The Minnesota Timberwolves (16-56), who have the top shooting defense in the league, will match up with the New Orleans Pelicans (38-34) at the Smoothie King Center. Action begins at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 29 and can be seen on FSN-N and FSN-NO.
The Pelicans played well in their last game, topping the Kings 102-88 on Friday. Tyreke Evans was a key piece, recording his 17th double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 assists. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 120-110 loss against the Rockets on Friday. Andrew Wiggins had a team-high 31 points.
Wiggins has been hot over the last five games for the Timberwolves, averaging 22.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks.
The Pelicans could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as they’re ranked fourth in the league in offensive rebound percentage at 27.4%. Alternatively, Minnesota ranks 30th in the NBA on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 72.1%.
The Pelicans have emerged victorious in both games against the Timberwolves this year, including a 92-84 win the last time these two teams met. Eric Gordon had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 20 points, two rebounds, five assists, one steal, and two three-pointers.
The odds for New Orleans and Minnesota are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Pelicans come into this game 38-34 Straight Up (SU) and 41-31 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 22-20 SU and 25-17 ATS against the Western Conference. The Pelicans prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking third in the league with 478 total three-pointers allowed (6.6 per game). Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Pelicans, ranking second in the league in blocks per game with 6.1.
Over on the other bench, the Timberwolves have a record of 31-39-2 ATS and 16-56 SU. Against the Western Conference, Minnesota is 7-37 SU and 20-22-2 ATS.
With the Pelicans’ last win against Minnesota, they evened up the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 5-5 SU. They are also even ATS in their last 10 games. Over the last 10 matchups, Minnesota held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice. New Orleans performed this feat one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – NO, ATS Winner – NO
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games.
New Orleans is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
New Orleans is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home.
New Orleans is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans’s last 9 games when playing Minnesota.
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Minnesota ranks 21st in points per game with 98.0, while New Orleans ranks 13th in points allowed with an average of 98.8 given up.
New Orleans ranks 15th in points allowed per home game (98.2 PPG), while Minnesota ranks 14th in points per away game with 98.6.
Minnesota has an even 8-8 record in contests where it gives up fewer than 100 points. The Pelicans do not perform well when scoring under 100 points, earning a 10-25 record on the season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have an abysmal 8-48 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The New Orleans Pelicans are 28-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 100.1 (ranked 26th), while the Pelicans rank 24th for their defensive rating of 104.4.
The New Orleans Pelicans average a field goal percentage of 45.6% this season. The Minnesota Timberwolves have an underachieving record of 8-43 when opponents have a FG% of 45.6% or greater.
New Orleans makes an average of 22.0 assists per game (ranked 11th), while Minnesota makes 21.8 assists per game (ranked 13th).
The New Orleans Pelicans average 6.1 blocks per game, the second-ranked team in the league. The Minnesota Timberwolves rank a lowly 27th in blocking with just 3.9 per game.
New Orleans is ranked 10th in offensive rebounding. Minnesota ranks 30th in defensive rebounds.
The Minnesota Timberwolves earn an average of 8.3 steals per game and are ranked ninth. The New Orleans Pelicans have a 13-16 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
