Wednesday, March 1, 2017

EnergySolutions Arena

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The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to EnergySolutions Arena to play the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, March 1, 2017. The opening line for this matchup has Utah as 7 point favorites.

The Timberwolves come into this game with an overall record of 24-36. They are 5th in the Northwest Division. They currently have a point differential of -0.6 as they are averaging 105.0 points per game while giving up 105.6 per contest. The Jazz have an overall record of 37-22. They currently are 1st in the Northwest Division. They are averaging 100.4 points per game and surrendering 95.6, good for a point differential of 4.8.

Karl-Anthony Towns comes into this contest averaging 24.1 points per game while playing 36.6 minutes per night so far this season for the Timberwolves. He pulls down 12.2 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.9 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 53% while his free throw percentage is currently at 82%. Andrew Wiggins averages 23.4 points per game in 37.2 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.5 assists per contest and 4.2 rebounds per game for Minnesota. His field goal percentage is 46% for the year while his free throw percentage is 76%.

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Gordon Hayward averages 22.5 points per game while playing 34.7 minutes per contest this year for the Jazz. He grabs 5.6 rebounds per game and has 3.5 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage currently is at 86%. Rudy Gobert averages 13 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 33.6 minutes per contest. He also averages 12.8 rebounds per contest and 1.1 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 64% and his free throw percentage is 67%.

Minnesota averages 105 points per contest this season which ranks them 17th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -0.6 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a team which has them ranked 7th. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 22nd in the league. They average 42.9 rebounds per game and 23.5 assists per game which ranks them 21st and 8th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 11th with 14.4 per game. The Timberwolves allow 105.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 16th in the league. They also allow a 47% shooting percentage and a 36% average from behind the arc ranking them 27th and 18th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 40.4 rebounds a game which ranks 3rd and they give up 22.6 assists per contest which puts them in 14th place in the league. They force 14.3 turnovers per game which ranks them 17th in the league.

Utah averages 100.4 points per game this year which ranks them 28th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 4.8 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them sitting in the 11th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 11th in the NBA. They average 43.2 rebounds per game and 19.5 assists per contest which ranks them 20th and 28th respectively. In the turnover department the Jazz rank 18th with 13.8 per game. The Jazz allow 95.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 1st in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 36% average from behind the arc ranking them 3rd and 13th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 40.2 rebounds a game which ranks 1st and they give up 17.7 assists per contest which puts them in 1st place in the league. The Jazz force 12.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 2nd in the NBA.

The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 110.3 and a defensive rating of 110.9. In terms of pace they average 94.8 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 51%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they shoot 3 pointers on 26% of their shots. Minnesota turns the ball over an average of 13.2 times per 100 possessions and they force 13.3 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 53%.

The Jazz rating on offense is 109.3 and they have a defensive rating of 104.1. They get 91.5 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 53%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 56% and they attempt 3 pointers on 33% of their shot attempts. Utah turns the ball over on 13.4 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 12 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 49%.

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Trends

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 27-33-0 against the spread

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 31-28-1 against the over/under

Utah Jazz Betting Trends

The Utah Jazz are 26-32-1 against the spread

The Utah Jazz are 29-30-0 against the over/under

Minnesota Timberwolves Injuries

10/22/16 C Nikola Pekovic Ankle out for season
02/23/17 G Lance Stephenson Ankle out indefinitely
02/07/17 F Adreian Payne Illness out indefinitely
02/05/17 PG Zach LaVine Ankle out for season

Utah Jazz Injuries

No key injuries to report

Guy's Pick: Take Utah -7

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