The Minnesota Timberwolves (11-20) welcome the Brooklyn Nets (16-15) to Target Center as they look to end their nine-game home losing streak. The game will air on YES Network at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, December 30, 2019.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ATS Prediction
The Nets were unable to cover as 9-point underdogs in their 108-98 loss to the Houston Rockets in their last contest. The game’s combined points (206) were well under the O/U total of 234.5. Houston’s rebounding was their largest advantage. The Rockets had 16 offensive rebounds and 54 total rebounds, while the Nets had nine and 47, respectively. Jarrett Allen put together a solid game for Brooklyn, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
In the Timberwolves’ previous game, they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 94-88, despite being 6.5-point favorites. The game’s total points (182) came in well under the O/U total of 217. One of Cleveland’s biggest strengths was getting to the charity stripe. They had 36 free throw attempts, while Minnesota had just 19. Minnesota’s Robert Covington put up 14 points and seven rebounds in the game.
The physical Minnesota offense looks poised to dominate from the free throw line. The Timberwolves rank fifth in the league with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.221, while Brooklyn ranks 15th in FTA rate allowed (0.188). Moreover, the Nets rank third in opponents’ effective field goal percentage (0.496), while the Timberwolves rank 27th in effective field goal percentage (0.501).
Brooklyn heads into the contest with records of 16-15 straight up (SU) and 16-14-1 against the spread (ATS). Games involving the Nets have gone under the total 51.6 percent of the time.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is 11-20 SU and 11-18-2 ATS. Contrary to Brooklyn, games involving the Timberwolves have finished over the projected point total 51.6 percent of the time.
This will be the second game of the season between these two squads. In the first, the Nets lost 127-126, unable to cover as 3-point favorites. Kyrie Irving led both teams with 50 points and also added eight rebounds and seven assists. The game finished with a total of 253 points, which was 23 points above the projected point total of 230 points. The Timberwolves made 22 of their 28 free throws (78.6 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (9.8 vs. 12.5).
Nets at Timberwolves Betting Pick
Prediction:Â ATS Winner – Timberwolves, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Minnesota ranks sixth in steals per game (8.4) while Brooklyn ranks 26th (6.8).
Brooklyn ranks 16th in fast break points per game (12.6) while Minnesota ranks 28th (10.4).
The Nets rank second in assists allowed per game (21.3) while the Timberwolves rank 11th (23.7).
Brooklyn is 7-8-1 ATS on the road, while Minnesota is 2-11-1 ATS at home.
Over its last five contests, Brooklyn is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Minnesota is 2-2-1 ATS with 5 unders over its last five games.
The Nets’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 3.6, up from 0.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Timberwolves have scored an average of 100.6 points per game (11.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 106.6 points per game (9.3 below their season average).
