Minnesota Timberwolves vs Miami Heat Prediction, 12/18/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Miami Heat

Date: Monday, December 18, 2023

Location: Kaseya Center in Miami, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

The Minnesota Timberwolves (19-5) are en route to Kaseya Center on Monday where they will take on the Miami Heat (15-11).

The Timberwolves took the court against the Pacers and walked away with a win by a score of 127-109 in their last game. In relation to fouls, the Timberwolves finished with 16 and the Pacers recorded 15 fouls. They also buried 6 of 21 shots from distance. Indiana ended up going 81.3% at the free throw line by making 13 of 16 tries. Additionally, Indiana grabbed 40 rebounds (13 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 4 blocks. Indiana distributed 25 assists and had 10 steals in this contest. When talking about defense, Minnesota allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the field on 45 out of 90 shooting. They also distributed 33 dimes for this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Pertaining to rebounding, they collected 36 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Timberwolves made 13 of 16 shots for a percentage of 81.3%. Minnesota walked away from the contest with a 55.8% field goal percentage (48 out of 86) and converted 18 of 30 3-point attempts.

Karl-Anthony Towns is a guy who was a major factor in this matchup. Towns went 60.0% from the field and recorded 4 dimes. He was on the court for 35 minutes and grabbed 12 boards. He was able to score 40 points on 15 of 25 shooting.

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Minnesota heads into this contest with a mark of 19-5 for the season. They lose possession via turnover 15.0 times per game and as a squad are committing 19.3 fouls every game. As a team, Minnesota is snagging 45.5 rebounds per game and has earned 621 dimes so far this season, which is 22nd in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Timberwolves are connecting on 38.0% on 3-point shots (290 of 764) and 79.0% from the free throw line. They average 113.6 points per contest (19th in basketball) while shooting 48.3% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Timberwolves have forced 14.2 turnovers every game while drawing 20.5 fouls. They concede 33.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 2nd in basketball in PPG allowed (105.8). The Timberwolves are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.4% (938 of 2,159) and they surrender 41.6 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 4th in the league in giving up assists with 583 conceded this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Heat walked away with a victory by a final of 118-116 when they played the Bulls. In reference to rebounding, Miami allowed Chicago to get 40 overall (11 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 42.1% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 16 of 38 and walked away from this one shooting 26 of 29 at the free throw line (89.7%). The Heat allowed the Bulls to convert 37 of their 77 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 48.1% for the contest. When the game finished, the Heat went 43 for 83 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.8%. In reference to 3-pointers, Miami made 13 of 35 tries (37.1%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.0%. The Bulls earned 19 fouls for the game which took the Heat to the free throw line for a total of 25 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 7 steals in this matchup. The Heat were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 31 for this game.

Jimmy Butler pitched in for the Heat in this contest. Butler recorded 28 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and earned 2 assists in this game. He made 9 out of 18 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and totaled 4 rebounds.

Miami has a win-loss mark of 15-11 this year. The Heat have committed 18.7 fouls per game and they go 83.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 26.4 times per contest (10th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.2 times per game. Miami has scored 2,938 pts for the season (113.0 per game) and they pull down 40.7 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Heat are connecting on 47.3% from the floor, which ranks them 16th in basketball.

The Miami defense allows 38.2% on 3-point attempts (357 of 935) and opponents are converting on 76.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 26.6 dimes and 42.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 18th and 6th in the NBA. The Heat defensively are ranked 10th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 112.0. They are forcing their opponents into 14.9 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 48.5% from the field (21st in the league).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Miami

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