The Minnesota Timberwolves’ losing woes are finally over after they eased past the New York Knicks, 115-99, in the first game of their four-game home stand. They can make it two wins in a row this coming Friday, but will face the ultimate test when they host the defending champions San Antonio Spurs who are fresh off a thrilling two-point victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Read on below for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our feature the Bulls’ ability to win without Derrick Rose here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis
When: Friday, November 21, 2014, 8:00 PM ET
Line: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves – view all NBA lines
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
Not even LeBron James could stop a revitalized San Antonio side as the Spurs romped to their second win in a row, a nail-biting 92-90 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Boris Diaw proved to be the star of the show for the defending champions as he led the scoring for the Spurs with 19 points in addition to his six rebounds and seven assists.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Spurs have recovered from their early-season malaise and have won five of their last six games to improve their record to 7-4, good enough for sixth place in the stacked Western Conference. They will fancy their chances of extending their winning streak to three games when they face an injury-depleted Minnesota squad this coming Friday.
The Wolves will miss the services of star center Nikola Pekovic who is out for at least four games because of a sprained wrist. To make matters worse for Minnesota, they are also without reserve big man Ronny Turiaf who is suffering from a hip injury.
That will be good news for the Spurs who went berserk in the shaded lane last time out against the Cavs. The Spurs shot 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) within five feet from the basket Wednesday. Expected to lead the way for the Spurs down low against the Wolves is veteran big man Tim Duncan who’s still playing some exceptional basketball even in this late stage of his career.
Duncan is still a double-double machine as he is averaging 14.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season in just 30.6 minutes of action. It’s not only Duncan though who’s rolling back the years for San Antonio. Parker and Ginobili have started the season solidly as well, averaging 16.1 and 12.2 points, respectively, through the Spurs’ first 10 games.
The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last five games on the road.
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Betting on the Minnesota Timberwolves
There’s definitely no place like home for the Minnesota Timberwolves as they finally snapped their five-game losing rut with a convincing 115-99 win over the New York Knicks at Target Center on Wednesday. Kevin Martin shook of an illness to score 37 points as he led the Wolves to their first victory in two weeks.
It definitely helped matters that they played a lethargic Knicks side in this game. The Wolves took advantage of the Knicks’ errors as they scored 28 points off New York’s 23 turnovers. They also made the Knicks pay with their lackluster perimeter defense as they went 11 of 22 from beyond the arc for a remarkable 50 percent clip.
Kevin Martin was the main beneficiary of the Knicks’ missed defensive assignments as he drained a career-high seven three-pointers in the game against New York. Surely, it won’t be that easy for him this coming Friday when he faces the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the second game of their four-game home stand.
Spurs’ opponents are shooting just 27.5% from the three-point line, the lowest mark in the entire NBA. Leading the Spurs’ excellent perimeter defense is 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who’s averaging 7.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game this season.
With Pekovic, Rubio and Young all out, the attention of the Spurs’ defense will definitely fall on Martin who leads the Wolves in scoring with an average of 18.4 points per game. The Spurs’ D looked menacing on Wednesday as they limited LeBron James to just 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field. The Spurs are allowing just 91.6 points per game this season, the best mark in the NBA this season.
Fortunately for Martin, his new backcourt partner has finally started to play well. Veteran Mo Williams delivered the goods for coach Flip Saunders in his first start of the season as he scored 14 points and dished out 13 assists in the game against the Knicks. His improved play has benefited Martin who has scored 71 points in the Wolves’ last two outings.
The Wolves are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings with the Spurs.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs destroy the Wolves, 106-82, to extend their winning streak to three games.
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