The second game of a home-and-home will take place in Phoenix today as the 11-37 Suns host the 22-24 Minnesota Timberwolves (9 p.m. ET Tuesday).
These two squads also squared off on Sunday. In that game, Derrick Rose scored 29 of his 31 points in the second half for the Timberwolves and capped his night off with a jumper with less than a second remaining to give Minnesota a 116-114 victory.
Neither team has been playing particularly well as of late. Minnesota has gone 9-12 in its last 21 games and the Suns have gone 3-13 in their last 16 games. Defensive seems to be a prevailing weakness for both teams.
Let’s preview this matchup with some questions and then make some bold Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns predictions about the game’s betting outcomes. We will be choosing our picks against the sportsbooks for American players.
Will Karl-Anthony Towns Recover His First-Half Form Against the Suns?
Towns had 30 points against Phoenix on Sunday. Just two of those points came after halftime, as Phoenix sent double teams in the second half that really confused the young big man. Towns’ usage significantly fell off in the second half.
DeAndre Ayton and Richaun Holmes both missed Sunday’s game for the Suns. Now Ayton is doubtful and Holmes is questionable to return for today’s contest. Towns should have another matchup advantage on paper here but he will need to assert himself better to attack early and react better when doubles come.
With a day off between games to strategize, will KAT adjust to the Suns’ strategy? Or will Phoenix continue to have success, as it did in Sunday’s second half?
Will the Suns Keep Getting Reliable Bench Production?
Phoenix isn’t known for having a good bench and it is further depleted with Ayton and Holmes both potentially out.
However, the Suns’ reserves were excellent in their narrow loss against Minnesota on Sunday. Led by Kelly Oubre, Josh Jackson and Jamal Crawford, the team had 56 bench points to go with 16 rebounds and 10 assists on a 61.4 true-shooting percentage. Since all three aforementioned players are rather inconsistent, it was nice to have them playing well at the same time.
Minnesota’s bench is also thin with Robert Covington and Tyus Jones out. Derrick Rose and Dario Saric are pretty good players, but they have to carry a large load for the bench to succeed.
Can Phoenix keep getting solid production out of its bench scorers? Oubre has been finding consistency recently, but it may be tough to squeeze another good game out of both Jackson and Crawford.
Will Minnesota Pass the 10-Three Threshold?
The Timberwolves are a below-average team in terms of both three-point shooting volume and accuracy (23rd in makes per game and 17th in percentage). With starting forward Robert Covington out indefinitely with a right knee injury, that issue becomes even bigger. Covington is one of the league’s more dangerous shooters from the outside.
The team is 12-6 when it hits more than 10 three-pointers and just 10-18 when it makes 10 or fewer shots from downtown. Minnesota made just six shots in 24 attempts from the outside in its narrow win against Phoenix.
The Timberwolves should be in for an easier win if they hit 11 or more threes in this game on the strength of confident shooting from the likes of Dario Saric, Andre Wiggins, Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose, Jerryd Bayless and Anthony Tolliver. That would also open things up for Towns to dominate in the paint.
Our Betting Preview’s Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns Predictions & Picks
I believe Phoenix is at a definite talent disadvantage in this game and that the Timberwolves will be better prepared for this game with some adjustments by Towns and interim head coach Ryan Saunders. Points should be even easier to come by for Minnesota in this game.
The Suns’ excellent bench performance in Sunday’s game may have also been a bit of a fluke, even though the Timberwolves’ reserves aren’t very good themselves. Looking to the picks, here are the Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns predictions for this preview:
- Minnesota is a consistent six-point favorite in this matchup. Bet on your best odds of Timberwolves -6pts @ -105 with BetOnline or SportsBetting.ag.
- I don’t trust either team’s defense in this game at all, especially with the players who are listed as either out or potentially out. Bet on the over 228pts @ -115 with Bovada. It is over 228.5pts with the other books.
Jared is a lifelong sports fan and writer whose specialist subject is NBA. A 2015 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Jared has been a sought-after freelance sports writer. In addition to his valuable USA Betting contributions, he has also written for other top media outlets.