Minnesota Timberwolves vs New Orleans Pelicans NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 10/4/21

The New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves meet Monday in NBA preseason action at the Target Center. The New Orleans Pelicans won 31 games last year and will make the head coaching debut under Willie Green. The Minnesota Timberwolves won 23 games last season and will see a full season under coach Chris Finch.

The New Orleans Pelicans made big changes to their roster, as they said goodbye to Lonzo Ball, moved Devonte’ Graham to point guard and added Jonas Valanciunas. Brandon Ingram is quickly becoming a legit all-star in the NBA and still has a chance to take another step forward. Of course, the Pelicans outlook is determined on the health of Zion Williamson, who had surgery on his foot during the offseason. One of the young players for the Pelicans to watch this season is Kira Lewis Jr., who flashed promise as a rookie and could be a key bench player if he improves his three-point shot. If health is on its side, the Pelicans have a chance to push for a playoff spot this season. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves have an underrated trio of D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns and that should be good enough to produce a much more successful season. Malik Beasley has been really good the last two seasons and Jaden McDaniels has a chance for a breakout season after a decent rookie year. The Timberwolves also added Patrick Beverley, who adds a defensive spark, intensity and a veteran voice for a rather young team. There’s serious potential for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they’ve been losers for so long, it’s hard to really trust them until you see progress. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Timberwolves early this season, as they could provide some betting value.

The Pelicans are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 Monday games and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 road games. The Timberwolves are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Monday games. The under is 10-3 in Pelicans last 13 overall. The under is 4-1 in Timberwolves last 5 overall. The Pelicans are 4-10 ATS in the last 14 meetings.

The jury is still out on the Pelicans and if they can build a team around Zion or not. You obviously shouldn’t expect to see Zion play any minutes in this contest. The Minnesota Timberwolves on the other hand have more talent than their past records indicate and they’re the sort of team that needs to build confidence in games like this. If the Timberwolves can put together some wins and solid ball, it will pay off big for when the games count.

I’m kind of on the Timberwolves bandwagon early. I’ll back them in their preseason opener.