The Minnesota Timberwolves finish their four-game homestand with a game against the Washington Wizards, who are battling to maintain the same quality of their game without their heart and soul, John Wall. It will be an interesting clash between two teams who lean heavily on their starting fives and suffer during their rest periods.
Wizards at Timberwolves
Spread: Minnesota Timberwolves -3.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 209.5 points (-110)
The Wizards squander another late lead, lose to Portland
The Wizards lost a game already won for the second time in as many games. Through their 10-9 start, the Wizards have played in five games in which they were tied or trailing by one possession within the final minute of regulation. In those situations, the team has missed all 11 attempts from the field — including seven blown three-point attempts – resulting in five losses, most recently 105-108 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Washington led the Blazers 94-77 at the 8:14 mark in the fourth quarter, but trailed 106-105 after Portland’s C.J. McCollum hit a jumper with 21 seconds remaining in the game. The Wizards defense collapsed against the Hornets when they were up by 9 with three minutes left, and this time it was the offense that rushed shots, took bad decisions, complained to the refs. When a sizable lead began to evaporate, the Wizards were in a state of shock and began playing in panic mode. The Wizards made Nurkic look like Olajuwon, Beal played hero ball and wouldn’t hit a clutch shot, and the usually inefficient Blazers looked like a championship team. Little did it matter that Porter played a great game with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals or that Frazier stepped in admirably for injured John Wall once again. Beal decided that he wants to be the alpha dog in Wall’s absence, and forced issues. He finished with team-high 26 points, but needed 24 field goal attempts, 10 of which can from beyond the three-point line, and finished with -20 on the plus/minus. Only one other Wizards player had this number less than -6, it was Gortat with -8, so the rest of the team needs him to calm down and let the game come to him.
Wall is going to miss about two weeks. Lingering knee issue forced him to take an injection to help repair the tissue, but the procedure requires resting, so the Wizards will have to weather the storm. Mike Scott also didn’t play against the Blazers, but there’s no report that the backup forward has an injury, so it was probably just coaches’ decision.
Place: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 28th, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSN, TSN
The Wolves have no trouble with the Suns
Playing shorthanded, the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t mind having to face the Phoenix Suns, and took care of business by beating them 119-108. They didn’t play great, but the level of opposition made all the difference from the last time around when they scored 22 points less in a home defeat to Miami.
The game resembled a Vegas Summer game. Fouling, sloppy passing and solo play of the Suns was met by immature play of the Wolves. After opening up the game with a good run that made 27-13, the Wolves were interested in putting up a show and coasting, so they let the Suns hang around for the better part of the game. They were slow to react to dribble penetration and kickouts and looked for their own shot, save Tyus Jones. Starters needed to play heavy minutes, but it wasn’t a type of a game that can wear you out, as the atmosphere was relaxed and the shots were falling. Towns and Gibson made the best of the Suns Monroe-Chandler center pairing by stepping outside and moving without the ball. KAT attempted team-high 26 field goals, connecting on twelve for his 32 points. He also added 12 rebounds. Gibson was 8-of-12 for 16 points and 14 boards. Wiggins and Butler also scored 21 and 25 respectively, although both would have liked a better night at the free throw line. The Wolves shot 52.7 percent from the field and had 19 offensive rebounds, enjoying the matador defense. Brooks started for them but Tyus Jones played 39 minutes bringing effort and poise the Wolves envisioned when they’ve selected him in the draft. He finished with a ‘Kirilenko’ line of 9 points, 7 assists, 7 steals(!), 4 rebounds and two blocked shots. However, defensive stats won’t bode well for Thibodeau – the Wolves allowed 50.6 percent shooting and 13-of-26 shot from downtown.
Starting point-guard Jeff Teague and six-man forward Bjelica have missed the last two games with light injuries. Both are questionable to go against the Wizards.
Washington Wizards at Minnesota Timberwolves Game Trends & Prediction
The Wizards failed to cover in four of their last five games, but were in games and came close more often than not. Still, their ATS record shows 9-10 ratio, while they are 6-3 on the road. The road is also under heavy, as Washington went 2-7 against the over/under when traveling, resulting in 7-12 overall O/U score.
The Timberwolves matched the handicap but wouldn’t surpass it, returning the stake to people trusting them against the Suns. It stopped four consecutive games in which they’ve failed to provide, keeping the win/loss ratio at 8-10-2, and the perfect split between the home and away games (4-5-1 ATS on both). It shows you that the books are handling them well and that you have to be careful when you pick them to beat the odds. A similar thing is with their totals. The lines are usually very well set, and the record of 9-10-1 is ideal for the books.
Admi-Rank: The Wolves won two must wins but lost three to the average opposition, so they’re slipping a bit. The Wizards may have lost two without Wall, but performed well in his absence and could have won both if not for the late game freeze. They might go down a bit eventually, but for now, their rank is unchanged.
By reputation and talent level the Wolves should be the team to beat in this matchup, but can’t live up to the hype. A part of it comes with the immaturity they are showing, but the bigger part is an inconsistent defense – and that part is surely not missing with players missing. The Wizards are hurt on offense and on defense without Wall, but even shorthanded, they match up well against their hosts, looking position-per-position.
Both teams have certain doubts on some of their role players due to injuries. These players aren’t stars, but Minny is so thin that it does significantly influence how they play, and their chances against the Wizards, who have the similar problem. Still, the Timberwolves are favored by 3.5 points and I think that they will cover the spread. The total is set at 209.5 points and I think that the two teams will be able to top it.
My Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves -3.5 (-110)
Total: Over 209.5 points (-110)
