NBA Spreads: New Orleans Hornets at Minnesota Timberwolves
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The New Orleans Hornets will look for their seventh straight win over the Minnesota Timberwolves when these two teams face off tonight at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. The Hornets come in off a 93-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday for their second straight win. Minnesota also got a win yesterday, as they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-97 to snap a seven-game losing streak. While the Hornets have won six straight against the Timberwolves, they have lost their last six on the road this season. Despite the Hornets recent struggles, our NBA spreads indicate that the oddsmakers have the Hornets listed as 4.5-point favorites over the Timberwolves in this one.
Looking for a great place to do your NBA betting this season? Sports Interaction is offering our readers a special 100% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!
Chris Paul had 22 points and eight assists against the Hawks on Sunday, but hasn’t been nearly effective scoring the basketball this season. Paul is averaging just 16.3 points and 9.8 assists this season, and the Hornets would really like to see him be more aggressive on the offensive end. That shouldn’t be a problem tonight, Paul is averaging nearly 22 points and just over 10 assists a game in 14 career starts against the Timberwolves.
David West finished second on the team with 18 points, and is currently the Hornets leading scorer at 19 points a game. Emeka Okafor had 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza added 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Hawks.
Minnesota got a big game from Michael Beasley, as he scored a game-high 28 points, including the game-winning layup with just under six seconds to play. Beasley is averaging 24.4 points in his last five games, and has really emerged as a premier scorer this season.
Kevin Love is the other guy you have to watch out for when you play Minnesota. Against the Cavaliers, Love scored all 16 of his points in the fourth quarter and also had 18 rebounds. Love leads the league in rebounds, averaging 15.6 per game, and when he gets it going offensively the Timberwovles become a very tough team to beat.
Both teams come in pretty well rested, so the back-to-back shouldn’t have too much of an effect on this game. New Orleans is 12-6 ATS at Minnesota since 1996, but are just 5-7 ATS on the road this season. Minnesota is 6-6 ATS at home, but have not had much success at all against Paul and the Hornets. I think your best bet is to lay the points and take the Hornets in this one.
For more help with who to take in the NBA this season, check out what our expert handicappers have to offer in their daily NBA picks.
Got something to say?
