NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Wednesday, 13.03.2024
On Wednesday night, the best basketball league in the world will see a clash between two teams who have legitimate hopes of finishing first in the Western Conference. The Crypto.com Arena should therefore provide the best entertainment!
My Clippers Timberwolves betting tip on Oddset explains why I don’t expect Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards to score more than 30 points
The Clippers (actually a type of fast cargo sailing ship built in the United States) have been the second hottest team in the NBA since December 1st!
After losing their first five games following the acquisition of former MVP James Harden, the Angel Cities team has recovered to post a formidable 33-11 record since December!
However, February was less uplifting (6-5 record) and they have won “only” half of their last 14 games.
Most recently, they suffered a 117:124 home defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks without their two superstars Kawhi Leonard (groin) and Paul George (knee).
Whether the two All-Star forwards will return against the Timberwolves will only be decided shortly before the start of the game.
Nevertheless, coach Tyronn Lue’s team has an elite offensive rating (4th with 119) and a decent defensive rating (14th with 114.5).
The game tailored to the superstars Leonard (24 points per game), George (22.1), James Harden (17.5 and 8.3 assists) and bench motor Russell Westbrook (11.1) is reflected, among other things, in the fact that no other team looks for isolation plays more often.
In addition, no other team plays fewer passes than the Clippers. However, these stats should not blind you to the fact that the Southern Californians run a variable offense.
The Clippers rely in particular on the unselfishness of their superstars, who are often put in the spotlight off the ball.
The German world champion Daniel Theis has quickly established himself as a valuable backup center for the cargo sailors with 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 blocks and a decent three-point percentage of 36.5%.
So the beleaguered Timberwolves pack has a real Herculean task ahead of them!
A few days ago, the shock news broke that All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns will have to undergo surgery to repair a ruptured left meniscus and will be out for at least 4-6 weeks.
As expected, the Timberwolves, a controversial subspecies of the Wolf in terms of classification, will need time to adjust to the absence of their second offensive option.
The Wolves have only won one of their last three games, with top scorer Anthony “Ant” Edwards scoring 44 points against the Pacers to beat Indiana 113-111.
Nevertheless, they sold themselves expensively in Cleveland (-9 after overtime) and most recently at the Lakers (-11), in keeping with the circumstances.
Without “KAT” on the court, Minnesota’s average offense would be statistically the worst in the league by far, while the league’s statistically best defense (rating of only 108.3) should even improve without the defensively weak Towns.
However, defensive anchor Rudy Gobert could also miss tonight’s game with a hamstring injury (also game-time decision).
For the rest of the season, Minnesota’s focus is likely to be less on reclaiming the number one seed in the West and more on salvaging the home court advantage guaranteed by a top-four finish (currently third place with a two-game lead over the Clippers).
The fact that they have won four of the last five head-to-head meetings against LAC should also give the visitors hope.
However, the Clippers won the last encounter on March 3 by the narrow margin of 89:88.
I also expect a rather low-scoring game in the upcoming game due to the injured teams and strong defensive lines.
This expectation is also reflected in my NBA betting tip today, as I don’t expect Minnesota’s Edwards to score more than 30 points. Of course, I’ll also explain why I think that
Firstly, the “Ant” has only cracked the aforementioned mark in 1 of 13 matches against the Clippers. On the other hand, it is striking that Edwards has not played any of his last six over-30 games against an above-average defense.
And in the last six games, he has only achieved this feat once, against the sixth-worst defense in Indiana.
The possible return of athletic wing stoppers Leonard and George should make life even more difficult for Edwards offensively.
Therefore, my Clippers Timberwolves tip for you is: Edwards with under 30.5 points!
