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The Minnesota Timberwolves have surprised many observers as they sit fourth in the Western Conference more than midway through the regular season. They would love to stay there to get home court advantage in the playoffs. The closest team below them is the Portland Trail Blazers, and these teams will match up in a critical game this week.
Both teams are led by young stars and have played better than preseason prognostications had them pegged. Neither is in the Western Conference stratosphere which includes the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, but each is on that next tier and playing some pretty good ball of late.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, January 14, 2018, at 9 p.m. ET at the Target Center. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Sunday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Timberwolves are 27-16 straight up and 20-21-2 against the spread. Minnesota has gone 9-12-1 attempting to cover at home this season. The Timberwolves are 13-15-2 against the spread as the favorite.
The Trail Blazers are 22-19 straight up and 20-18-3 against the spread. Portland has covered in 14 of 20 tries on the road, which is an impressive showing and something to keep in mind.
Key Stat
16 - 6. That’s Minnesota’s record at home this season heading into this weekend’s games against the Knicks and Trail Blazers. The games Friday and Sunday will conclude a five-game homestand for the Timberwolves.
Minnesota picked up a big win at Target Center on Monday, defeating the Cavaliers 127-99. They have also accumulated home victories against Utah, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Portland.
The Timberwolves’ win over the Trail Blazers the first time these two teams met back on December 18th, was narrow one with Minneota edging out Portland by a point behind 37 points from Andrew Wiggins. They’ll look to add another win in this rematch on Sunday.
Player To Watch
Shabazz Napier — The third-year point guard has filled in nicely for the Blazers for Damian Lillard, who missed a few games with a calf injury. Lillard is now back so Napier’s minutes will decrease, but he has shown enough for Portland to consider using him more.
Napier had 21 points and five rebounds in Portland’s win over Oklahoma City on Tuesday. He is averaging 18 points in the games that Lillard has missed and gives the team a real second option at point guard, which will be key come postseason.
The Trail Blazers are glad to have Lillard back, though, as he is the team’s best player and will aim to have a big showing in this one.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Timberwolves have really taken a step forward and seems like a shoo-in to make the playoffs. They are in a groove right now and the home court advantage is a big help. Minnesota should be able to take care of this one.
The trio of Jimmy Butler, Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns is a talented group. The trade for Butler has proven to be integral as he is a solid player and a veteran with a lot of experience. The Blazers are having a nice season and have one of the best guard combos in the NBA in Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
However, Minnesota is playing a tad better right now and some travel may take the life out of the Blazers in this matchup. Check out the spread as the T-Wolves might be the right choice even as the favorite. The scoring total is also a figure to watch closely. This one could be more low-scoring than expected as Portland plays a slower brand of ball than most teams.
NBA Odds: Timberwolves 101 , Blazers 94
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