The Atlanta Hawks (13-38) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-34), who both like to play fast, will square off at Target Center. The game will air on Fox Sports – North at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.
Minnesota is a 5.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 236 points at BetMGM Sportsbook.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Prediction
The Hawks were not able to cover as 6-point underdogs in their 123-115 loss to the Boston Celtics in their last outing. The game’s combined points (238) came in over the O/U total of 234. Boston won the rebounding battle. The Celtics had more offensive rebounds (11 vs. six), defensive rebounds (33 vs. 26) and total rebounds (44 vs. 32). John Collins played well for Atlanta, contributing 22 points and 11 rebounds.
In the Timberwolves’ previous matchup, they fell to the Sacramento Kings, 113-109. They failed to cover as 1-point underdogs. The game’s combined points (222) finished under the projected point total of 227. One of Sacramento’s biggest advantages was getting to the charity stripe. They had 31 free throw attempts, while Minnesota had 28. Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns had a solid game, leading the team in scoring with 22 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
There could be plenty of transition action in this battle that showcases a pair of the NBA’s more up-tempo teams. Minnesota currently ranks third in possessions per game (106.4) and Atlanta is fourth (106.4).
Atlanta holds records of 13-38 straight up (SU) and 23-28 against the spread (ATS). Hawks games have typically finished over the total (56.9 percent).
Meanwhile, Minnesota is 15-34 SU and 17-30-2 ATS. Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Timberwolves games, with 26 overs compared to 23 unders.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Towns put up 28 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and the Timberwolves defeated the Hawks 125-113, covering as 4.5-point favorites. The game finished with a total of 238 points, which was just 1.5 points above the projected point total of 236.5 points. The Timberwolves made 28 of their 36 free throws (77.8 percent) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (29.8 vs. 21.4).
Hawks at Timberwolves Betting Pick
Free Pick: ATS Winner – Hawks, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Minnesota averages 14.1 second chance points per game, which ranks seventh in the NBA. Atlanta ranks 28th in second chance points allowed per game (14.6).
Minnesota ranks third in three pointers attempted per game (39.5) while Atlanta ranks eighth (35.4).
The Timberwolves rank 23rd in points off turnovers allowed per game (17.7) while the Hawks rank 28th (19.9).
Atlanta is 8-18 ATS on the road, while Minnesota is 5-18-1 ATS at home.
In its last five games, Atlanta is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over its last five games.
The Hawks’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 3.6, down from 9.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Timberwolves have scored an average of 114.4 points per game (3.0 above their season average) and allowed an average of 121.6 points per game (6.3 above their season average).