It’s crunch time. The 2015 NBA All-Star Game is done, and teams enter the second half of the season. The race to the Western Conference playoffs is tight, and the Phoenix Suns have to string together plenty of wins if they wish to keep their spot as the eighth seed. They should be in prime position to do so when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Don’t sleep on the ‘Wolves though. Minnesota played a tight game against the NBA-best Golden State and has upset another Western Conference powerhouse in Memphis in its last four contests. Will the Suns struggle against the young ‘Wolves? Read on as we break down this Western clash.
The East isn’t also short on big games. There’s the momentous Cavs vs. Wizards and the East’s top dogs duke it out in the Raptors vs. Hawks.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Phoenix Suns vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
Where: Target Center, Minnesota
When: Friday, Februrary 20, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns’ playoff chances may have just set over the last few days. The Suns lost five of their last six games, including their last two before the break – a 85-83 heartbreaker on a buzzer-beating jumper at Sacramento and a 127-118 loss at home against Houston where James Harden erupted for 40 points.
The Suns then had a very busy trade deadline, trading away guards Goran Dragic (16.2 points per game), Isaiah Thomas (15.2 points per game) and center Miles Plumlee for Brandon Knight, Marcus Thornton, Danny Granger and John Salmons. It’ll be quite a task for head coach Jeff Hornacek to get all the new pieces playing cohesive basketball right out of the gate.
Despite losing two of their premier guards, they still have Eric Bledsoe (17.2 points per game), who scored a team-high 32 points on 9-for-19 shooting (2-for-4 from the three-point line) and 12-for-13 from the charity stripe against the Rockets.
Knight should also be a very good addition. He was having a terrific season in Milwaukee, with 17.8 points and career highs in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, rebounds, assists and steals.
Despite losing Dragic and Thomas, Knight (two made threes per game at a 40 percent clip) should still make the Suns a very dangerous three-point shooting team. They currently rank seventh with 9.6 makes per game. Look for them to exploit the Timberwolves’ porous defense which is 27th in the league in three-point percentage against (37 percent).
Phoenix has won three straight at Minnesota, going 2-1 against the spread.
Betting on the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves may just pull off some surprises following the All-Star break. They brought the fight to the Golden State Warriors in a close 94-91 home loss on February 11. Minnesota also deserves some respect, upsetting the Memphis Grizzlies 90-89 on February 6 despite sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference.
The return of key players Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic has given Minnesota a fighting chance, even against the top teams of the West. Rubio is averaging 12.2 points and 5.6 assists per game since returning from injury in February. Martin and Pekovic have averaged in double-digits since their respective returns.
Pekovic should provide the missing part of the game the Timberwolves need against Phoenix: inside scoring. With Pekovic back, Minnesota should be able to exploit a less-than-stellar Phoenix frontcourt which has allowed 46.6 points in the paint per game, the second worst mark in the league.
However, the Wolves could find themselves short-handed on the wing. Second-leading scorer Thaddeus Young (14.3 points) is gone after he was traded for franchise legend Kevin Garnett. Meanwhile, Shabazz Muhammad (13.6 points) is questionable with a finger injury. Andrew Wiggins will need to step up in their absence. The rookie has averaged 21 points on 58 percent shooting in two matchups against Phoenix this season.
Minnesota is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games against the Suns.
Writer’s Prediction
The ‘Wolves compound Phoenix’ problems. Take Minnesota to win and cover as a home dog.
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