Friday, March 18, 2016

Toyota Center

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Toyota Center to play the Houston Rockets on Friday, March 18, 2016. The opening line for this game has Houston as 8.5 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 221.5.

The Timberwolves come into this game with an overall record of 22-46 and a road record of 11-24. They are 5th in the Northwest Division. They currently have a point differential of -4 as they are averaging 101.6 points per game while giving up 105.6 per contest. Minnesota is 3-10 against division opponents and they have a conference record of 12-27. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Rockets have an overall record of 34-34 and a home record of 18-15. They currently are 3rd in the Southwest Division. They are averaging 106.1 points per game and surrendering 106.9, good for a point differential of -0.7. Houston has a division record of 8-7 and a conference record of 23-20. In their last 10 games they are 5-5.

Andrew Wiggins comes into this contest averaging 20.6 points per game while playing 35 minutes per night so far this season for the Timberwolves. He pulls down 3.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 2 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 46% while his free throw percentage is currently at 75%. Karl-Anthony Towns averages 17.7 points per game in 31.3 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.8 assists per contest and 10.3 rebounds per game for Minnesota. His field goal percentage is 55% for the year while his free throw percentage is 82%.

James Harden averages 28.6 points per game while playing 37.7 minutes per contest this year for the Rockets. He grabs 6.3 rebounds per game and has 7.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 43% and his free throw percentage currently is at 87%. Dwight Howard averages 14.7 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 32.6 minutes per contest. He also averages 12 rebounds per contest and 1.5 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 62% and his free throw percentage is 51%.

Minnesota averages 101.6 points per contest this season which ranks them 19th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -4 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them ranked 8th. Behind the arc they shoot 33% which is good for 27th in the league. They average 49.3 rebounds per game and 22.8 assists per game which ranks them 29th and 10th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 21st with 15 per game. The Timberwolves allow 105.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 24th in the league. They also allow a 47% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 27th and 15th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 50.4 rebounds a game which ranks 8th and they give up 22.1 assists per contest which puts them in 17th place in the league. They force 14.5 turnovers per game which ranks them 15th in the league.

Houston averages 106.1 points per game this year which ranks them 4th in the league. Their average scoring margin is -0.7 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them sitting in the 16th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 20th in the NBA. They average 53 rebounds per game and 21.8 assists per contest which ranks them 10th and 18th respectively. In the turnover department the Rockets rank 27th with 16.1 per game. The Rockets allow 106.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 27th in the league. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 37% average from behind the arc ranking them 21st and 24th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 53.9 rebounds a game which ranks 22nd and they give up 24.6 assists per contest which puts them in 30th place in the league. The Rockets force 16.6 turnovers per game which ranks them 1st in the NBA.

The Timberwolves average 102.1 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 105.7 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -3.9 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is 2 per contest. The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 106 and a defensive rating of 110.1. In terms of pace they average 95.1 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 49%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they shoot 3 pointers on 19% of their shots. Minnesota turns the ball over an average of 13.9 times per 100 possessions and they force 13.3 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 52%.

The Rockets score 104.9 ppg at home and they have averaged 115 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of 5.7 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 0.4 points per game. The Rockets rating on offense is 107.7 and they have a defensive rating of 108.4. They get 97.7 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 51%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they attempt 3 pointers on 38% of their shot attempts. Houston turns the ball over on 14.3 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 14.8 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 52%.

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Trends

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 31-36-1 against the spread

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 37-28-3 against the over/under

Houston Rockets Betting Trends

The Houston Rockets are 30-38-0 against the spread

The Houston Rockets are 40-26-2 against the over/under

Minnesota Timberwolves Injuries

03/17/16 C Gorgui Dieng Hip injured last game, probable Friday vs. Houston
02/23/16 C Nikola Pekovic Foot out indefinitely
01/30/16 F Kevin Garnett Knee out indefinitely

Houston Rockets Injuries

No key injuries to report

Tony's Pick: Take Minnesota

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink