The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the AT&T Center to take on the San Antonio Spurs. The game starts at 8:30 pm ET on Monday, Dec. 28 and will air on FSW and FNo.
The Spurs were victorious over the Nuggets 101-86 on Saturday. Kawhi Leonard was the team’s high scorer with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 102-88 loss at the hands of the Pacers on Saturday. Ricky Rubio stood out for Minnesota, posting 15 points, nine assists, and five steals.
The frequency with which the Timberwolves shoot free throws could play a key factor in this game. They rank third in the league in free throw attempt rate (33.1), but San Antonio is among the best in the NBA at keeping opponents off the line (ranking first by allowing a free throw attempt rate of 22.6).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Spurs won the first game 108-83. Leonard was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points.
The Spurs are a heavy 14-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at 195 points. The Spurs are attempting to build on their records of 26-6 Straight Up (SU) and 22-10 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. The Spurs are a dangerously accurate shooting team with a .483 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of San Antonio’s offense. They are third in the league in assists with an average of 25.1 per game. The San Antonio defense has been dominant, only giving up 88.7 points per game, which is the best in the league. The Spurs have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing an NBA-low 189 three-pointers made or 5.0 per game. Minnesota has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.8 fouls per game), so expect the Spurs to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Timberwolves head into the game with records of 12-17-1 ATS and 11-19 SU. Minnesota has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 2-8. The Timberwolves are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .810 free throw percentage that ranks second in the NBA.
San Antonio won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Timberwolves to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Spurs have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA, O/U – Under
Notes
San Antonio is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio’s last 7 games at home.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 5 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
San Antonio is 20-1 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games when playing on the road against San Antonio.
San Antonio ranks 14th in points per game with 101.8, while Minnesota ranks 21st in points allowed with an average of 103.4 given up.
Minnesota puts up 103.1 points per away game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 87.7 per game.
The Timberwolves have an 8-3 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. The Spurs, however, have performed well when they score under 100 points, with a record of 9-5 in such matchups.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Timberwolves are just 3-16 this season. San Antonio is an outstanding 17-1 when registering triple digits.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 93.0. The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 102.2 (ranked 19th).
San Antonio has an average field goal percentage of 48.3% (ranked second). Minnesota is a subpar 2-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank higher for their field goal percentage (12th) than their effective field goal percentage (23rd), while the San Antonio Spurs rank the same for both metrics (second).
On average, the San Antonio Spurs make 25.1 assists per game and the Minnesota Timberwolves make 21.2. San Antonio is ranked third, while Minnesota is ranked 19th.
San Antonio makes an average of 6.0 blocks per game (ranked sixth), while Minnesota makes 4.7 blocks per game (ranked 16th).
San Antonio is ranked 23rd when it comes to offensive rebounding. Minnesota ranks 13th in defensive rebounds.
Minnesota makes an average of 7.2 steals per game. San Antonio has a superb 16-4 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
