The Minnesota Timberwolves face the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday night.
The Wolves have won just twice in their last 20 games played and they are near the bottom of the team standings with their 17-42 record. WIth Karl Anthony Towns sidelined with a wrist injury, Minnesota lost to the Dallas Mavericks in their last outing. The Pelicans are also coming off a loss but theirs was to the top team in the West in the Los Angeles Lakers. Zion Williamson recorded a career-high 35 points against Los Angeles.
The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered their second straight loss and their 8th in their last 10 games played after an offensive breakdown against the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks last Sunday. The Wolves missed 11 out of their first 12 shots and shot 36.4% from the field the entire game as they lost 91-111 to Dallas. Minnesota further dropped to 17-42 on the season.
D’Angelo Russell had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and seven assists but the Wolves lost for the 20th time in 22 games. Malik Beasley had 15 points on 5-15 shooting while Juancho Hernangomez added 12 points and 12 boards for his third double-double with the Wolves. Karl Anthony Towns missed his fifth straight game with a left wrist injury.
Minnesota ranks 11th overall in scoring at 112.8 points per game this season. They are 15th in the league in rebounding at 45.2 boards grabbed per contest and are 20th in passing at 23.7 assists per game. The Timberwolves are 28th in the NBA in scoring defense at 117.2 points per game allowed this season.
The New Orleans Pelicans head to Tuesday’s game after absorbing a 114-122 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at their home floor. Despite the loss, the Pelicans gave the Lakers a good fight and only folded in the final period when LeBron James took over. The defeat dropped the Pelicans to three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference team standings.
Williamson scored a career-high 35 points but committed six turnovers in a performance that had plenty of highlights, as usual. Former Laker Lonzo Ball scored 19 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and issued 9 assists for New Orleans while Derrick Favors added 12 points and 14 boards. The Pelicans shot only 7-33 from behind the three-point line in the losing effort.
The Pelicans rank 6th overall in team scoring at 115.8 points per game on the season. They are 5th in rebounding at 46.8 boards grabbed per contest and are 3rd in passing at 26.8 assists per game. New Orleans owns the 4th worst scoring defense in the league this season at 116.9 points per game allowed.
Minnesota is 2-18 SU in their last 20 games played. The Timberwolves are 1-4 SU in their last five games played on the road, and 1-11 SU in their last 12 games played against the Western Conference. New Orleans is 6-3 SU in their last nine games played. The Pelicans are 2-3 SU in their last five games played at home, 2-11 SU in their last 13 games played in March, and 3-9 SU in their last 12 games played on a Tuesday. Head to head, the Wolves are 6-3 SU in their last nine games played against the Pelicans.
The Timberwolves have struggled this season and they are currently without top player Karl Anthony Towns who is out with a wrist injury. D’Angelo Russell has had his moments with the Timberwolves but he needs his teammates to help in filling the offensive void left by Town’s absence.
The Pelicans are chasing the 8th seed in the West. New Orleans is three games behind Memphis for the final playoff spot in their conference and the Pelicans need every win they can get. Zion Williamson continues to prove his worth and his teammates are energized with his performance.
Both teams are coming off losses but the Pelicans looked impressive in their defeat to the Lakers. The Wolves are playing without their top player and they have struggled all season long. I expect the Pelicans to bounce back from their loss to the Lakers.
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
The Wolves are 3-15 ATS in their last 18 games played. Minnesota is 2-3 ATS in their last five games played on the road, and 0-8 ATS in their last eight games played against the Southwest Division. The Pelicans are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in their last five games played at home, and 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against the Northwest Division. Head to head, the Wolves are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Pelicans.
Minnesota looks out of the playoff race right now while the Pelicans are still fighting for 8th place and are just three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies. I’m not saying that Minnesota is easy picking here but the Pelicans have more to play for and there should be no more let ups here. New Orleans lost to the Lakers the last time out, but this young team gave a good account of itself against the #1 team in the West. I like the Pelicans to win at home.
PREDICTION: PELICANS -11
The total has gone over in five out of the last six games played by the Timberwolves. The over is 5-0 in Minnesota’s last five games played on the road. The total has gone over in six out of the last nine games played by the Pelicans. The over is 3-2 in their last five games played at home. The total has gone over in 12 out of the last 17 games played by the Pelicans against the Western Conference. Head to head, the total has gone over in 11 out of the last 16 games played between these two teams. The over is also 9-1 in their last 10 games played in New Orleans.
Minnesota has allowed at least 127 points in seven out of their last 10 games played. New Orleans has scored at least 114 points in eight out of their last 10 assignments. With Minnesota allowing points lately like taking candy from a baby, I think the Pelicans have enough offensive arsenal to put the scores over this high 247.5 total.
PREDICTION: OVER 247.5
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