Minnesota Timberwolves vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 12/17/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2020

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: NBA League Pass

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+2.5)

American Airlines Center is the site where and the Dallas Mavericks (43-32 last year) will play the Minnesota Timberwolves (19-45 last season) on Thursday. Dallas opens this game as 2.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 222.

Minnesota comes into this game after finishing with a win-loss mark of 19-45 last season. They lost possession by turning the ball over 15.3 times per game and as a unit committed 21.4 personal fouls per contest. As a group, Minnesota grabbed 44.8 boards per contest and sat with 1,525 dimes over the course of last year, which was 27th in the NBA in terms of passing. The Timberwolves hit on 33.6% on 3-point shots (853 of 2,540) and 75.3% from the free throw line. They averaged 113.3 pts per contest (12th in the league) while connecting on 44.1% from the floor. Defensively, the Timberwolves were able to force their opponents into 15.5 turnovers per game while drawing 21.6 personal fouls. They were 2nd in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,560 relinquished last year. The Timberwolves gave up a field goal percentage of 47.7% (2,760 of 5,786) and they relinquished 47.3 rebounds per contest as a unit. They gave up 36.3% from beyond the arc while they were 28th in basketball in opponents PPG (117.5).

The Minnesota Timberwolves took the court against the Memphis Grizzlies and ended up losing by a score of 123-104 in their last  preseason game. Minnesota finished with a 40.2% FG percentage (35 out of 87) and knocked down 11 of 40 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Timberwolves converted 23 of 32 tries for a percentage of 71.9%. Regarding grabbing boards, they compiled 47 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 20 assists for the contest while having 12 steals and 4 blocks. When talking about defending, Minnesota allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 46 out of 92. Memphis doled out 29 assists and 18 steals in this matchup. On top of that, the Grizzlies snagged 51 boards (6 offensive, 45 defensive) and added 5 blocks. Memphis ended up shooting 64.5% at the charity stripe by converting 20 of 31 attempts. They also knocked down 11 out of their 33 attempts from long range.

Dallas had a win-loss record of 43-32 last year. The Mavericks committed 19.5 personal fouls every game and they connected on 77.9% from the charity stripe. They got an assist 24.7 times per game (14th in the NBA) and they lost possession by turning the ball over 12.7 times per contest. Dallas scored 8,776 pts last season (117.0 per contest) and they averaged 46.9 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Mavericks connected on 46.1% from the field, which had them ranked 16th in the league. The Mavericks on the defensive end were ranked 16th in the league in PPG allowed with 112.1. They surrendered 23.9 assists and 45.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, which was ranked 10th and 19th in those defensive categories. The Dallas defense surrendered 35.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (919 of 2,615) and opponents knocked down 76.0% of their free throw attempts. They forced 11.9 turnovers per game and let teams shoot 45.8% from the floor (13th in the league).

When they last stepped on the court this preseason, the Dallas Mavericks went home defeated by a final of 128-112 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavericks recorded 37 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards for a total of 49 in this matchup. They rejected 2 shots while recording 4 steals in the game. The Bucks were called for 12 fouls for the game which got the Mavericks to the free throw line for a total of 26 attempts. They were able to make 18 of those for a percentage of 69.2%. With respect to 3-point shots, Dallas made 22 out of their 46 attempts (47.8%). At the conclusion of this game, the Mavericks went 44 for 95 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 46.3%. The Mavericks allowed the Bucks to knock down 43 of their 86 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0% for this contest. They went 36.4% from 3-point land by hitting 12 of 33 and finished the contest at 14 out of 23 from the free throw line (60.9%). With respect to rebounding, Dallas permitted Milwaukee to pull down 42 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Minnesota (+2.5)

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