New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 1/3/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

The Minnesota Timberwolves (24-8) will go up against the New Orleans Pelicans (19-14) at Target Center on Wednesday.

The Pelicans faced the Lakers and went home with a win by a final score of 129-109 in their last contest. New Orleans ended the game having earned a 51.7% FG percentage (45 out of 87) and made 17 out of their 34 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Pelicans knocked down 22 of 27 tries for a rate of 81.5%. When discussing rebounding, they compiled a total of 47 with 12 of them being offensive. They also recorded 33 assists for the matchup while forcing 13 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In reference to defending, New Orleans let their opponent shoot 47.6% from the floor on 39 of 82 shooting. Los Angeles distributed 26 assists and had 8 steals for the game. Furthermore, Los Angeles snagged 35 rebounds (4 offensive, 31 defensive) and added 6 rejections. Los Angeles finished shooting 84.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 21 of 25 shots. They made 10 of their 32 shots from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Pelicans ended up with 22 and the Lakers accumulated 15 fouls.

Brandon Ingram is one player who came through for this game. He recorded 26 points on 10 out of 18 shooting. He saw the court for 38 minutes played and also snagged 5 rebounds. Ingram finished 55.6% from the field and distributed 8 dimes.

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New Orleans will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 19-14 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 13.6 times per game and as a team they are committing 20.2 fouls per game. As a unit, New Orleans is grabbing 44.2 rebounds per game and has tallied 870 dimes on the campaign, which is 10th in basketball in terms of passing. The Pelicans are shooting 36.9% from downtown (376 of 1,019) and 76.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 116.0 points per contest (12th in basketball) while shooting 48.3% from the field.

On defense, the Pelicans are forcing 14.5 turnovers per game while drawing 20.1 fouls. They relinquish 33.8% on shots from distance while they are 12th in the NBA in points per game allowed (113.0). The Pelicans defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 46.3% (1,347 of 2,907) and they surrender 43.5 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 22nd in basketball in allowing assists with 888 surrendered on the season.

When they last played, the Timberwolves took a loss by a final score of 112-106 when they faced the Knicks. Regarding rebounds, Minnesota allowed New York to get 49 overall (16 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 35.3% from 3-point land by going 12 out of 34 and ended up going 22 out of 28 at the free throw line (78.6%). The Timberwolves allowed the Knicks to convert 39 out of their 89 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 43.8% in the game. When this game wrapped up, the Timberwolves went 36 out of 76 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.4%. In relation to shooting from distance, Minnesota made 11 of 28 attempts (39.3%). They were able to knock down 23 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 79.3%. The Knicks committed 24 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Timberwolves to the free throw line for 29 attempts. They also coughed it up 13 times, while recording 6 steals for this contest. The Timberwolves collected 30 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards for a total of 34 in this contest.

Anthony Edwards ended up being important for the Timberwolves for this game. He buried 11 out of 21 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 52.4%, and accounted for 4 rebounds. Edwards scored 35 points in his 38 mins on the court and tallied 2 dimes in the game.

Minnesota has a mark of 24-8 for the season. As an offensive team, the Timberwolves are shooting 48.6% from the floor, which is 6th in basketball. Minnesota has tallied 3,617 points for the campaign (113.0 per game) and they collect 44.1 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 25.7 times per game (19th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 15.6 times per game. The Timberwolves have committed 19.6 fouls per game and they go 79.5% from the free throw line.

The Timberwolves defensively are ranked 1st in the NBA in PPG surrendered with 107.5. They are forcing 14.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.5% from the floor (2nd in the league). The Minnesota defense allows 33.9% on three-point shots (354 of 1,043) and opponents are making 80.4% of their free throw shots. They concede 24.5 dimes and 40.9 total boards per game, which has them ranked 4th and 3rd in the league.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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