Charlotte Hornets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction: Minnesota to improve h2h stats

Minnesota has only defeated the Hornets three times in their last nine head-to-head encounters, but even on the road the Wolves are considered the clear favorites to win this game. Can the Timberwolves improve their head-to-head stats?

The Hornets are averaging 109.4 points per game, only 23rd best in the NBA. Charlotte did quite well at first, even in the absence of LaMelo Ball, but then suffered the expected decline. Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier missed a lot of games, but now both are back up and ready to play against Minnesota. Dennis Smith Jr. has been a standout for the Hornets and has been an important part of the rotation in the absence of his key playmaker. Now Smith is back in the infirmary, and Theo Maledon will likely get more playing minutes again.

The day before Steve Clifford's team finally broke their three-game losing streak and defeated Philadelphia, 107-101, at home. The win had no effect on the Hornets' standing in the standings: They are still 14th in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte looked better right from the start against the Sixers, but at first they couldn't score any open shots. Kelly Oubre didn't end up scoring on any of his 6 long-range attempts and neither did Hayward, but P.J. Washington and Terry Rozier were effective. The reserves played an important role in the Hornets' success: Jalen McDaniels and Nick Richards scored 11 and 13 points, respectively. Kai Jones came off the bench and Mason Plumlee again proved to be a solid passer with 6 assists, so the big men led the way for Charlotte.

With 5 wins in a row, the Timberwolves have moved into 7th place in the Western Conference, and they can climb into the top 6 if they beat Charlotte. With Rudy Gobert on the court, Minnesota looks very decent on defense, although there are problems with defense at the arc. Combining Gobert with Edwards hasn't worked out yet. The Wolves' young star has been unstable so far, and it's hard to say how to solve that problem. The former center was Karl-Anthony Towns, who didn't have to be in the paint all the time, while Gobert has a much less rich offensive arsenal. Towns, by the way, got his form, although he struggled in the early games. As for the roster troubles, the day before Taurean Prince got injured and also Jordan McLaughlin might not be able to appear on the floor. But Kyle Anderson is back on the roster - he missed the game before last.

In the previous game Chris Finch's players confidently defeated Indiana - 115-101. Minnesota allowed only one lead early in the game, but for the rest of the game the Wolves controlled the game. The Timberwolves' starting five was simply efficient, with Rudy Gobert, D'Angelo Russell, Jaden McDaniels and Karl-Anthony Towns all making at least 70% of their shots on the court. Of the reserves, Kyle Anderson and Austin Rivers are worth mentioning, with Anderson helping out on both ends of the floor. Importantly, Minnesota played good defense in the paint and had 10 blocked shots compared to Gobert's zero and McDaniel's four.

Both teams looked great in the last regular season game, and it's even a little difficult to pick a favorite. Minnesota's defense is poor on the arc and Charlotte should take advantage of that. The main thing is for Oubre and Hayward to get going, and there is less concern about the latter. The visitors will have trouble containing Gobert and Towns under the basket, though Mason Plumlee is considered a decent guard. Dennis Smith, Jr. will not be available at the arc and that too is a big loss, primarily on defense, so once again we should expect to see some productive basketball. Our prediction for the Charlotte-Minnesota game is as follows:

• H2 (-3.5) for 1.71;
• W2+TO (225.5) for 2.80;
• TO (227.5) for 2.15.

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