The Minnesota Timberwolves look to continue building a new chapter in their franchise by going for their third straight win when they host the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. The reason why those wins are significant is that both have come since Jimmy Butler was traded to the Sixers. The Blazers, on the other hand, are on the second game of a six-game road trip and fell to the Lakers in the first game of their tour.
The Blazers opened as 1.5-point favorites with a total of 222.5.
- The Timberwolves are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games at home.
- The Blazers are ranked 7th in points scored and points allowed per game.
- The UNDER has hit in 6 of the Timberwolves’ last 7 games.
Blazers vs Timberwolves Game Center
Have the Timberwolves Exorcised The Butler Demons?
It appears that way if you use the two-game sample size since Butler was traded. The T-Wolves took down the Nets and Pelicans at home and Karl-Anthony Towns is beasting. Towns scored 50 points, grabbed 37 rebounds and went 4-for-6 from deep in those contests and showed the flashes that made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft.
Offense has never been an issue for Minnesota with Towns and Andrew Wiggins but defensively, the Wolves are a bit of a mess this season. They rank 28th in points allowed per game (116.2) and are allowing teams to shoot 37 percent from deep, which ranks 26th.
With back-to-back wins at home, though, the Timberwolves may be a decent wager to get the win as they’re 9-2 SU in their last 11 games in the Twin Cities and 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS in seven home games this season. I think Minnesota wins this game as it’s a more complete team now with Robert Covington and Dario Saric to complement Towns and Wiggins.
Overall, Portland has Been Solid on All Fronts
Although they dropped their last game vs the Lakers, the Trail Blazers have been performing admirably this season after being pegged to miss the playoffs. The Blazers are 10-4 SU and sit second in the Western Conference while ranked seventh in points scored per game (115.9) and points allowed (107.6).
With these two teams playing in the same division, they see each other a lot during the regular season and, historically, Portland has taken care of business. The Blazers are 7-2 SU and 8-1 ATS in their last nine games when playing at the Target Center and are 35-9 SU in the last 44 games in this matchup, regardless of location.
While I think the Blazers will still make the playoffs and be a force this season, I’m not on them to cover the spread tonight as I don’t think their frontcourt can match up with Towns enough to stop him from getting key buckets.
UNDER ALERT for Timberwolves Games
The total opened at 222.5 and the UNDER may be the profitable angle to take for totals bettors. The UNDER has hit in six of the T-Wolves’ last seven games with an average combined score of 218.7 points per game. The Blazers have also been involved in quite a few games to fall short of the total lately as the UNDER has come through in five of their last six games with an average combined score of 214 points per game.
My Pick Is…
To take the T-Wolves to win at home. I think there was a huge progression for Minnesota when it dealt Jimmy Butler away, allowing some of the team’s younger players to flourish without the drama of his trade demands. The Wolves have been an exceptional home team this season and I think they win their third game in a row.
