Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 3/8/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Friday, March 8, 2024

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is the location where the Cleveland Cavaliers (40-22) will compete against the Minnesota Timberwolves (43-19) on Friday.

The Timberwolves faced off with the Trail Blazers and notched a win by a score of 119-114 in their last contest. Minnesota finished the contest with a 50.6% FG percentage (40 of 79) and made 11 out of their 28 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Timberwolves knocked down 28 of 37 attempts for a percentage of 75.7%. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they collected a total of 40 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 28 assists for the game while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In regard to defense, Minnesota allowed 48.9% from the floor on 45 out of 92 shooting. Portland distributed 28 dimes and had 5 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Portland grabbed 41 boards (12 offensive, 29 defensive) and added 7 blocked shots. Portland ended up shooting 72.7% from the charity stripe by making 8 of 11 tries. They knocked down 16 out of their 39 shots from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Timberwolves ended up with 17 while the Trail Blazers recorded 26 fouls.

Rudy Gobert is one guy who came through for the matchup. Gobert ended up shooting 90.0% from the field but had no dimes when the game ended. He played 39 minutes played and grabbed 16 boards. He finished with 25 points on 9 out of 10 shooting.

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Minnesota heads into this game with a record of 43-19 for the season. They average 113.3 pts per game (19th in the league) while shooting 48.7% from the field. The Timberwolves are connecting on 38.9% on shots from downtown (775 of 1,991) and 78.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Minnesota is collecting 44.2 rebounds per game and has totaled 1,637 dimes for the campaign, which is 16th in the league in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.6 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 19.2 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Timberwolves are forcing 13.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.3 fouls. They currently rank 1st in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,505 surrendered for the year. The Timberwolves defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 44.5% (2,418 of 5,436) and they surrender 40.8 rebounds per contest as a unit. They surrender 34.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 1st in the league in points per game allowed (106.5).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Cavaliers went home defeated by a final of 112-101 when they played the Hawks. The Cavaliers collected 32 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 42 in this contest. They also coughed it up 13 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. The Hawks committed 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Cavaliers to the charity stripe for 17 tries. They were able to bury 13 of the free throws for a clip of 76.5%. In reference to shots from 3-point land, Cleveland made 10 out of their 44 tries (22.7%). Overall, the Cavaliers finished shooting 39 for 89 from the floor which had them shooting 43.8%. The Cavaliers permitted the Hawks to convert 43 of their 84 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 51.2% for the game. They finished 36.7% from beyond the perimeter by going 11 of 30 and ended up shooting 15 out of 20 from the free throw line (75.0%). Regarding rebounds, Cleveland permitted Atlanta to collect 42 overall (8 on the offensive glass).

Jarrett Allen ended up being important for the Cavaliers for the game. Allen totaled 18 points in his 37 minutes of playing time and earned 3 dimes in this game. He converted 7 of 11 for this contest for a rate of 63.6%, and totaled 19 rebounds.

Cleveland has a win-loss record of 40-22 so far this year. The Cavaliers commit 18.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 76.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 27.7 times per contest (10th in the league) and they are turning it over 13.4 times per contest. Cleveland has accounted for 7,067 points this season (114.0 per game) and they grab 44.6 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Cavaliers are hitting on 47.9% from the field, which ranks them 13th in basketball.

The Cleveland defense allows 36.1% on 3-point shots (756 of 2,093) and opponents are making 78.5% of their foul shots. They have given up 24.4 assists and 42.8 total boards per game, which is 3rd and 10th in the NBA. The Cavaliers are ranked 2nd in the league in PPG allowed with 109.5. They have forced 13.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 45.5% from the field (4th in the NBA).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota

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