Through 3 Quarters
The Minnesota Timberwolves were expected to win this one, and they are just one quarter away from fulfilling that expectation. After three quarters it’s looking more and more like their high-powered offense is just too much for the New Orleans Pelicans as Minnesota lead 89-69.
The Timberwolves have enjoyed the tag-team combination of center Karl-Anthony Towns and power forward Jarred Vanderbilt. The former has 25 points in addition to eight rebounds, while the latter has 14 points along with eight boards.
New Orleans hasn’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to 11 points or fewer.
Halftime deficits have spelled doom for New Orleans, who have lost 100% of the games in which they were down going into the the fourth quarter.
Who’s Playing
Minnesota @ New Orleans
Current Records: Minnesota 7-9; New Orleans 3-15
What to Know
The Minnesota Timberwolves have enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they must head out on the road. They will square off against the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Smoothie King Center. The Timberwolves should still be feeling good after a victory, while New Orleans will be looking to get back in the win column.
You can’t lose the matchup if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Minnesota’s strategy against the Memphis Grizzlies this past Saturday. Minnesota took their game at home with ease, bagging a 138-95 win over Memphis. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 72-43. Among those leading the charge for Minnesota was point guard D’Angelo Russell, who had 28 points and five assists.
Meanwhile, the matchup between the Pelicans and the Indiana Pacers this past Saturday was not a total blowout, but with New Orleans falling 111-94 on the road, it was darn close to turning into one. New Orleans was down 96-64 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. One thing holding New Orleans back was the mediocre play of point guard Kira Lewis Jr., who did not have his best game: he played for 26 minutes with.
Barring any buzzer beaters, Minnesota is expected to win a tight contest. They are currently four-for-four against the spread in their most recent games, a trend bettors might want to take into account.
Minnesota’s win brought them up to 7-9 while the Pelicans’ defeat pulled them down to 3-15. A couple offensive numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: The Timberwolves have only been able to knock down 42.70% percent of their shots, which is the fifth lowest field goal percentage in the league. New Orleans have had an even harder time: they have only been able to knock down 42.20% percent of their shots, which is the fourth lowest field goal percentage in the league. It could be a slow night.
How To Watch
- When: Monday at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: Bally Sports – North
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $6.00
Odds
The Timberwolves are a 3-point favorite against the Pelicans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Timberwolves as a 2.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Minnesota have won 12 out of their last 23 games against New Orleans.
- Oct 25, 2021 – New Orleans 107 vs. Minnesota 98
- Oct 23, 2021 – Minnesota 96 vs. New Orleans 89
- May 01, 2021 – New Orleans 140 vs. Minnesota 136
- Mar 11, 2021 – Minnesota 135 vs. New Orleans 105
- Jan 23, 2021 – Minnesota 120 vs. New Orleans 110
- Mar 08, 2020 – New Orleans 120 vs. Minnesota 107
- Mar 03, 2020 – Minnesota 139 vs. New Orleans 134
- Dec 18, 2019 – New Orleans 107 vs. Minnesota 99
- Feb 08, 2019 – New Orleans 122 vs. Minnesota 117
- Jan 12, 2019 – Minnesota 110 vs. New Orleans 106
- Dec 31, 2018 – New Orleans 123 vs. Minnesota 114
- Nov 14, 2018 – Minnesota 107 vs. New Orleans 100
- Feb 03, 2018 – Minnesota 118 vs. New Orleans 107
- Jan 06, 2018 – Minnesota 116 vs. New Orleans 98
- Nov 29, 2017 – Minnesota 120 vs. New Orleans 102
- Nov 01, 2017 – Minnesota 104 vs. New Orleans 98
- Mar 19, 2017 – New Orleans 123 vs. Minnesota 109
- Feb 10, 2017 – New Orleans 122 vs. Minnesota 106
- Nov 23, 2016 – New Orleans 117 vs. Minnesota 96
- Apr 13, 2016 – Minnesota 144 vs. New Orleans 109
- Feb 27, 2016 – Minnesota 112 vs. New Orleans 110
- Feb 08, 2016 – New Orleans 116 vs. Minnesota 102
- Jan 19, 2016 – New Orleans 114 vs. Minnesota 99
Injury Report for New Orleans
- Devonte’ Graham: Game-Time Decision (Foot)
- Daulton Hommes: Out (Leg)
- Zion Williamson: Out (Foot)
Injury Report for Minnesota
- Josh Okogie: Game-Time Decision (Back)
- Naz Reid: Game-Time Decision (Foot)
