Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks Betting Preview
Tuesday night features a battle of Western Conference teams as the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-15) square off with the Dallas Mavericks (14-15). The Mavericks will host this one at the American Airlines Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
The Timberwolves come into this one on a bit of a roll, having won four in a row. In the midst of a home-and-home with the Mavericks, the Timberwolves took the first matchup 111-105 in Minnesota on Sunday.
In the win, Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 24 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. D’Angelo Russell added 22 points in the victory.
On the losing side, Tim Hardaway Jr. led all scorers Sunday with 28 points while also adding six rebounds and six assists. Dorian Finney-Smith added 23 points. Their defeat to Minnesota on Sunday makes it two losses in a row for Dallas.
Minnesota is the slight favorite despite playing on the road. They are -120 to win while the Mavericks’ moneyline sits at +102. The spread features Dallas +1.5 (-110).
More Odds
Dallas has the seventh-best odds of winning the Western Conference this season at +1900. The Timberwolves are +10000 to win the West.
In terms of winning the NBA Championship, the Mavericks are +3600 to win it all while Minnesota is +16000.
By The Numbers
Minnesota holds the advantage on the offensive side. They rank 12th in scoring averaging 108.8 points per game (112.3 on the road). The Mavericks rank 26th averaging 104.4 points per game.
Defensively, it is the Mavericks with the edge. They rank fifth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 104.8 points per game. Minnesota ranks 19th, allowing 108.6 points per game (113.3 on the road).
Minnesota Looks To Make It Two In A Row Over Dallas
At 15-15, the Timberwolves currently sit in eighth in the Western Conference. They would love to pick up a second win in a row over Dallas, who currently sits in the ninth seed.
Leading the way for the Timberwolves is center Karl-Anthony Towns. This season, he is averaging 24.4 points, nine rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
D’Angelo Russell has also played well as he is averaging 18.9 points, four rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.
Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, they will be without Anthony Edwards (22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Patrick Beverley (8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists) as they both have found themselves on the COVID-19 list.
Mavericks Trying To Keep Heads Above Water Without Doncic
Another game on the schedule is Tuesday, which will be another game without Luka Doncic. The star forward will be sitting out his fifth game as he deals with an ankle injury. Their second-leading scorer, Kristaps Porzingis, is questionable Tuesday with a toe injury.
If he can play, Porzingis has been averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.
Potentially without their top two scorers, the Mavericks will need to get production from some of their secondary players.
Two players who have been performing well as of late are Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr., Both players, are averaging 14.9 points per game. Brunson is adding 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists, while Hardaway is adding four rebounds and 2.4 assists.
Take Timberwolves To Win On The Road
While the Mavericks have a nice complement of players, they are just a completely different team without Luka Doncic in the lineup.
Expect the Timberwolves to bump their win streak up to five as they take on the shorthanded Mavericks.
Take Minnesota to both win and cover the modest 1.5-point spread.
