The Golden State Warriors extended their winning streak to two games with a gritty win Monday over the Philadelphia 76ers. They will look to make it three victories in a row when they square off with the Minnesota Timberwolves later tonight. The Wolves are surging at the moment, having won three of their last four assignments.
Who will emerge victorious in this Western Conference encounter? Read on below for a preview of this NBA showdown and while you’re at it, check out our preview of the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview
Where: Target Center, Minnesota
When: Wednesday, February 11, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Golden State Warriors (-9) at Minnesota Timberwolves (+9); total: 215.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors bucked a cold shooting performance to edge past the Philadelphia 76ers, 89-84, in their previous game. Golden State, the second-best three-point shooting team in the league today, shot just 24.1 percent from beyond the arc against the 76ers but still managed to pull off the victory, its 41st of the season.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Their 41-9 slate is the franchise’s best record through 50 games. Getting win number 41 sure wasn’t easy for the Warriors, though, as their top gunners Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled mightily to get their offensive games going.
Curry scored just 20 points on 3 of 12 shooting from beyond the arc while Thompson had difficulty with his outside shot as well, knocking down just one of his six three-point attempts against the 76ers. The difference, however, with this Warriors team compared to Golden State units in the past is that they can now offset bad shooting nights from their superstars with the help of their balanced offensive attack.
Three bench players scored in double-figures for Golden State against Philadelphia namely Leandro Barbosa (16), Andre Iguodala (13) and Marreese Speights (10). Their bench support is one of the main reasons why they own the best record in the Western Conference right now. The Warriors are ninth in the league in bench scoring this season, averaging 35.5 points per game.
With that being said, the Warriors were extremely fortunate that they grabbed the victory even with their low scoring output against Philadelphia. Prior to their win against the 76ers, the Warriors were 5-41 in the Stephen Curry era in games where they didn’t reach the 90-point mark.
They will fancy their chances of getting their offensive mojo back against Minnesota. The Wolves are the worst team in the league in scoring defense, allowing 106.3 points per game this season. In their first two encounters with the Wolves this season, the Warriors have scored an average of 106 points with Golden State beating Minnesota by a total of 29 points in those two games.
The Warriors are 1-4 ATS in their last five games on the road.
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Betting on the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota had its three-game winning streak snapped Monday with a 117-105 loss to the league-leading Atlanta Hawks. The Wolves had trouble stopping Atlanta’s frontcourt as Al Horford, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap combined for 73 points, more than half the Hawks’ total output.
There were still plenty of positives for the Wolves to take, however, from their defeat to the Hawks. A total of five players scored in double-figures for Minnesota in that game, including Shabazz Muhammad who scored 18 points in his first appearance for the Wolves since straining his oblique last January 9.
In fact, the Wolves’ injury woes are finally easing up with Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic now all back in the starting lineup for Minnesota. The trio combined for 43 points in their defeat to the Hawks and they are expected to carry the scoring cudgels for the Wolves when they entertain the Western-conference leading Golden State Warriors tonight.
The Wolves will also take heart in the fact that they dominated the rebounding battle against the Hawks. Minnesota crashed the boards against Atlanta, grabbing a total of 50 rebounds, way above its season average of 41 RPG.
It will be crucial for Minnesota to repeat that rebounding performance against the Warriors to control the tempo and stop the vaunted Golden State running attack. Controlling the boards will be easier said than done, though, as the Warriors are sixth in the league in rebounding this season, averaging 45.0 RPG.
The Wolves are 3-2 ATS in their last five home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Golden State (-9) trounces Minnesota, 119-104.
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