The Minnesota Timberwolves head to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 18 and will air on RSW and FNo.
The Rockets lost to the Clippers 122-106 on Wednesday. James Harden was the game’s leading scorer with 33 points. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 114-108 win against the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Zach LaVine shot 11-for-19 and led in scoring with 28 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Rockets won the first game 107-104. Despite the loss, Andrew Wiggins was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points.
The Rockets look to improve upon their records of 34-34 Straight Up (SU) and 29-38-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Even though they have a 13-20 record ATS, they are at home against Western Conference opponents. The Rockets are one of the best in the NBA in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Turning to the defensive side, the Rockets are the top team in the league at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 10.2 steals per game. Houston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.8 points per game.
Across the court, Minnesota has a SU record of 22-46 and an ATS record of 31-36-1. In Western Conference games, Minnesota has gone 22-46 SU and 31-36-1 ATS. The Timberwolves are getting to the foul line at a high rate, with an NBA-best 1,476 free throws made (21.0 per game).
In their previous meeting this season, Houston beat Minnesota, bringing its SU record to 9-1 over the Timberwolves in the last 10 games. At 5-5, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou
Notes
Both Minnesota and Houston rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Minnesota scores 0.0 points per game, while Houston gives up 0.0.
Minnesota and Houston are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Minnesota puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Houston allows 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a solid 11-7. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets have an abysmal record of 2-14.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Timberwolves are just 11-39 this season. Houston is a winning 32-20 when registering triple digits.
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 106.8 (ranked 23rd), while the Timberwolves rank 11th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
Minnesota has an average field goal percentage of 46.1% (ranked eighth). Houston is a losing 12-25 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Houston Rockets rank lower for their field goal percentage (16th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (seventh), but the Minnesota Timberwolves have a better FG% ranking (eighth) than their EFF% ranking (20th).
Houston makes an average of 21.8 assists per game (ranked 18th). Minnesota ranks higher in assists with 22.8 (ranked 10th).
The Houston Rockets average 5.1 blocks per game for a rank of 14th. The Minnesota Timberwolves rank lower (17th), earning 4.7 blocks each game.
The Houston Rockets rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves rank 27th in defensive rebounding.
The Houston Rockets average 10.2 steals per game (ranked first). The Minnesota Timberwolves have a subpar record of 6-13 when they allow at least 10 steals.
