Offense meets defense when the Minnesota Timberwolves (28-16) welcome the Portland Trail Blazers (22-20) to Target Center. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 14, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
Minnesota opened as a 5.5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 212.5 points.
Portland Trail Blazers at Minnesota Timberwolves ATS Prediction
In the Trail Blazers’ last game, they were beaten by the New Orleans Pelicans, 119-113. Making free throws was one of New Orleans’ largest advantages. They were 22-23 (95.7 percent), while the Trail Blazers were 11-14 (78.6 percent). Al-Farouq Aminu played well for Portland, recording 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Timberwolves defeated the New York Knicks in their last matchup, 118-108. The Timberwolves, who came into the game averaging an offensive rebounding percentage of 24.9, had a fantastic mark of 37.2 and had a much better turnover percentage (10.5 vs. 15.5). Karl-Anthony Towns was the top scorer from either team with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength as the productive offense of Minnesota (fourth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 111.1) takes on the top-notch defense of Portland (fourth in the league with a defensive efficiency of 103.8).
Portland holds records of 22-20 straight up (SU) and 19-19-4 against the spread (ATS). Games featuring the Trail Blazers have typically finished under the total (61.9 percent).
Meanwhile, Minnesota is 28-16 SU and 21-21-2 ATS. In opposition of Portland, just over half of Timberwolves games have finished over the O/U total.
CJ McCollum has averaged 23.0 points, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals over the last five games for Portland.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 37 points in the first matchup, in which the Timberwolves topped the Trail Blazers 108-107 but did not cover as 4-point favorites. He also put up six rebounds. The game finished with a total of 215 points, which was 7.5 points above the projected point total of 207.5 points. Minnesota did a terrific job of making free throws (17-21; 81.0 percent). Portland, on the other hand, had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.607 vs. 0.500).
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ATS Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Timberwolves, ATS Winner – Timberwolves, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Portland is 13-8-1 ATS with 12 unders and 10 overs.
Minnesota is 10-12-1 ATS at home with 11 overs, 11 unders and 1 push.
Minnesota and Portland are both 14-4 when they hold opponents below 100 points.
When scoring above 100 points, the Trail Blazers are 17-10 and the Timberwolves are 26-8.
Minnesota ranks third in steals per game (9.0) while Portland ranks 25th (7.0).
The Timberwolves rank third in points off turnovers per game (18.8) while the Trail Blazers rank 25th (15.2).
Portland ranks first in assists allowed per game (19.8) while Minnesota ranks 21st (23.8).
The Trail Blazers rank fifth in fast break points allowed per game (9.8) while the Timberwolves rank 22nd (12.4).
Minnesota ranks ninth in blocks allowed per game (4.5) while Portland ranks 25th (5.3).
The Trail Blazers rank second in three pointers allowed per game (25.7) while the Timberwolves rank 18th (29.1).
Minnesota ranks first in rebounds allowed per game (41.0) while Portland ranks 13th (42.6).
The Timberwolves rank fourth in second chance points per game (14.3) while the Trail Blazers rank 13th (12.7).
Minnesota ranks seventh in points in the paint per game (47.9) while Portland ranks ninth in points allowed in the paint per game (42.6).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Portland is 2-2-1 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
Minnesota is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Trail Blazers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 3.6, up from 0.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Timberwolves have scored an average of 109.8 points per game (1.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 96.8 points per game (7.9 below their season average).
