San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
Where: Target Center – Minneapolis, MN
When: Tuesday, December 6, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: San Antonio Spurs (-4) at Minnesota Timberwolves (+4) total: 206.0 – view all NBA lines
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Betting on the San Antonio Spurs (-4)
Different season, same old well-oil machined San Antonio Spurs. They are now 17-4 (8-12-1 ATS) in the season and have won 12 of their last 13 games.
The recent win over the Bucks wasn’t one they’d prefer, though, as they were playing catch for most of the game, and only escaped Milwaukee by the skin of their teeth with that 97-96 win.
As they go up against the athletic Wolves, we should see Kawhi Leonard (24.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG) and LaMarcus Aldridge (17.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG) to once again lead the charge. The two definitely have an exciting matchup with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Pau Gasol (11.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.2 BPG), meanwhile, will continue being a solid contributor on offense and defense. The 36-year-old is leading the team in rebounds and blocks.
The Spurs have some interesting numbers on offense and defense. They are only 19th in scoring (103 PPG), but they are sixth in offensive rating. The points they allow (98.2 PPG), on the other hand, is fourth overall, but their defensive rating is 13th.
Betting on the Minnesota Timberwolves (+4)
The Timberwolves finally made the bleeding stop Saturday night, as they beat the Hornets in OT, 125-120, after scoring 19 points in the extra frame. With the win, they snapped a four-game skid.
Still, they are sitting at 6-14, an awful record for a team with very talented players and a coach that’s considered to be a defensive guru. The team will be in for a hard climb in the wild wild West if they want to be relevant.
Offensively, the presence is there. Three guys –Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Zach LaVine – are all averaging 20 PPG or more and each have scored 30 or more points thrice this season (Wiggins and Towns have both hung 47 in a game last November).
Through the trio of scoring machines, the Wolves are 13th in the league in scoring (104.8 PPG).
It’s the defense that’s been bringing them down. Only five teams have failed to score 100-plus points over the Wolves, and two of those beat them. They are currently 19th in points allowed (105.6 PPG) and 25th in defensive rating, which is not very Tom Thibodeau-like.
The Wolves are 2-8 SU and ATS in their last 10 games as underdogs.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs (-4) continue rolling, 109-101.
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