Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 1/5/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets

Date: Friday, January 5, 2024

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (-3)

The Minnesota Timberwolves (24-9) are headed to Toyota Center on Friday where they will take on the Houston Rockets (17-15). Minnesota opens this contest as 3-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total is 219.5.

The Timberwolves played the Pelicans and took a loss by a score of 117-106 in their last game. Minnesota walked away from the contest with a 45.1% field goal percentage (37 of 82) and converted 10 out of their 31 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Timberwolves converted 22 of 27 shots for a percentage of 81.5%. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they earned 28 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 26 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 7 steals. When talking about defense, Minnesota allowed 55.6% from the field on 45 of 81 shooting. New Orleans dished out 30 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, New Orleans snagged 41 rebounds (9 offensive, 32 defensive) and had 6 rejections. New Orleans walked away from this one shooting 88.2% at the charity stripe by burying 15 of 17 attempts. They also knocked down 12 out of their 26 attempts from distance. Concerning fouls, the Timberwolves ended up with 13 while the Pelicans totaled 24 fouls.

Anthony Edwards is a guy who was a contributor in this game. Edwards went 50.0% from the floor and also recorded 5 assists. He played for 37 mins and totaled 4 rebounds. He accounted for 35 points on 11 out of 22 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Betting Picks

Minnesota heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 24-9 this season. They have an average of 112.8 points per contest (24th in basketball) while hitting 48.4% from the field. The Timberwolves are shooting 38.1% on three-point attempts (396 of 1,040) and 79.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Minnesota is pulling down 43.6 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 847 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 22nd in the league in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 15.5 times per game and as a squad they commit 19.4 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Timberwolves have forced 14.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.8 fouls. They relinquish 34.2% on 3-point shots and they rank 1st in the NBA in points per game allowed (107.8). The Timberwolves defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 44.8% (1,312 of 2,927) and they concede 40.9 boards per contest as a group. They currently rank 3rd in the NBA in allowing assists with 814 relinquished for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Rockets went home victorious with a score of 112-101 when they faced the Nets. Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, Houston allowed Brooklyn to snag 50 overall (15 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 29.5% from beyond the arc by going 13 out of 44 and ended up going 16 out of 26 at the charity stripe (61.5%). The Rockets allowed the Nets to make 36 of 93 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 38.7% in the game. When the final whistle blew, the Rockets shot 37 out of 76 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 48.7%. With respect to shots from distance, Houston knocked down 19 out of 39 attempts (48.7%). They were able to make 19 of the free throw tries for a clip of 70.4%. The Nets earned 19 personal fouls in this game which got the Rockets to the free throw line for a total of 27 shots. They turned it over 16 times, while earning 5 steals in this contest. The Rockets pulled down 43 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 48 for this game.

Alperen Sengün ended up being important for the Rockets in this game. Sengun earned 30 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 4 dimes for the contest. He buried 11 of 17 in this contest giving him a rate of 64.7%, and had 8 rebounds.

Houston has a mark of 17-15 so far this season. As an offense, the Rockets are connecting on 46.7% from the floor, which is 22nd in basketball. Houston has accumulated 3,617 pts so far this season (113.0 per game) and they pull down 45.1 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 25.4 times per game (22nd in the league) and they are turning it over 13.1 times per contest. The Rockets commit 21.8 fouls per game and they connect on 77.8% from the free throw line.

The Rockets on the defensive side of the court are 2nd in basketball in PPG given up with 109.6. They are forcing 13.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.8% from the floor (3rd in the league). The Houston defense allows 32.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (372 of 1,136) and opponents are knocking down 75.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 23.5 assists and 43.6 rebounds per game, which ranks them 1st and 18th in basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota (-3)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here