Boston Celtics vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 12/27/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Monday, December 27, 2021

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: NBC Sports Boston

The Minnesota Timberwolves (15-17) are welcoming the Boston Celtics (16-17) at Target Center on Monday.

The Celtics faced the Bucks and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 117-113 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Celtics finished with 23 and the Bucks totaled 13 personal fouls. They also converted 12 out of their 33 shots from distance. Milwaukee finished the contest at 70.4% at the charity stripe by converting 19 of their 27 tries. Moreover, Milwaukee collected 33 rebounds (15 offensive, 18 defensive) and had 8 rejections. Milwaukee recorded 48 assists and had 24 steals in this matchup. In reference to defense, Boston allowed the other team to go 47.3% from the floor on 43 out of 91 shooting. They also doled out 24 dimes in the game in addition to creating 6 turnovers and having 9 steals. In reference to rebounding, they collected 44 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Celtics made 20 of their 24 shots for a rate of 83.3%. Boston wrapped up the game having earned a 42.7% field goal percentage (38 of 89) and knocked down 17 of their 45 shots from 3-point land.

Jayson Tatum is one guy who was a major factor for the game. Tatum ended up shooting 35.0% from the field and totaled 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 40 mins and also snagged 9 rebounds. He ended up with 25 points on 7 out of 20 shooting.

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Boston will enter this game with a win-loss record of 16-17 so far this season. They are turning it over 14.0 times per contest and as a squad they commit 19.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Boston is grabbing 45.6 boards per game and is sitting with 748 dimes so far this year, which ranks 18th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Celtics are connecting on 34.0% on shots from 3-point land (407 of 1,198) and 80.9% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 108.5 pts per game (14th in the league) while shooting 44.5% from the field.

On defense, the Celtics are able to force 14.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.9 personal fouls. They rank 7th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 717 surrendered so far this year. The Celtics defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.3% (1,283 of 2,896) and they relinquish 45.6 boards per game as a squad. They are conceding 34.1% on shots from distance while they are 16th in basketball in PPG allowed (107.4).

In their last game, the Timberwolves took a defeat with a final score of 128-116 when they played the Jazz. When discussing cleaning the glass, Minnesota permitted Utah to get 35 overall (10 offensive). They wrapped up this game 41.0% from behind the 3-point line via 16 out of 39 and ended up going 16 out of 22 at the free throw line (72.7%). The Timberwolves allowed the Jazz to make 48 of 90 tries from the field which had them shooting 53.3% for the contest. When the game finished, the Timberwolves walked away from this one shooting 45 out of 101 from the floor which had them shooting 44.6%. When discussing 3-point attempts, Minnesota converted 17 out of 45 tries (37.8%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throws for a clip of 75.0%. The Jazz were called for 15 fouls for the matchup which took the Timberwolves to the free throw line for a total of 12 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while recording 7 steals in this matchup. The Timberwolves were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 15 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for the game.

Malik Beasley was important for the Timberwolves for the contest. Beasley scored 33 points in his 43 mins on the hardwood and tallied 1 assist in the matchup. He knocked down 13 out of 25 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 52.0%, and had 6 rebounds.

Minnesota has a mark of 15-17 for the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Timberwolves are shooting 43.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 27th in basketball. Minnesota has scored 3,481 pts so far this year (108.8 per game) and they pull in 45.1 boards per game. They are getting an assist 23.4 times per game (16th in the NBA) and they cough up possession 15.4 times per game. The Timberwolves commit 22.5 fouls per contest and they shoot 76.9% from the charity stripe.

The Minnesota defense gives up 33.6% on three-point shots (403 of 1,200) and their opponents are converting on 78.1% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 25.7 dimes and 46.7 rebounds per game, which ranks them 29th and 26th in the league. The Timberwolves on the defensive side of the court are 21st in basketball in PPG surrendered with 109.3. They are forcing their opponents into 16.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.1% from the field (13th in the league).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota

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