The Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to take on the Indiana Pacers. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Nov. 13 and can be seen on FxI and FNo.
The Pacers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Celtics 102-91 on Wednesday. Monta Ellis was a key piece with 13 points, six assists, and four steals. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 129-116 loss against the Warriors on Thursday. Kevin Martin played well for Minnesota, recording 15 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
The Pacers are a six-point favorite against Minnesota and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 197 points. The Pacers come into this game 5-4 Straight Up (SU) and 6-3 Against The Spread (ATS).
In the other locker room, the Timberwolves have a record of 4-4 both ATS and SU. The Timberwolves get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking third in the league with 190 made (23.0 per game).
These two meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Minnesota won the last game in the matchup, but the win was not enough to overtake Indiana in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Pacers also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind, ATS Winner – Min, O/U – Under
Notes
Indiana is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Indiana’s last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 5 games at home.
Indiana is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Indiana’s last 16 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana’s last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Indiana is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Indiana ranks 27th in points per game with 95.3, while Minnesota ranks 19th in points allowed with an average of 103.0 given up.
Indiana ranks 26th in points per home game with 93.2 points, while Minnesota ranks eighth in points allowed on the road with 97.2.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Indiana Pacers are a stellar 5-1. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a losing record of 1-2.
At 0-3, the Indiana Pacers are winless when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Minnesota Timberwolves are 3-2 when they hit the century mark.
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 97.6 (ranked 27th). The Timberwolves rank 12th for their defensive rating of 100.2.
Minnesota beats Indiana in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Timberwolves average 101.9 possessions and 1.009 points per possession, while the Pacers average 97.6 possessions with .976 points per possession.
Indiana has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. Minnesota is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Indiana Pacers rank 27th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.30. The Minnesota Timberwolves have a higher A/TO (1.43), ranking 16th.
The Pacers rank 24th in rebounds per game with 42.2, while the Timberwolves rank 11th with 45.8 per game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 20th in offensive rebounding, while the Indiana Pacers rank 26th in defensive rebounding.
Indiana has forced one of the highest average turnover rates this season with 17.4% (ranked third). In games where their turnover rate is 17.4% or higher, Minnesota is an even 1-1.
