Minnesota Timberwolves at Cleveland Cavaliers Predictions

Minnesota Timberwolves (32-29 SU, 31-29-1 ATS) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-24 SU, 34-23-3 ATS)

When: Monday February 28 2022, 07:00 PM (ET)

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio

TV: BSN

Point Spread: MIN -2.5/CLE +2.5(Opened MIN -1 at Bookmaker)

Total: 222.5 (Opened at 222.5)

Money Line: Minnesota -137/Cleveland +115

Power Rating: CLE -2

Probable Starting Lineups

Minnesota Timberwolves PG Patrick Beverley, SG D’Angelo Russell, SF Anthony Edwards, PF Jarred Vanderbilt, C Karl-Anthony Towns

Cleveland Cavaliers PG Brandon Goodwin, SG Isaac Okoro, SF Lauri Markkanen, PF Evan Mobley, C Jarrett Allen

Key Injuries

Timberwolves
Malik Beasley: illness (QUESTIONABLE) McKinley Wright IV: elbow (OUT)

Cavaliers
Darius Garland: back (QUESTIONABLE) Caris LeVert: foot (OUT) Rajon Rondo: toe (OUT) Collin Sexton: knee (OUT)

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Non-Conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 07:00 PM ET at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Recent Form

The Minnesota Timberwolves come into this game with an overall record of 32-29, placing them 7th in the Western Conference. Throughout the season, Minnesota has struggled in their 31 road contests, sitting at 14-17. Over their last five games, the Timberwolves have played well, picking up 3 wins. In this stretch, Minnesota’s offense is scoring right in line with their season average, putting up 113.0 points per game. Combined, the Timberwolves’ last five opponents are giving up 110.0 points per contest. Even though Minnesota has been picking up wins, their opponents have had no trouble scoring the ball, averaging 118.0 points per game, up from the Timberwolves’ usual rate of 112.1. In the Minnesota Timberwolves’ most recent game, the team fell to Washington by a score of 133-102.

The Cleveland Cavaliers come into this game with an overall record of 36-24, placing them 4th in the Eastern Conference. So far, Cleveland is above .500 at home, holding a record of 19-9. Over the Cavaliers’ last five games, they have picked up just 2 wins. In this stretch, Cleveland’s offense is scoring right in line with their season average, putting up 105.0 points per game. Combined, the Cavaliers’ last five opponents are giving up 111.0 points per contest. A key reason for the Cavaliers’ recent struggles is a defensive unit giving up 106.0 points over their last five contests. This figure is up from their season average of 102.3. In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ most recent game, Cleveland took down Washington by a score of 92-86.

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Individual Player Analysis

As Minnesota travels to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Timberwolves leading scorer is Karl-Anthony Towns. Through 56 games, Towns is averaging 24 points. On the season, he has surpassed his season average in 50.0% of his games. So far, the Cavaliers are allowing their opponent’s top scorer to surpass their season average in 50.91% of their games, placing them 18th among NBA defenses. On the other side, Darius Garland leads the Cavaliers in scoring, averaging 20 points across his 47 games. However, it appears that Garland will not play in tonight’s contest, leaving it up to Jarrett Allen to carry the load. So far, Allen is averaging 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. On the season, the Timberwolves have allowed their opponent’s top scorer to surpass their season average in 48.98% of their games, giving them a rank of 14th among NBA defenses.

Matchup Analysis

The Timberwolves come into this game as the more efficient offensive team, averaging 108.3 points per 100 possessions. When playing as the superior offensive unit, Minnesota is winning at a rate of 61%. These victories are coming by an average margin of 14.0 points. On the other side, the Cavaliers hold the advantage on the defensive end of the floor. So far, they have played 25 games as the better defensive team, picking up 18 wins (72%).

The Historicals

Heading into today’s matchup, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers have met up for 1 game. Cleveland took game one by a score of 123-106.

How the Public is Betting the Timberwolves vs Cavaliers

67% are betting the Cavaliers against the spread.

52% are wagering on the game to go over the posted total of 222.5

Betting Trends Worth Noting

Timberwolves are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
Timberwolves are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games as a favorite.
Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog.
Cavaliers are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.

Joe’s Pick to Cover the Spread

This meeting between Minnesota and Cleveland features two teams who win in different ways. Throughout the season, the Timberwolves have relied on playing at an up-tempo pace to win in shootout fashion. On the other side, Cleveland prefers to slow the game down and lean on a defense, giving up just 102 points per game, the best in the NBA. Look for Minnesota to cover this spread as the absence of Darius Garland will hurt his team’s ability to keep up with the Timberwolves. Bet your Min/Cle pick and ALL your NBA bets every day at -105 odds instead of -110 at BetAnySports! Making the switch to reduced juice sports betting will save you THOUSANDS of dollars and costs you nothing but five minutes of your time!