Minnesota Timberwolves vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 12/14/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Thursday, December 14, 2023

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: Bally Sports Southwest-Dallas

The Dallas Mavericks (15-8) will try to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves (17-5) at American Airlines Center on Thursday.

The Timberwolves played the Pelicans and went home with a loss by a final score of 121-107 in their last contest. Minnesota ended the contest with a 44.0% FG percentage (40 out of 91) and knocked down 13 of their 36 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Timberwolves knocked down 14 of 19 shots for a rate of 73.7%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 47 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 26 dimes for this game as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When discussing the defense, Minnesota allowed 48.8% from the field on 40 out of 82 shooting. New Orleans totaled 27 dimes and had 7 steals in this game. Moreover, New Orleans snagged 47 rebounds (10 offensive, 37 defensive) and had 3 blocked shots. New Orleans ended up shooting 77.5% at the charity stripe by making 31 of their 40 attempts. They made 10 of 27 attempts from beyond the perimeter. In regard to personal fouls, the Timberwolves ended up with 28 while the Pelicans accumulated 20 personal fouls.

Mike Conley is a player who was important in this contest. Conley ended up going 54.5% from the floor and also recorded 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 27 minutes played and also totaled 5 rebounds. He ended up scoring 17 points on 6 out of 11 shooting.

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Minnesota comes into this one with a mark of 17-5 on the year. They average 112.7 pts per contest (20th in the league) while connecting on 47.9% from the floor. The Timberwolves are shooting 36.7% on three-point shots (258 of 703) and 79.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Minnesota is pulling in 46.0 rebounds per contest and has earned 558 assists this season, which ranks 23rd in the league in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 14.9 times per contest and as a unit are committing 19.5 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Timberwolves are forcing their opponents into 14.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.8 fouls. They give up 33.7% on shots from downtown and they rank 2nd in basketball in opponents PPG (105.9). The Timberwolves are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.0% (854 of 1,986) and they relinquish 42.0 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 5th in basketball in allowing assists with 537 conceded on the campaign.

In their last game, the Mavericks got the victory with a final of 127-125 against the Lakers. In the matter of how they cleaned up the glass, Dallas allowed Los Angeles to get 40 in total (10 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 51.7% from distance by going 15 of 29 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 18 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Mavericks permitted the Lakers to convert 49 of their 91 tries from the floor which had them shooting 53.8% in this contest. Overall, the Mavericks finished shooting 44 out of 89 from the field which had them shooting 49.4%. In reference to 3-pointers, Dallas knocked down 21 out of 43 attempts (48.8%). They were able to knock down 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 85.7%. The Lakers were called for 20 personal fouls for the contest which took the Mavericks to the charity stripe for a total of 21 shots. They turned the ball over 10 times, while recording 7 steals for the contest. The Mavericks collected 24 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 36 in this matchup.

Luka Doncic ended up being a major contributor for the Mavericks for this game. Doncic accumulated 33 points in his 43 mins on the hardwood and earned 17 dimes for the contest. He converted 12 of 28 in the game giving him a rate of 42.9%, and had 6 rebounds.

Dallas has a win-loss record of 15-8 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Mavericks are shooting 47.3% from the field, which is 15th in basketball. Dallas has 2,765 pts on the season (120.2 per game) and they collect 42.3 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 25.9 times per game (17th in the league) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per game. The Mavericks are responsible for committing 18.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 75.0% from the free throw line.

The Mavericks defensively are ranked 22nd in the league in PPG given up with 116.9. They are forcing their opponents into 14.4 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 48.1% from the field (20th in the NBA). The Dallas defense gives up 37.1% on shots from 3-point land (303 of 817) and their opposition knocks down 75.7% of their foul shots. They have allowed 27.3 assists and 46.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 24th and 27th in the NBA.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota

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