The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers. The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and will air on ESP and PRI.
The Clippers won a close one over the Pacers 91-89 the last time they played. Chris Paul was the team’s high scorer with 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 114-107 loss at the hands of the Cavaliers in their last outing. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 26 points and recorded 11 rebounds earning his 22nd double-double of the season.
Over the last five games, Paul has been playing at a high level for the Clippers. During that stretch, he has averaged 24.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 3.0 three-pointers. On the other side, the Timberwolves have their own duo that have been hot in that span. Towns has averaged 20.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steal, 2.4 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers, while Andrew Wiggins has put up 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.6 blocks.
The aggressive Timberwolves offense seems poised to make an impact from the foul line. They rank second in the NBA at getting to the stripe (free throw attempt rate of 32.7), while Los Angeles is among the league’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 28th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 31.0).
The Clippers have won both contests against the Timberwolves this season, including a 110-106 victory in their last matchup. DeAndre Jordan recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
The Clippers are a considerable 11-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at 208 points. The Clippers enter the game with records of 32-16 Straight Up (SU) and 23-23-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Even though they have a 5-10 record ATS, they are 10-5 at home against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles has consistently been near the top of the league in terms of field goal percentage, currently ranking fifth in the league with a FG% of .462. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Los Angeles, which ranks third at 1.83.
On the other side, Minnesota has a SU record of 14-35 and an ATS record of 21-27-1. In Western Conference games, Minnesota has gone 8-21 SU and 13-15-1 ATS. The Timberwolves are getting to the foul line at a high rate, with an NBA-best 974 free throws made (21.0 per game).
Los Angeles won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Timberwolves to 10-0 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The Clippers also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – LAC, O/U – Under
Notes
LA Clippers are 16-3 SU in their last 19 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 6 games.
LA Clippers are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games when playing Minnesota.
LA Clippers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of the LA Clippers last 10 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
LA Clippers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
LA Clippers are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Minnesota’s last 10 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers.
On average, Minnesota scores 99.7 points per game (ranked 21st), while Los Angeles gives up 100.3 points per game (ranked ninth).
Minnesota scores an average of 100.9 points per away game (ranked 11th). Los Angeles ranks 16th in points allowed per home game with 99.5.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a winning 10-6. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Clippers have a poor record of 5-8.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have an abysmal 4-26 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Los Angeles Clippers are 24-8 when they hit the century mark.
The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 102.0 (ranked 23rd), while the Clippers rank 12th for their defensive rating of 102.3.
Los Angeles has an average field goal percentage of 46.2% (ranked fifth). Minnesota is a subpar 4-21 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Los Angeles Clippers average 25.0 three point attempts per game, while the Minnesota Timberwolves attempt 15.0 per game. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Los Angeles is 14-9 while Minnesota is undefeated (1-0).
Los Angeles has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.83 this season (ranked third), while Minnesota ranks lower at 18th with an A/TO of 1.51.
The Los Angeles Clippers rebound 42.2 times per game and are ranked 25th. Ranked 24th, the Minnesota Timberwolves rebound 42.2 times per game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 21st in offensive rebounding, while the Los Angeles Clippers rank 18th in defensive rebounding.
On average, the Timberwolves force a turnover rate of 14.7%. When the Clippers turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 7-3 record.
