The New Orleans Pelicans (42-39, 15-25 Away) will try to slow down one of the league’s top shooting teams when they head to face the Minnesota Timberwolves (41-40, 21-19 Home) on Sunday.
New Orleans defeated the New York Knicks 113-105 at Smoothie King Center on Friday. Trey Murphy III led the way with 31 points. The Pelicans are the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Minnesota is playing the second of a back-to-back after winning in dominant fashion yesterday at Moody Center, beating the San Antonio Spurs 151-131. Anthony Edwards had 33 points to lead the team. The Timberwolves are the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. New Orleans and Minnesota have split their two matchups this season. The Timberwolves came out on top in the last meeting, beating the Pelicans 111-102 at Smoothie King Center on January 25.
Edwards led the Timberwolves with 37 points and six rebounds. CJ McCollum had 25 points and eight assists in defeat. The Pels have been led this season by McCollum, who is averaging 20.9 points per game. McCollum also has dished 5.8 assists per game. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 10.1 rebounds.
Edwards (24.6 ppg) has powered the T’Wolves on offense. Rudy Gobert is posting 11.8 rebounds per game, third-most in the NBA, and Kyle Anderson is tallying 4.9 assists. The Timberwolves are one of the NBA’s most accurate teams from the field, ranking fourth at 49.1%.
The Timberwolves have had the advantage in the Pelicans’ last 10 visits to Target Center, winning six. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are 8-5 this season when playing on consecutive nights and 7-3 in such games against rested opponents.
The Pelicans are 7-2 with a rest advantage. In the last 10 games, New Orleans is 8-2 with an average margin of +12.2 (118.1-105.9). For the season, the Pelicans are averaging 114.4 points per game, compared to 112.5 for opponents. Minnesota has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 116.4 points per game on average while holding opponents to 116.1 (+0.3 margin).
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Trey Murphy III: 27.4 | 19.4 | +8.0
Zion Williamson: 0.0 | 36.3 | -36.3
Points per game:
Trey Murphy III: 22.4 | 14.5 | +7.9
Zion Williamson: 0.0 | 25.1 | -25.1
Rebounds per game:
Zion Williamson: 0.0 | 6.7 | -6.7
Assists per game:
Brandon Ingram: 8.8 | 5.8 | +3.0
CJ McCollum: 3.8 | 5.8 | -2.0
TIMBERWOLVES HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Naz Reid: 23.0 | 17.5 | +5.5
Points per game:
Mike Conley: 16.2 | 11.8 | +4.4
Rebounds per game:
Anthony Edwards: 3.8 | 5.7 | -1.9
Assists per game:
Mike Conley: 4.6 | 6.7 | -2.1
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Minnesota Timberwolves (-145)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
