Detroit Pistons vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 12/23/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Detroit Pistons vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Fox Sports North

Odds/Point Spread: Detroit (+5)

Target Center is the site where and the Minnesota Timberwolves (19-45 last year) will play the Detroit Pistons (20-46 last season) on Wednesday. The odds on this game have Minnesota as 5-point favorites. The total has been set at 227.

Detroit heads into this matchup after finishing with a win-loss record of 20-46 last year. They had an average of 107.2 pts per contest (25th in basketball) while going 45.9% from the field. The Pistons connected on 36.7% on shots from downtown (791 of 2,157) and 74.3% from the charity stripe. As a squad, Detroit snagged 41.7 rebounds per contest and totaled 1,589 dimes last year, which had them ranked 22nd in the league in terms of passing the ball. They coughed up possession 15.3 times per contest and as a team committed 19.7 personal fouls per game. On the defensive end, the Pistons were able to force 14.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.8 personal fouls. They relinquished 36.1% on shots from downtown and they were 15th in basketball in points per game allowed (110.8). The Pistons defense gave up a shooting percentage of 48.0% (2,768 of 5,764) and they relinquished 43.5 rebounds per game as a squad. They were 5th in the league in giving up assists with 1,625 conceded over the course of last year.

The Detroit Pistons faced the Philadelphia 76ers and went home with a loss by a final score of 124-106 in their last contest. Detroit ended having earned a 46.4% field goal percentage (39 of 84) and converted 11 out of their 35 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Pistons converted 17 of 25 shots for a rate of 68.0%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 32 with 6 of them being offensive. They also distributed 25 dimes for this game while earning 10 steals and 3 blocked shots. Regarding defense, Detroit allowed the other team to shoot 50.6% from the floor on 42 out of 83. Philadelphia totaled 28 assists and 7 steals in this matchup. Furthurmore, the 76ers had 50 boards (13 offensive, 37 defensive) and had 4 blocks. Philadelphia finished the game at 81.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 26 of their 32 shots. They also buried 14 of 33 shots from beyond the arc.

Christian Wood is a guy who saw a lot of minutes in this matchup. He accumulated 32 points on 14 of 18 shooting. He played 38:58 and also grabbed 7 rebounds. Wood finished the contest at 77.8% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists. An additional guy that was a contributor in this matchup for the Pistons was Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. He grabbed 2 rebounds and accumulated 4 dimes. He finished shooting 30.8% from the field for this contest via 4-of-13 (16 points). When the final whistle blew, Mykhailiuk played for 33:36.

Minnesota had a mark of 19-45 last year. The Timberwolves committed 21.4 fouls per contest and they connected on 75.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates was at 23.8 times per contest (20th in the NBA) and they gave up possession 15.3 times per game. Minnesota earned 7,248 points last season (113.3 per game) and they collected 44.8 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Timberwolves connected on 44.1% from the field, which ranked 28th in the NBA. The Timberwolves defensively were ranked 28th in basketball in points given up per game with 117.5. The Minnesota defense allowed 36.3% on shots from 3-point land (740 of 2,040) and opponents connected on 78.3% of their free throw shots. They forced their opponents into 15.5 TO's every game and allowed teams to shoot 47.7% from the floor (25th in the NBA). They allowed 24.4 dimes and 47.3 boards on a nightly basis, which ranked them 13th and 29th in the league.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Minnesota Timberwolves took a defeat with a final score of 117-111 when they faced the Houston Rockets. The Timberwolves earned 33 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 41 in the game. They stuffed 2 tries while recording 9 steals for the game. The Rockets had 20 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Timberwolves to the charity stripe for 23 tries. They were able to bury 17 of the free throws for a rate of 73.9%. When talking about shots from 3-point land, Minnesota made 14 out of their 35 tries (40.0%). Overall, the Timberwolves shot 40 out of 83 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 48.2%. The Timberwolves permitted the Rockets to bury 41 of 80 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.3% in this game. They finished 39.5% from three-point range by hitting 15 out of 38 and finished the contest at 20 of 26 from the free throw line (76.9%). When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, Minnesota permitted Houston to snag 33 in all (5 on the offensive side).

Juan Hernangómez ended up having an impact for the Timberwolves in the game. He buried 6 out of 12 in this contest for a rate of 50.0%, which got him 18 points. Hernangómez pulled down 10 boards in his 35:34 of time on the court and tallied 2 assists for the matchup. An additional guy that was important for Minnesota was D'Angelo Russell. He totaled 28 points in his 33:56 on the hardwood by way of 8 out of 15 shooting in this contest. Russell ended the game having shot 53.3% from the field while also collecting 5 assists and 6 rebounds.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Minnesota (-5) and over 227 points

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