Stephen Nover Free Tuesday NBA Play

On January 30, 2018, in Free Picks, NBA, by Stephen

Timberwolves at Raptors Under 218

There are a lot of stars in this matchup headed by Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMar DeRozan and Andrew Wiggins. So naturally the total has to be high. But is the high total justified?

I say the perception of a high scoring game is wrong.

The Raptors rank among the top-five in defensive efficiency at home. They are fourth in the league in defensive field goal percentage and 10th in fewest points allowed per game. Toronto has held seven of its last 11 home opponents to fewer than 100 points.

Minnesota managed only 100 points against Atlanta on Monday night. The Hawks rank 23rd in defensive scoring and 26th in field goal percentage.

The Timberwolves shouldn’t be looking to push tempo either playing for the third time in four days and second in two nights.

Both Jeff Teage (1-for-16 in his last two games) and DeRozan (18-of-52 in his last three games) are in shooting slumps.

Usually it takes good 3-point shooting to reach a total this high. But neither team is very good from beyond the arc. The Raptors rank 24th in 3-point shooting percentage while the Timberwolves are even worse ranking 27th.

 

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