he Minnesota Timberwolves travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.
Minnesota has dropped eight consecutive road games and they will once again be without Karl Anthony Towns. On the other hand, the Spurs close out their five-game homestand after dropping back to back games to the Memphis Grizzlies.
These teams have split their first two meetings of the season and the Wolves won their most recent one last January 10th.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are 5-15 on the season and are in the bottom of the Northwest Division. The Wolves head to this game with a 2-8 record in their last 10 games played. Minnesota has the worst record in the West and is just 1-8 SU on the road and 3-9 against the West this season.
D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley have picked up the scoring cudgels for the Wolves. Russell is putting up 19.9 points per game while Beasley is adding 19.7 points per contest. Top rookie Anthony Edwards is scoring 13.6 points per game while Ricky Rubio leads the team with 5.8 assists per outing.
Minnesota has the fourth-lowest scoring average in the NBA at only 106.3 points per game. They have the 6th worst scoring defense in the league at 115.6 points per game allowed. The Wolves are 23rd in rebounding at 43.6 boards grabbed per contest and they are also 19th in passing at 23.8 assists per outing.
The San Antonio Spurs have an 11-10 record. They are 3rd in the Southwest Division and are in 10th place in the Western Conference team standings. The Spurs are 5-5 in their last 10 games played, 5-7 SU at home, and 8-10 SU in their last 10 games played against the Western Conference.
DeMar DeRozan leads the team with 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. Keldon Johnson leads the team in rebounding at 7.5 while also scoring 15.0 points per game. LaMarcus Aldridge, Dejounte Murray, Patty Mills, Lonnie Walker IV, Rudy Gay, and Derrick White are scoring in double digits.
San Antonio is ranked 18th in scoring at 111.2 points per game. They are 11th in rebounding at 45.2 boards grabbed per contest and are 13th in passing at 25.1 assists per game. The Spurs have the league’s 18th best scoring defense at 112.3 points per game allowed.
Minnesota is 3-15 SU in their last 18 games played. The Wolves are 0-8 SU in their last eight road games. San Antonio has split its last 10 games and is 5-7 SU in their last 12 games played at home. The Spurs are 4-1 SU in their last five games against the Northwest Division. Head to head, the Wolves have won three out of the last four meetings between these two teams. However, the Spurs are 11-1 SU in their last 12 home games against the Wolves.
The Wolves have lost eight straight games on the road and without Karl Anthony-Towns, it’s going to be tougher to end that losing streak, even if the Spurs have dropped their last two games at home.
Minnesota will look to D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley to lead them again. Russell scored 27 during Minnesota’s win over San Antonio last January 10th. But the Wolves have scored just an average of 103.8 points per game in their last 10 games played while shooting just 42.2% from the arc. Meanwhile, they have allowed 112.4 points per game during that span and Minnesota is just 4-14 when giving up more than 100 points in a game this season.
The Spurs have point guard Derrick White back and the team is still trying to remember how to play and with him. San Antonio has split its last 10 games and has been scoring 111.3 points per game while shooting 47.1% from the floor. San Antonio is 8-10 against the Western Conference while Minnesota is 3-9 against the same conference.
These teams are 1-1 against each other this season and both will be looking to clinch the season series. Both teams are coming off a loss but the Spurs don’t have any injured players while the Wolves will be without their best player. It also helps that the Spurs are playing at home where they have been playing in their previous four games. The Wolves head here after playing in Cleveland on Monday night. I’ll take the Spurs to beat the Wolves here.
Prediction: San Antonio Spurs
The Wolves are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Minnesota is 1-3 ATS in their last four games played on the road, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Southwest division. The Spurs are 3-2 ATS in their last five games played. San Antonio is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 February games and 5-12 ATS in their last 17 Wednesday assignments. Head to head, the Wolves are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Spurs.
Timberwolves
+8.5 (-115)
Spurs
-8.5 (-105)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/03/2021
I have no doubt that the Spurs will bounce back from back to back losses against the Grizzlies. Prior to those losses, San Antonio picked up back to back wins over the Celtics and Nuggets. Derrick White’s return may have caused a little adjustment that contributed to those two losses but the Spurs will get better as each game passes by. They should be good enough to beat the struggling Wolves who have played just four games with Karl Anthony-Towns.
Prediction: San Antonio Spurs -8.5
The total has gone under in six out of the last nine games played by the Wolves. The over is 8-1 in Minnesota’s last nine games against the Western Conference, and 5-1 in their last six February games. The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Spurs. The over is 5-1 in their last six games against the Western Conference and 4-2 in their last six home games. Head to head, the total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Over
223.5 (-105)
Under
223.5 (-115)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/03/2021
Minnesota has the 4th lowest scoring average this season and they have failed to score at least 110 points in eight out of their last 10 games played. The Spurs meanwhile, are in the bottom half in scoring and are coming off a 102-point performance against the Grizzlies. However, The Spurs and T-Wolves are ranked 18th and 25th, respectively in scoring defense this season with the two teams combining to allow 227.9 points per game this season. With Derrick White back, San Antonio’s scoring will get an added boost here. Give me these teams to hit the over.
Prediction: Over 223.5
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