The Portland Trail Blazers travel to the Target Center to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Here’s a Minnesota Timberwolves vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction. This article will include a Minnesota Timberwolves vs Portland Trail Blazers Pick.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have been struggling as they’ve lost six of their first nine games and they will be hoping for a better performance after getting routed by the Spurs in a 118-105 road defeat last night. Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton led the team in scoring with 21 points each, Anfernee Simons added 19 points with seven assists while Shaedon Sharpe chipped in with 13 points off the bench. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 47 percent from the field and just nine of 32 from the 3-point line as they kept pace in a tightly contested first half, only to get blown away in the third quarter where they allowed 35 points to fall behind by 14 points. The Blazers will face the Grizzlies following this game.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves are starting to heat up as they’ve won three of their past four games and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after blowing past the Bulls in a 135-119 road win last night. Anthony Edwards led the team with 33 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 13 of 23 shooting, Julius Randle added 22 points with 10 rebounds and three assists, Rudy Gobert tallied 21 points while Mike Conley chipped in with 14 points and 11 assists. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 54 percent from the field and 16 of 38 from the 3-point line as they trailed for most of the contest until they caught fire with a 45-point explosion in the fourth quarter to make it look easy in the end. The Wolves will take on the Heat after this one.
Why the Minnesota Timberwolves will win
- The Trail Blazers have lost each of their last 15 games against Northwest Division opponents that held a winning record.
- The Timberwolves have won each of their last 11 night games against Northwest Division opponents that held a losing record.
- The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight night games at Target Center.
- The Timberwolves have covered the spread in each of their last six Friday games against Northwest Division opponents that held a losing record.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Trail Blazers’ last seven games against Northwest Division opponents has gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the Timberwolves’ last seven games on the second leg of a back-to-back has gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Timberwolves rank T1st in the league for opponent three-point field goals made per game this season (11.4).
- The Timberwolves rank T2nd in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (3.5).
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for Q1 points per game this season (23.1).
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for Q3 opponent points per game this season (35.9).
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction
The Trail Blazers are still shorthanded with Matisse Thybulle still ruled out, while the Timberwolves are coming into this meeting with a full roster. The Trail Blazers have really struggled to get anything going this season as they’ve been hit by injuries again and I don’t know how much of a fight they are going to put up after looking toothless in a poor loss to the Spurs last night. The line is certainly hefty for this one, but that shouldn’t matter as the Timberwolves should cruise to a big win at home.