Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 4/2/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (+9)

The Minnesota Timberwolves (51-23) host the Houston Rockets (38-36) at Target Center on Tuesday. Houston opens this contest as 9-point underdogs. The total is set at 216.5.

The Rockets faced off with the Mavericks and took a loss by a score of 125-107 in their last game. Houston walked away from the game with a 42.4% FG percentage (39 of 92) and knocked down 13 of 38 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Rockets buried 16 of 19 tries for a percentage of 84.2%. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they earned 43 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 22 assists in this contest as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 9 steals. With respect to the defense, Houston allowed 51.6% from the floor on 48 of 93 shooting. Dallas doled out 24 assists and had 7 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Dallas grabbed 47 boards (10 offensive, 37 defensive) and got 3 blocked shots. Dallas walked away from this one shooting 55.6% at the charity stripe by burying 5 of 9 tries. They also converted 24 of their 47 tries from 3-point range. In reference to fouls, the Rockets ended up finishing with 14 and the Mavericks totaled 17 fouls.

Jabari Smith Jr. is one player who played a role in the matchup. Smith Jr. finished 64.3% from the field and recorded 2 dimes. He played 36 minutes played and also pulled down 7 rebounds. He had 28 points on 9 out of 14 shooting.

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Houston will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 38-36 this year. They lose possession via turnover 12.8 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 20.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Houston is pulling down 46.0 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 1,826 assists this season, which is 27th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Rockets are shooting 35.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (928 of 2,632) and 77.2% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 114.2 pts per contest (16th in basketball) while going 46.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Rockets are forcing 13.7 turnovers per game and they draw 19.8 fouls. They rank 2nd in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,798 conceded so far this season. The Rockets defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 46.1% (3,005 of 6,523) and they concede 44.8 boards per contest as a team. They concede 34.8% on three-point shots and they are 10th in the league in PPG allowed (112.6).

For their last game, the Timberwolves walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 109-101 against the Bulls. In relation to cleaning up the glass, Minnesota allowed Chicago to grab 43 in total (8 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 58.6% from distance by hitting 17 out of 29 and ended up shooting 8 out of 12 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Timberwolves permitted the Bulls to convert 42 out of 80 tries from the field which had them at 52.5% in this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Timberwolves shot 38 out of 81 from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.9%. With regard to three-point shots, Minnesota made 11 of 37 attempts (29.7%). They were able to convert 14 of them for a percentage of 66.7%. The Bulls were called for 18 personal fouls in the game which got the Timberwolves to the free throw line for a total of 21 tries. They coughed up the ball 13 times, while earning 12 steals in this matchup. The Timberwolves were able to pull down 29 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 37 in this matchup.

Anthony Edwards ended up having an impact for the Timberwolves in the matchup. Edwards had 22 points in his 36 mins of playing time and tallied 5 assists for this game. He converted 9 out of 20 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 45.0%, and accumulated 11 rebounds.

Minnesota has a mark of 51-23 on the campaign. The Timberwolves are committing 18.9 personal fouls every game and they connect on 77.7% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 26.5 times per game (16th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 14.1 times per game. Minnesota has accounted for 8,352 pts this year (112.9 per contest) and they grab 43.8 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Timberwolves are shooting 48.5% from the field, which ranks 10th in basketball.

The Timberwolves defensively are ranked 1st in the NBA in PPG allowed with 106.2. They are able to force 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 44.8% from the field (1st in basketball). The Minnesota defense gives up 35.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (840 of 2,383) and their opposition knocks down 78.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 24.4 dimes and 41.4 rebounds every game, which is ranked 3rd and 4th in basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Minnesota (-9)

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