New Orleans Pelicans (42-39) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (41-40)
April 9, 2023 3:30 pm EDT
The Line: Minnesota Timberwolves -3.5; Over/Under: +230.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The New Orleans Pelicans pay a visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center on Sunday afternoon.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been in red-hot form as they’ve won nine of their last 11 games overall and they will be hoping to cap off the regular season with a third straight victory after beating the Knicks in a 113-105 win on Friday. Trey Murphy led the team with 31 points, CJ McCollum added 23 points while Brandon Ingram chipped in with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot 53 percent from the field and 10 of 28 from the 3-point line as they kept pace with the Knicks all the way until the fourth quarter where they held the Knicks to just five points in the final 5:09 to pull away and earn the gritty victory.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been in decent shape as they’ve won six of their last nine games overall and they will be gunning for a third straight win after blowing past the Spurs in a 151-131 road win last night. Anthony Edwards led the team with 33 points on 13 of 25 shooting, Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points with eight rebounds and eight assists while Mink Conley tallied 20 points with five assists. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 55 percent from the field and 24 of 43 from the 3-point line as they took control of the contest with 45 points in the second quarter, before they made another run in the third quarter to push the lead out to 33 points.
Looking at the betting trends, the Pelicans are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games and 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Timberwolves are 1-7 ATS in their last eight home games, 5-1 ATS in their last six games against a team with a winning record and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games playing on zero days rest.
Head to head, the under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings in Minnesota and the Pelicans are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Minnesota.
The Pelicans are still missing Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado, while the Timberwolves are missing Austin Rivers and Jaylen Nowell. The Timberwolves will be full of confidence after pouring on 151 points against the Spurs in their last outing, but the Pelicans have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the league and I think they get the job done on the road in this one. The Pelicans are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Minnesota and I’m backing that trend to continue.
