The Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves are both looking to snap out of early-season funks as they square off Saturday evening in Minneapolis. The Suns come in having dropped three in a row, while the Timberwolves continue to tread water while being saddled with one of the worst defenses in the Western Conference to date.
- Phoenix Suns vs Minnesota Timberwolves (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: November 23, 5 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: FSAZ, FSN+
- Sportsbook Odds: Minnesota -5.5 | O/U 227.5 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Timberwolves opened at -5.5, but the line has since shifted slightly in Phoenix’s favor despite the Suns being without two starters. The total has risen a point from an Sportsbook of 227.5.
Phoenix News & Notes
Phoenix got off to a 7-4 start on the strength of a surprisingly stout defense – but it has struggled in that regard in back-to-back losses, allowing an average of 122 points in narrow defeats to the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. The Suns have allowed 120+ points in four of its past seven games after doing so just once in its first seven outings.
Phoenix also has a pair of key injuries worth monitoring. Point guard Ricky Rubio is considered doubtful with a back injury that kept him out of Thursday's game against the Pelicans. He’ll be joined on the sidelines by center Aron Baynes, who will miss his third straight game with an injured hip. Baynes is off to a solid start, averaging 14.5 points on 56.1-percent shooting.
Minnesota News & Notes
The Timberwolves come in allowing 116.3 points per game, though they held Utah to a 102.5-point scoring average in splitting a home-and-home series with the Jazz. And Minnesota can blame its 3-point defense for most of its problems, as it comes into the weekend allowing the second-highest success rate from deep in the entire NBA (38.8 percent).
Minnesota has plenty to fix on the offensive end of the floor, as well. The Timberwolves rank 28th out of 30 teams in 3-point success rate (31.3 percent) and are 23rd in overall shooting (44.1 percent). And that's despite all-world center Karl-Anthony Towns dominating opponents early on, averaging 26.0 points and 12.1 rebounds while shooting 51.1 percent from the floor.
Betting Pick: Suns +5.5
The Suns are one of the top shooting teams in the NBA, especially from deep – and until the Timberwolves figure out how to defend the perimeter more efficiently, they can't be counted on to cover.
- Phoenix is 5-15 SU in its previous 20 road games.
- Minnesota is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 home games.
- The OVER is 4-1 in the past five meetings.
