Los Angeles Clippers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 3/3/2024 Preview and Pick
Game: Los Angeles Clippers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Date: Sunday, March 3, 2024
Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN
TV: Bally Sports North
Odds/Point Spread: Los Angeles (-2)
Target Center is where the Minnesota Timberwolves (42-18) will attempt to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers (38-20) on Sunday. Los Angeles is 2-point favorites. The betting total comes in at 219.5.
The Clippers stepped onto the hardwood against the Wizards and went home with a win by a final score of 140-115 in their last game. Regarding personal fouls, the Clippers finished with 13 and the Wizards accounted for 17 personal fouls. They also made 12 of their 34 shots from beyond the arc. Washington finished the game at 73.3% from the charity stripe by burying 11 of their 15 shots. Furthermore, Washington totaled 39 boards (9 offensive, 30 defensive) and had 7 blocks. Washington earned 29 dimes and had 5 steals in this matchup. In reference to defending, Los Angeles allowed the other team to shoot 46.9% from the floor on 46 of 98 shooting. They also doled out 32 assists in this contest in addition to creating 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Regarding grabbing boards, they collected 49 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Clippers buried 19 of 25 attempts for a percentage of 76.0%. Los Angeles walked away from the contest with a 57.4% FG percentage (54 of 94) and buried 13 out of their 32 shots from distance.
James Harden is one guy who came through for this game. He ended up finishing with 28 points on 9 of 13 shooting. He played for 25 minutes and totaled 4 rebounds. Harden finished the contest at 69.2% from the floor and dished out 8 assists.
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Los Angeles heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 38-20 for the year. They currently have an average of 117.8 points per contest (9th in basketball) while connecting on 49.3% from the field. The Clippers are shooting 39.0% on shots from beyond the arc (752 of 1,926) and 81.7% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Los Angeles is collecting 43.0 boards per game and has accumulated 1,510 dimes this year, which has them ranked 22nd in the league in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.1 times per contest and as a team they commit 18.9 fouls on a nightly basis.
Defensively, the Clippers are able to force 13.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 8th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,534 surrendered this year. The Clippers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 46.9% (2,426 of 5,177) and they surrender 41.8 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 35.8% from 3-point land and they are 10th in the league in points per game allowed (112.9).
When they last played, the Timberwolves took a loss by a final score of 124-120 when they faced the Kings. The Timberwolves snagged 36 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for this game. They also turned it over 12 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Kings were called for 29 personal fouls for the contest which took the Timberwolves to the free throw line for 32 shots. They were able to knock down 24 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 75.0%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Minnesota converted 12 of their 31 attempts (38.7%). Overall, the Timberwolves finished shooting 42 out of 85 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.4%. The Timberwolves allowed the Kings to knock down 50 of 100 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 50.0% in this contest. They finished 37.9% from three-point range by connecting on 11 out of 29 and walked away from this one shooting 13 of 24 at the free throw line (54.2%). Regarding attacking the glass, Minnesota permitted Sacramento to get 45 in total (14 on the offensive side).
Jaden McDaniels ended up being a factor for the Timberwolves in this contest. He made 9 of 11 in the game for a rate of 81.8%, and earned 7 rebounds. McDaniels recorded 26 points in his 45 mins of playing time and tallied 1 assist for the game.
Minnesota has a record of 42-18 so far this year. The Timberwolves are committing 19.4 personal fouls every game while shooting 78.4% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 26.4 times per contest (16th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.7 times per game. Minnesota has totaled 6,820 pts on the campaign (113.7 per contest) and they pull in 44.1 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Timberwolves are hitting on 48.8% from the field, which ranks 8th in the NBA.
The Timberwolves on defense are ranked 1st in the league in points per game surrendered with 106.6. They have forced 13.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.5% from the floor (1st in the NBA). The Minnesota defense allows 34.9% from downtown (683 of 1,957) and their opponents are converting on 78.5% of their free throw shots. They have given up 24.3 dimes and 40.9 rebounds per game, which is 3rd and 3rd in the NBA.
Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?
Tony Sink's Pick: Take Los Angeles (-2)
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