Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, 4/18/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers

Date: Sunday, April 18, 2021

Location: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Bally Sports SoCal

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+9.5)

The Minnesota Timberwolves (15-42) go to STAPLES Center on Sunday where they'll take on the Los Angeles Clippers (39-19). Minnesota opens this game as 9.5-point underdogs. The O/U opens at 227.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took the court against the Miami Heat and went home with a win by a final score of 119-111 in their last contest. Minnesota finished the game with a 51.9% field goal percentage (42 of 81) and buried 15 of 36 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Timberwolves knocked down 20 of their 29 shots for a percentage of 69.0%. With respect to grabbing boards, they compiled 45 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 30 assists in this game while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 8 steals. Regarding defense, Minnesota let their opponent shoot 48.8% from the floor on 39 of 80 shooting. Miami totaled 33 assists and had 11 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Miami pulled down 33 rebounds (7 offensive, 26 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Miami finished the game shooting 73.1% at the charity stripe by making 19 of 26 shots. They also knocked down 14 out of their 34 shots from distance.

Karl-Anthony Towns is one guy who was a major contributor in the game. He accounted for 24 points on 8 out of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 25:36 mins played and collected 5 rebounds. Towns shot 57.1% from the floor and also totaled 5 assists. Another guy that was a factor in this contest for the Timberwolves was Ricky Rubio. He pulled down 3 rebounds in 32:29 minutes played on the night. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field in this contest by shooting 5-of-10 (17 points). When the final whistle blew, Rubio tallied 4 assists.

Minnesota heads into this one with a mark of 15-42 on the campaign. They have an average of 110.3 pts per contest (21st in the league) while hitting 44.1% from the field. The Timberwolves are shooting 34.8% on shots from 3-point land (727 of 2,088) and 77.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Minnesota is pulling down 42.9 boards per game and has accounted for 1,420 assists on the year, which has them ranked 12th in the league in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.4 times per contest and as a group they are committing 20.9 personal fouls per contest. On defense, the Timberwolves have forced 15.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.6 fouls. They are giving up 39.2% on 3-pointers and they are 28th in the league in points per game allowed (118.0). The Timberwolves defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 48.3% (869 of 1,115) and they surrender 46.4 boards per game as a team. They are 30th in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,523 relinquished on the season.

In their last game, the Los Angeles Clippers took a loss by a score of 106-103 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Clippers pulled down 35 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 43 in this matchup. They also coughed it up 19 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. The 76ers committed 19 fouls in the matchup which got the Clippers to the free throw line for 16 attempts. They were able to knock down 10 of them for a rate of 62.5%. When discussing shooting from distance, Los Angeles converted 19 of their 39 tries (48.7%). At the conclusion of this game, the Clippers shot 37 for 82 from the floor which had them sitting at 45.1%. The Clippers permitted the 76ers to convert 35 of 83 tries from the floor which had them at 42.2% for this contest. They finished 31.8% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 14 out of 44 and ended up going 22 of 30 from the free throw line (73.3%). When it comes to cleaning up the glass, Los Angeles permitted Philadelphia to grab 46 in total (11 offensive).

Paul George was important for the Clippers in the matchup. He buried 14 of 29 in this contest giving him a rate of 48.3%, and accounted for 9 rebounds. George earned 37 points in his 39:03 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 6 assists for the game. One more player who was a determining factor for Los Angeles was Marcus Morris. He ended up finishing with 2 dimes in 35:03 mins on the court, and he converted 5 of 10 from the floor. Morris ended the game having shot 50.0% from the floor in addition to contributing 15 points and 3 boards.

Los Angeles has a record of 39-19 on the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Clippers are shooting 48.5% from the field, which is 4th in the league. Los Angeles has totaled 6,660 points so far this season (114.8 per contest) and they average 44.2 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 24.3 times per contest (18th in basketball) and they turn it over 13.0 times per contest. The Clippers commit 19.6 fouls per contest and they connect on 83.8% from the free throw line. The Clippers are ranked 6th in the league in points per game surrendered with 108.2. They are able to force 13.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.6% from the floor (14th in the league). The Los Angeles defense surrenders 35.8% on shots from distance (660 of 1,846) and their opposition makes 78.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 22.7 assists and 41.1 total rebounds per game, which is 4th and 3rd in the league.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Los Angeles (-9.5) and under 227 points

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