The Minnesota Timberwolves (17-16) travel to face off against the Detroit Pistons (16-18) on Saturday, January 4th. This game will be played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and televised on FDSD. The Pistons are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Timberwolves are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Timberwolves. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Timberwolves vs Pistons

The Timberwolves Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

With a 118-115 loss to the Celtics on Thursday, the Timberwolves are now 17-16 for the season. Minnesota was a +3 point underdog at home, and the game ended in a push. The total points of 233.5 exceeded the O/U line of 215.5 by 17.5 points.

After leading 35-28 in the 1st quarter, the Timberwolves were outscored 34-16 in the 2nd. They rallied in the 3rd, cutting the deficit to 91-85, and outscored Boston 30-27 in the 4th, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.

The Pistons Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Pistons improved to 16-18 on the season with a 98-94 win over the Hornets on Friday. Detroit was favored by 7.5 points at home but didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 192, well below the 215.5 O/U line.

Detroit rallied after trailing 65-52 at halftime, outscoring Charlotte 32-17 in the 3rd quarter. They entered the 4th quarter with an 84-82 lead and held the Hornets to 12 points in the final period.

Timberwolves Offense Breakdown

In their 118-115 loss to the Celtics, the Timberwolves connected on 21 threes, shooting 53.8% from beyond the arc and 50% overall from the field. Julius Randle led the way with 27 points, hitting 5 threes at a 71.4% clip, while Naz Reid added 20 points, making 4 threes at 80% efficiency.

Jaden McDaniels also contributed 4 threes, finishing with 19 points, including 9 in the 3rd quarter. Randle added 9 points in the 3rd as well, and Donte DiVincenzo scored 9 of his 12 points in the 4th quarter.

Pistons Offense Breakdown

Tobias Harris led the way for the Pistons in their win over the Hornets, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He hit 4 threes at an 80% clip, finishing with a 56.2% shooting percentage overall. Cade Cunningham added 18 points, while Malik Beasley contributed 12 despite shooting just 31.2% from the field.

As a team, the Pistons shot 41.9% from the field and 32.4% from three, making 12 threes in the game. Harris scored 10 points in the 1st quarter and added 8 more in the 3rd, finishing with 6 points in the 4th quarter.

Timberwolves Team Defense

Defensively, the Timberwolves struggled in the 2nd quarter, giving up 34 points, but they tightened up in the 4th, allowing just 27. Overall, Minnesota allowed 118 points on 50% shooting from the field.

The Timberwolves had a tough time defending the three, as the Celtics hit 22 threes at a 38% clip. Minnesota sent Boston to the line just 6 times, where they made 4 free throws. The Timberwolves finished with 30 defensive rebounds, gave up 10 offensive boards, and recorded 1 steal and 2 blocks.

Pistons Team Defense

Defensively, the Timberwolves struggled in the 2nd quarter, giving up 34 points, but they managed to tighten up in the 4th, allowing just 27. Overall, they allowed 118 points on 50% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, Minnesota gave up 22 three-pointers on 38% shooting. They sent the Celtics to the line just 6 times, where Boston made 4 free throws. The Timberwolves recorded 30 defensive rebounds but allowed 10 offensive boards, while also finishing with 1 steal and 2 blocks.

Timberwolves vs Pistons Trends

• Across their last three road contests, Minnesota has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 107 points per game.
• Across their last five home contests, Detroit has been good against the spread posting a mark of 3-2. Their overall mark in these games was 3-2, while averaging 116 points per game.
• Detroit has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Timberwolves have gone 5-5 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 7-3.

Timberwolves vs Pistons Prediction

For today’s matchup we are recommending to take the Timberwolves to secure the win, with an expected final score of 119-100. When it comes to the spread, we believe they’ll cover at -7.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 217.5 and given that our model is projecting 219 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.