Western Conference foes will battle it out Sunday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-31, 8th in West) take on the Golden State Warriors (30-30, 9th in the West). The Warriors will host this one at the Chase Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
The Warriors are the favorite in this one playing at home. They are -132 to win, while the Timberwolves’ moneyline sits at +112. The spread features Minnesota as 2-point underdogs (-108).
Minnesota Trying To Endure Rough Stretch
It has been a bit of a rough stretch for Minnesota as of late. They are 4-6 in their last 10 and have lost two straight entering play Sunday. They are also just 11-17 on the road, so they will certainly have to pick it up a notch to take down the Warriors, who sit right behind them in the Western Conference standings.
Offensively, Minnesota ranks 10th in the NBA, averaging 115.7 points per game. They are led by Anthony Edwards, who is averaging 25 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
Unfortunately, the Timberwolves are still without Karl-Anthony Towns, who is out with a calf injury. Still, they have some other contributors including Rudy Gobert (13.4 points, 11.6 rebounds), Jaden McDaniels (11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds), and Jaylen Nowell (10.9 points).
On the defensive side, the Timberwolves rank 19th overall, allowing opponents an average of 115.9 points per game.
Shorthanded Warriors Look To Home Court Advantage To Boost Them
The Warriors are the epitome of the walking wounded at this point. Steph Curry (leg), Andrew Wiggins (personal), Gary Payton II (abdominal), and Andre Iguodala (hip) are all out for this one. Additionally, Draymond Green is questionable as he deals with a knee injury.
Despite the injuries, the Warriors come into this one off of a win and hope to continue their success at the Chase Center, where they are 23-7 this season.
In their last game, a 116-101 win over the Rockets, it was Klay Thompson who led them to victory. He had 42 points to go along with seven rebounds. This season, Thompson is averaging 21.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.
With Curry and Wiggins out, the Warriors will also hope for a big game from shooting guard Jordan Poole. In 60 games, he is averaging 20.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
Golden State’s defense currently ranks 27th, allowing an average of 118.3 points per game (113.1 at home). In terms of scoring, though, they rank second overall, averaging 118.5 points.
Take The Warriors To Win At Home
Minnesota has struggled as of late, going just 2-4 both straight up and against the spread in their last six games. In their last five against Golden State, they are 0-5 against the spread.
For Golden State, they are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games, but they are 6-1 in their last seven at home.
This one is all about home court advantage. Even with Steph Curry out, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole can still provide more than enough offense to propel the Warriors to victory.
It might be close, but take Golden State to win straight up at home (-142).
