A Love-ly reunion is set to go down tonight in the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves have a familiar face staring at them when they visit the Quicken Loans Arena as former star Kevin Love meets his old team for the first time. Can Love have a big night to pile misery on his former team? Read on as we breakdown this intriguing encounter.
For more on today’s hardwood action, check out our previews for the Mavericks vs. Suns and Warriors vs. Lakers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
When: Tuesday, December 23, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Timberwolves (+14) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-14); total 207.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Minnesota Timberwolves
Wins are getting harder and harder to come by for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They’re on a five-game losing streak and have lost 11 of their last 12. They’ve also gone just 2-9-1 against the spread.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Andrew Wiggins, this year’s No. 1 overall pick, was part of a trade that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland. However, playing in a young team lacking in star power has also given Wiggins bigger responsibilities. He has shown flashes of brilliance on both sides of the ball, but has also been inconsistent. After four straight games of scoring in double digits, Wiggins has scored under 10 in his last three games.
Wiggins is now the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award with Milwaukee’s Jabari Parker out for the season due to injury and will be eager to step up his game against the team that traded him away.
Point guard Mo Williams is coming off a 24-point, 10-assist performance against the Pacers on Sunday. He and Shabazz Muhammad (24 points per game in his last four games) will help shoulder the offensive load while Wiggins most likely has his hands full guarding LeBron James on the wing.
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Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Q is quickly becoming a fortress for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After dropping four of their first six at home, the Cavs have righted the ship by winning eight of their last nine games. However, they’ve only gone 4-5 against the spread during that time.
Kevin Love has struggled offensively during the latest two games of their current five-game homestand and has failed to reach double-digit scoring in back-to-back games for the first time this season. He went just 1-for-10 for six points against the Brooklyn Nets and had just eight points and eight rebounds against the Memphis Grizzlies.
However, the Cavs still managed to win both games thanks to the consistent brilliance of LeBron James (25.2 points per game this season) and Kyrie Irving (19.7 PPG), as well as timely production from the supporting cast. Mike Miller swished seven of his eight three-point attempts against the Nets, while Anderson Varejao and Dion Waiters combined for 39 points in their win against the Grizzlies.
Love is bound to snap out of his slump any game now, and it could likely come against a Timberwolves team that has struggled mightily on defense. Minnesota is allowing 108.4 points per game, 29th in the NBA.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cavs (-14) blow out Minnesota.
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