The Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Apr. 7 and can be seen on CSA and FNo.
The Kings fell to the Trail Blazers 115-107 on Tuesday. Rajon Rondo had a big performance, recording his sixth triple-double with 27 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 124-117 win against the Warriors on Tuesday. Shabazz Muhammad shot 9-for-12 and led in scoring with 35 points.
Andrew Wiggins has been hot over the last five games for the Timberwolves, averaging 25.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers.
The Timberwolves have won all three matchups against the Kings this season, including a 113-104 victory in their last matchup. In the loss, Rondo had a double-double with 25 points and 12 assists.
The Kings come into this game 31-47 Straight Up (SU) and 36-40-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 31-47 SU and 36-40-2 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Kings have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the league in offense with 107.0 points per game. Sacramento has the fourth-most assists in the NBA, averaging 24.6 per game.
In the other locker room, the Timberwolves head into the game with records of 36-41-1 ATS and 26-52 SU. Minnesota has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 8-2. Minnesota is the top foul-shooting team in the league, converting 1,669 shots from the line (21.0 per game).
With the Timberwolves’ last win against Sacramento, they evened up the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 5-5 SU. On the other hand, with a 6-4 record, the Timberwolves have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sac
Notes
On average, Minnesota puts up 101.8 points per game (ranked 18th). Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed per game with 109.1.
Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed per home game (108.7 PPG), while Minnesota ranks seventh in points per away game with 103.2.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an even 11-11 when they keep their opponents to fewer than 100 points. The Sacramento Kings have an underachieving record of 4-18 this season when they score less than 100.
At 15-41, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a poor record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Sacramento Kings are 27-29 when they hit the century mark.
The Kings have a defensive rating of 106.7 (ranked 22nd), while the Timberwolves rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.4.
The Sacramento Kings have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with a FG% of 46.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Minnesota Timberwolves have an abysmal 10-35 record.
On average, Sacramento attempts 22.0 three pointers and Minnesota attempts 16.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Kings have an 8-15 record while the Timberwolves have a winning 3-1 record.
Sacramento has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.59 this season (ranked 18th). Minnesota ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.60 (ranked 16th).
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.6 per game. Ranked 11th, the Sacramento Kings average 44.3 rebounds.
Sacramento is ranked 13th in defensive rebounds, while Minnesota ranks 21st in offensive rebounds.
Sacramento is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.1% (ranked eighth). Minnesota has a losing record of 11-26 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.1% or greater.
