The Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to take on the New Orleans Pelicans in a Wednesday night NBA matchup at the Smoothie King Center. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Timberwolves-Pelicans prediction and pick, laid out below.
Minnesota has improved lately to a 24-25 record this season, ninth place in the Western Conference. Minnesota had their two-game winning streak snapped last time out. Head coach Chris Finch guided the team to the playoffs last season but will need a turnaround to make it two straight seasons.
New Orleans has fallen back to Earth with a 26-22 record, fourth place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans surprised and made the playoffs last season, losing in six games to the Phoenix Suns. New Orleans has struggled a bit of late, losing five straight after reaching third place.
Here are the Timberwolves-Pelicans NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Timberwolves-Pelicans Odds
Minnesota Timberwolves: +3 (-110)
New Orleans Pelicans: -3 (-110)
Over: 229 (-110)
Under: 229 (-110)
How To Watch Timberwolves vs. Pelicans
TV: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports New Orleans
Stream: NBA, NBA League Pass
Time: 8:10 PM ET/ 5:10 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread
While it hasn’t been smooth sailing so far for this Timberwolves team, there still is a boatload in place. It’s just a matter of it all meshing and coming together. Third-year guard Anthony Edwards, a former first-overall pick, leads the team with 24.3 points and 1.8 steals per game. Karl-Anthony Towns has starred once again for Minnesota, ranking second with 20.8 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. Towns has been out since the end of November but should be back within a week or so. Rudy Gobert has stepped up in his absence, leading the team with 11.6 rebounds, also averaging 13.3 points per game, the lone double-double for Minnesota. D’Angelo Russell is averaging 17.6 points and 6.3 assists per game, which leads the team.
Minnesota ranks fourth in the league with a 49.2 shooting percentage from the field. Scoring 115.3 points per game, Minnesota’s offense ranks 11th in the league. Defense has been a bit of a struggle for Minnesota, however, despite the addition of Gobert. Opponents have scored 115.6 points per game on the Timberwolves, which ranks 20th in the league. On the positive side, Minnesota has held opponents to a 46.8 shooting percentage, which ranks ninth in the league.
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
Zion Williamson is showing out and leads the team with 26.0 points on 60.8 percent shooting. Williamson has also grabbed 7.0 rebounds per game, which is second on the team. Here’s the bad news, Williamson is out until around the end of the month. CJ McCollum leads the team with 5.7 assists and ranks second with 21.1 points per game. McCollum is shooting 38.4 percent from behind the three-point line. Jonas Valanciunas leads the team with 9.9 rebounds and ranks fourth with 14.8 points per game, narrowly missing a double-double. Trey Murphy III’s production has increased along with his usage, averaging 12.7 points per game.
New Orleans has registered an impressive 8.6 steals per game, which is second in the league, while Minnesota turns the ball over 15.8 times per game. New Orleans ranks 15th with 35.9 percent shooting from behind the three-point line, and has put up a ton of points. The Pelicans rank ninth in the league with 115.6 points averaged per game. New Orleans’ defense has been solid, ranking 15th with 113.1 points allowed per game.
Final Timberwolves-Pelicans Prediction & Pick
Injuries to both teams take the shine away from this matchup. New Orleans' skid will continue in this one.
Final Timberwolves-Pelicans Prediction & Pick: Minnesota +3 (-110), over 229 (-110)
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