The Indiana Pacers will travel to the Target Center to square off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 26 and will air on FxI and FS+.
The Timberwolves lost big to the Spurs 108-83 on Wednesday. Shabazz Muhammad had a good game for Minnesota, contributing 15 points, three rebounds, and one assist. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a tough 108-106 loss at the hands of the Kings on Wednesday. Monta Ellis had a team-high 21 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Pacers won the first game 107-103. Paul George scored a game-high 29 points.
The Timberwolves, a four-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Indiana. The matchup currently has a 205-point Over/Under (O/U). The Timberwolves enter the game with records of 11-18 Straight Up (SU) and 12-16-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 2-7-1 ATS over their last 10 games. The Timberwolves are an impressive shooting team from the line with a .811 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Across the court, the Pacers head into the game with records of 15-13 ATS and 16-12 SU. Indiana has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7. The Pacers are shooting very well so far with a .373 three-point field-goal percentage that ranks third in the NBA. Indiana’s defense tends to perform poorly when they play Western Conference foes. They’ve allowed an average of 106.1 points per game against teams from the West, higher than their season average of 99.1. Indiana may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Timberwolves averaging 23.1 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
The Pacers’ win over Minnesota in their last clash moved their SU record in the last 10 against Minnesota to 6-4. At 5-5, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind, ATS Winner – Ind, O/U – Under
Notes
Minnesota is 2-9-1 ATS in its last 12 games.
Minnesota is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games at home.
Minnesota is 4-19 SU in its last 23 games at home.
Minnesota is 2-13-1 ATS in its last 16 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Minnesota’s last 17 games when playing Indiana.
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Indiana.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 8 games when playing at home against Indiana.
Minnesota is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Indiana.
Minnesota ranks 15th in points per game with 101.3, while Indiana ranks eighth in points allowed with an average of 99.1 given up.
On average, Minnesota puts up 99.6 points per home game (ranked 23rd), while Indiana gives up 101.9 points per away game (ranked 14th).
The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their last game by 25 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Indiana Pacers are 3-2. Minnesota is 0-1 in blowouts this season.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Timberwolves are 8-3 on the season. When the Pacers score fewer than 100, they are a poor 4-7.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Timberwolves are just 3-15 this season. Indiana is a winning 12-5 when it reaches the century mark.
The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 102.5 (ranked 17th). The Pacers rank eighth for their defensive rating of 100.0.
Indiana beats Minnesota in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Pacers average 99.8 possessions and 1.029 points per possession, while the Timberwolves average 98.8 possessions with 1.025 points per possession.
Minnesota has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.9%. Indiana is a losing 5-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 16.0 three point attempts per game, and the Indiana Pacers attempt 24.0 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, Minnesota is a perfect 1-0, while Indiana also has a winning record (10-6).
Minnesota has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.49 this season (ranked 18th), while Indiana ranks lower at 21st with an A/TO of 1.40.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rebound 43.7 times per game and are ranked 18th. Ranked 16th, the Indiana Pacers rebound 43.9 times per game.
The Indiana Pacers rank 16th in offensive rebounding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves rank 11th in defensive rebounding.
Indiana has forced one of the highest average turnover rates this season with 15.8% (ranked sixth). In games where their turnover rate is 15.8% or higher, Minnesota is an even 5-5.
