The Wolves are searching the sixth home win in seven matches, while the Heat are hoping to make another upset after defeating the Celtics. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Miami Heat at Minnesota Timberwolves
Spread: Minnesota Timberwolves -4 (-105) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 207 points (-115/-105)
The Heat are looking to return to .500 with a victory in Minneapolis
The Miami Heat are visiting Target Center following a crucial 104:98 win over the Boston Celtics as they did what other teams couldn’t in the past 16 matches and ended Boston’s fantastic winning streak. Miami is currently in the 10th position in the Eastern Conference with the 8-9 record, and the team is far from being consistent so far in the season, but luckily for them, the divisional rivals Charlotte and Washington are not much better at the moment.
The Heat dominated through the first three quarters against the Celtics and although Boston won the final period by ten points, that wasn’t enough to extend the winning run to 17 games. Miami had 49.4% from the field and hit ten three-pointers on 28 attempts, but what helped them to secure a win is that they recorded 11 rebounds more than the Celtics (49-38). Goran Dragic led Miami with 27 points (8-17 FG, 2-4 3PT, 9-10 FT), five boards, and four assists, while Dion Waiters followed him with 26 points (11-24 FG, 4-10 3PT) and six dimes. Dragic scored six and eight points in the pair of games prior to the tilt with Boston and he magnificently bounced back when the team needed him the most, so he should be up for another productive night, while Waiters was scoreless in a loss to the Indiana Pacers, and he responded excellently on a win over Boston. The pair is facing tough matchups with Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler, but I am sure Dragic and Waiters will display another great performance. Tyler Johnson added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Hassan Whiteside contributed with eight points, game-high ten boards, and game-high two blocks. Whiteside’s duel with Karl-Anthony Towns is quite in intriguing and the battle of the boards could play a significant role on this one, so Hassan is another Heat to be monitored on Wednesday. Miami had only three players in double digits against Boston, but thankfully, there are several individuals excluding Dragic and Waiters who can be match-winners, and I think we will see more from the likes of Josh Richardson and James Johnson here.
Erik Spoelstra is only without the power forward Okaro White for this clash as White fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left, and he underwent a surgery so will be out until the All-Star break, at least. However, White is not an integral part of Spoelstra’s side and I am sure Miami can live without him. The Heat are scoring 100.47 points per contest on average (25th in the NBA), while they are allowing 102.82 points in return (8th in the NBA). The defense is a better part of the team, especially on the road, where Miami allows just 41.95% from the field to the opponents, which is good enough for the second place in the league.
Place: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date/Time: Friday, November 24th, 2017, 8 PM ET
TV Coverage: FOX SPORTS NET NORTH, FOX SPORTS SUN
The Wolves are hoping for the seventh home win after defeating Orlando
The Minnesota Timberwolves ended a two-game losing run with a 124:118 home victory over the Orlando Magic, and are now in the third position in the Western Conference with the 11-7 record, three wins behind the Houston Rockets and two behind the reigning champions Golden State Warriors. Minnesota is playing better at home so far, and this an opportunity to improve the home record to 7-2.
The Wolves destroyed Orlando throughout the first three quarters and had a 26 points lead, while the Magic only softened a defeat winning the final period by 20 points. Although Minnesota wasn’t better from the field or beyond the arc, the Wolves committed just seven turnovers in opposite to Orlando’s 14, including 9-4 in steals, and that played a huge role in a victory. Jimmy Butler led the Wolves with 26 points (10-19 FG, 3-4 3PT, 3-5 FT) and two thefts, while Taj Gibson scored season-high 24 points along with nine rebounds and a couple of steals. Jeff Teague recorded a double-double of 22 points and 11 dishes, with a pair of thefts, Andrew Wiggins added 20 points and six boards, while Karl-Anthony Towns posted a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. There will be a few interesting matchups in this encounter, but I expect Butler to lead the Wolves in scoring again as he faces Dion Waiters who is not a particularly good defender, so the former Chicago Bull could easily score 20+ points on this one. Towns has a tough matchup with Whiteside in the paint and he could struggle, so Butler and Wiggins must step up if that happens.
Tom Thibodeau is delighted to have all of his players healthy and ready to play as no new injuries occurred recently. The Wolves are scoring 108.11 points per contest on average (10th in the NBA), while they are allowing 108.22 points in return (24th in the NBA). Minnesota is in the fourth place in the league when it comes to defending the rim as they’re allowing 41.39 rebounds to the rivals so far. They are even better in that segment at Target Center and have the second-best home defense that allows just 38.62 rebounds to the opponents.
Miami Heat at Minnesota Timberwolves Trends & Prediction
The Heat are 6-9-2 against the spread (5-3 away), while they are 8-8-1 on over/under (3-4-1 away), so even though they are hard to predict this season and are in hot and cold form, the Heat should score 100-1005 points on this one, which would be enough for OVER.
The Wolves are 8-9-1 against the spread (4-4 home), while they are 8-9-1 on over/under (3-4-1 home), and it is a similar situation like with the Heat, but Minnesota is good enough to go in triple digits here, and I am anticipating at least 210 points in total in this tilt.
My Pick: Pass
Total: Over 207 points (-115)
