The Charlotte Hornets (29-38) will have their hands full against the top shooting defense in the league when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-53) at the Target Center. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 22 and will air on SPSO and FSN-N.
The Timberwolves edged the Knicks 95-92 on Thursday. With 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gorgui Dieng recorded his 17th double-double this season. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 101-91 loss at the hands of the Kings on Friday. Kemba Walker stood out for Charlotte, accumulating 18 points, five rebounds, and four steals.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. Minnesota is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in offensive rebound percentage at 27.6%. Meanwhile, the Hornets rank first in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 79.6%.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hornets won the first game 105-80. Thaddeus Young scored a game-high with 18 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Timberwolves are looking to improve on their records of 15-53 Straight Up (SU) and 29-37-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 9-18 SU and 11-16 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference.
Across the court, the Hornets head into the game with records of 32-33-2 ATS and 29-38 SU. In Western Conference games, Charlotte has gone 7-21 SU and 11-17 ATS. The Hornets rarely make the wrong play with the ball. They have the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.8. The Hornets are one of the top defensive teams in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 97.0 points allowed per game.
Charlotte won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 7-3. The Hornets also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Charlotte has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last 10, while Minnesota accomplished this twice.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHA, ATS Winner – CHA
Notes
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
Minnesota is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games at home.
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 7 games when playing Charlotte.
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte.
Minnesota is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Charlotte.
Charlotte ranks 28th in points per game with 94.6, while Minnesota ranks 30th in points allowed with an average of 105.8 given up.
Minnesota ranks 30th in points allowed per home game (103.2 PPG), while Charlotte ranks 26th in points per away game with 94.1.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Charlotte Hornets are a solid 23-14. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves have an abysmal record of 6-33.
When Charlotte allows at least 100 points, it has an underachieving 6-24 record this season. Minnesota also has a losing record when it hits triple digits (9-20).
The Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 107.9 (ranked 30th), while the Hornets rank 28th for their offensive rating of 97.8.
Minnesota has an average field goal percentage of 43.5%. Charlotte is a losing 10-26 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank higher in field goal percentage (24th) than effective field goal percentage (28th), while the Charlotte Hornets rank the same for both metrics (29th).
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 20th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.53. The Charlotte Hornets have a higher A/TO (1.82), ranking fourth.
The Timberwolves rank 25th in rebounds per game with 41.9, while the Hornets rank 10th with 44.0 per game.
The Charlotte Hornets rank 25th in offensive rebounding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves rank 30th in defensive rebounding.
Minnesota is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.2% (ranked eighth). Charlotte has a 7-6 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.2% or greater.
