is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games when playing Golden State.
Minnesota is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against Golden State.
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State.
The Golden State Warriors are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 113.2 points per game (ranked second), while the Minnesota Timberwolves are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 99.3 (ranked 10th).
Golden State puts up an average of 112.2 points per away game (ranked second). Minnesota ranks 19th in points allowed per home game with 102.0.
When Minnesota gives up 100 or more points, they are an even 2-2. However, when Golden State hits the century mark, they are undefeated at 9-0.
The Warriors have the league’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 92.7. The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 98.9 (ranked 22nd).
With 102.0 possessions and .989 points per possession, the Minnesota Timberwolves perform worse on both metrics than the Golden State Warriors. Golden State averages 103.2 possessions and 1.098 points per possession.
Golden State is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 53.8% (ranked first in the NBA). Minnesota is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 18th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.41. The Golden State Warriors have a higher A/TO (1.84), ranking fourth.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 47.1 rebounds per game (ranked fifth). The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 12th, rebounding 45.6 times each contest.
The Golden State Warriors rank in the top half of the league in offensive rebounds (ranked 12th). The Minnesota Timberwolves rank near the very top of the league in defensive rebounding (ranked fifth).
Though Golden State is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.4% (ranked ninth), Minnesota has a winning 2-1 record SU when it has a TOV% of 16.4% or greater.
