The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a thorn in the side of some of the better teams in the NBA recently as its talented young nucleus has been able to together against tough competition. The San Antonio Spurs hope they aren’t the next victim of an upset at the hands of Minnesota.
The Spurs must hit the road for this one but it has been a place that has treated them well on the season. The T-Wolves should be the underdogs despite their recent run of success and the home court advantage.
However, if Minnesota plays well in this one it could be a competitive game. Don’t expect the spread to be too high in this one despite San Antonio’s impressive record.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Target Center in MInneapolis, MInnesota. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Spurs are 52-16 straight up and 35-32-1 against the spread. San Antonio has played in 36 road games on the season and has gone 19-16-1 against the spread. The Spurs are 31-31-1 when attempting to cover as the favorite.
The Timberwolves are 28-40 straight up and 32-36 against the spread. Minnesota has played in 36 home games this season and covered in 19 of them. Minnesota is 19-18 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Key Stat
3. That’s the number of top-tier teams the T-Wolves have knocked off in their past seven contests. They started off with a blowout of the Clippers and then turned around the next time out and pulled off an extremely impressive upset of the Golden State Warriors.
The Timberwolves’ other victory during this stretch against a top-seeded team came against the Washington Wizards. Karl Anthony-Towns has been the catalyst in many of the big wins.
He scored 39 points and hauled down 13 rebounds against the Wizards and is averaging 24.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game on the season. The Spurs are very good defensively and will play fundamentally, but a transcendent talent like Towns still may be able to dominate based on his athleticism advantage against the Spurs big men.
Last Meeting
While the Timberwolves have put together some nice wins of late, they couldn’t pull the trick in a recent matchup with this San Antonio team. The game went to overtime, but Kawhi Leonard stepped up big in the extra session and helped his team to a 97-90 win.
The Spurs were playing the second game of a back-to-back that night and were lethargic early. They have a day off before this matchup, and should be more rested.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Spurs have been resting players down the stretch, so that is something to watch. However, they have watched Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker all come back from various ailments of late and should be pretty healthy for this one.
The Spurs don’t seem likely to catch the Warriors for the top seed in the West but don’t really care about that. They are more interested in being rested and in a good rhythm,
This is a tougher game than the records may indicate since Towns and Andrew Wiggins are playing well and have improved as the season has gone on. Point guard Ricky Rubio is also looking good as Minnesota is finally capitalizing on its talent.
The Timberwolves are so inconsistent that they aren’t yet able to make a playoff push, but the team is getting there. They will flash more of that potential in this showdown by upsetting the Spurs at home.
NBA Odds: Timberwolves 98, Spurs 97
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
