The Chicago Bulls will be favored to pick up a third consecutive victory when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a regular season affair. Chicago’s additions this offseason have paid off and it will aim to continue a push to make the playoffs.
The Timberwolves have some impressive young talent but it has not meshed well enough this year as it looks like it will be yet another losing season in Minnesota. It’s been a disappointing season for Minnesota, which would love to pull the upset in this one.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, December 13, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET at United Center. The game will be televised live on WGN and ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Timberwolves are 6-18 straight up and have failed to live up to expectations with a 7-17 record against the spread. Minnesota has covered in only three of 12 road matchups on the season.
The Bulls are 13-10 straight up and have the same record against the spread on the year. Chicago has covered in six of 10 home games this season and is 6-6 against the spread as the favorite.
Player to Watch
Jimmy Butler – The Bulls small forward continues to be a difference-maker on both sides of the ball. Butler is the team-leader in scoring, averaging 25.6 points a game and also has a team-high 1.7 steals.
Butler had 31 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the 105-100 win against Miami on December 10th. He had a season-high 40 points against the Lakers on November 20th and also put up 39 points in Chicago’s loss to Atlanta on November 9th.
The Timberwolves struggle defensively, allowing 107.3 points per contest. Even though Minnesota has some athletic wings, they don’t have the experience to be able to shut down Butler, who should end up with a gaudy line in this one.
Key Stat
3-9. That’s the Timberwolves’ record on the road thus far heading into this contest in Chicago. The team has really hasn’t been much better at home, but Minnesota is positively dismal on the road this year.
The Timberwolves’ most recent road win was in overtime against Charlotte on December 3rd, but they fell to Toronto by 14 on December 8th. Minnesota has gone 1-4 in its last five road games and will hope to buck the trend on Tuesday against the Bulls.
Young teams often play better at home, and that’s likely to be the case with Minnesota this season.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Bulls certainly aren’t in the class of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East, but they are aiming to be in the second tier. Butler and Dwyane Wade are leading the way while some complementary pieces are also playing well.
Karl Anthony-Towns leads the way for the T-Wolves, averaging 21.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest. Andrew Wiggins is the top scorer and another player who looks earmarked for stardom.
Towns and Wiggins give the Timberwolves hope for the future, but the present is not going very well at this point. They need to get some help, and the team as a whole needs to play better defensively to turn it around.
The Bulls have a more veteran team and it has worked out well early on. Butler has transformed into an All-Star caliber player and the rest of the starters have played well. This is a winnable game for Chicago and it needs to keep stacking them to move up the standings in the East.
The Timberwolves have enough talent to pull off upsets like this, but the team seems in disarray right now. Take Chicago at home to step on the gas and then cruise to the win in this one.
NBA Odds: Bulls 108, Timberwolves 96
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