The Houston Rockets are zeroing in on finishing with the best record, sitting two games ahead of the banged up Warriors as the season winds down. Houston has been playing extremely well all season and a few more key road wins could wrap it up. The Rockets have a critical matchup next time out when they travel to play the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This is a big game for Minnesota too as it is smack dab in the middle of many different teams jockeying for position in the lower seeds of the Western Conference. With a good finish, the Timberwolves could have the home court advantage in the first round. With a bad finish, there is the possibility they miss the postseason completely.
Minnesota plays well at home but is going against a juggernaut and figures to be a slight underdog in this matchup.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Target Center at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 18, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on NBATV.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Sunday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Rockets are 54-14 straight up and 36-31-1 against the spread. Houston has done well on the road this season, covering in 23 of 35 attempts. The Rockets have gone 34-28-1 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
The Timberwolves are 40-29 straight up and 32-35-2 against the spread. Minnesota has gone 17-16-1 against the spread as the home team this season. The Timberwolves have covered in 12 of 26 attempts as the underdog on the year.
Player To Watch
James Harden -- The Rockets have cruised to the best record in the league because of an MVP-level season from their star small forward. Harden is averaging 30.9 points, 8.7 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest. He is shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range.
Harden does a fantastic job of creating shots for himself as well as others. The Rockets have done a nice job of finding a lot of complementary players that can hit the three-pointer and they will shoot them at all times.
Harden missed a game recently with a knee injury but it was only minor and he has since returned. He had 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds last time out in a victory over the Clippers.
Key Stat
26. That’s the number of wins the Timberwolves have at home this season in 34 tries. It is one of the best home records in the NBA and gives reason to believe that the T-Wolves can win this game.
Minnesota knocked off the Warriors at home recently, flexing its muscle in a game against the defending champions. The Timberwolves were not able to take care if business against the Rockets the two times these teams met previously, but both of those games were in Houston.
Minnesota is hoping the home court advantage will carry it to the upset.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Rockets are a dominant team but they will suffer a slight hiccup in this game. Minnesota big man Karl-Anthony Towns is a beast and even though the T-Wolves are without Jimmy Butler they still have some solid depth and talent.
Golden State is dealing with a lot of issues right now so Houston may be able to put away the top seed with a good stretch over the next few games, but the T-Wolves will delay that with a win in this one. Take Minnesota to cover the NBA basketball spread in the betting lines.
Consider the “under” as the teams could be fatigued this late in the year and may not shoot super efficiently from the outside.
NBA Odds: Timberwolves 109, Rockets 107
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