The Brooklyn Nets (21-34) were nowhere near where they wanted to be at the All-Star break, and that led to the firing of third-year head coach Jacque Vaughn. There wasn't any immediate improvement, as the Nets were handed a 30-point blowout by the 20-win Raptors on Thursday night.
On Saturday, they will travel as NBA odds underdogs to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (39-16), the Western Conference's best team. Playing to Brooklyn's favor is that the T-Wolves will be on the back of not only a back-to-back, but also a day removed from a 9:15 PM local time tip-off on Friday night.
Can Mikal Bridges and Cameron Thomas catch Minnesota off guard? Or will Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns show why they are (as of today) the Western Conference's best team?
Continue reading for free NBA picks and predictions for the Nets vs. Timberwolves matchup on Saturday, February 24th.
Nets vs Timberwolves odds
Nets vs Timberwolves predictions
A year removed after a first-round playoff exit following an all-in trade for Rudy Gobert, many have been surprised to see the Timberwolves hold their ground in the race for the Western Conference's top seed. But by nearly every metric, they have proven they belonged.
They possess the league's best defensive rating by a sizable margin and have the third-best net rating as a result. They generate efficient looks on offense (eighth in effective field goal percentage) largely due to their proficiency from deep (third), and to wrap it up, they also take care of business on the glass (fifth in rebounding rate).
But in the NBA, any team, no matter how good and well-rounded they are, can fall victim to a bad scheduling spot. That is the case for Minnesota on Saturday night, who will have to be ready for a back-to-back spot a night removed after tipping off at 9:15 the previous night against one of the league's best in the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nets come in with a day of rest and on manageable travel from Toronto. The Nets are also looking to turn their fortune around after a near 30-point blowout following the firing of head coach Jacque Vaughn.
And while the Nets have been one of the worst teams against the spread this year (sixth-worst cover rate at 46.2%) the young group has been a notable exception with a rest advantage, having gone 6-3-2 against the spread in those spots — tied for the fourth-best cover rate in that split.
My best bet: Nets +8 (-106 at FanDuel)
Nets vs Timberwolves same-game parlay
Nets +7.5
Mikal Bridges Under 2.5 threes made
Cameron Thomas Under 2.5 threes made
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While the Nets should cover in this generous scheduling spot, it may require their primary scorers (Mikal Bridges and Cameron Thomas) to find scoring success anywhere but from beyond the arc — a place where they find a lot of their shooting volume.
Minnesota ranks sixth-best in 3-point percentage allowed, and Bridges and Thomas average 6.9 and 5.6 3-point attempts per game, respectively. The two currently rank first and second on the team in 3-point attempts on the season following the departures of Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O'Neal.
In their prior meeting this season just a month ago, Mikal Bridges managed to go 2-for-8 from deep and Cam Thomas went just 1-for-4. The team as a whole managed to shoot a combined 10-for-33 (30.3%).
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Nets vs Timberwolves spread and Over/Under analysis
Brooklyn, as previously mentioned, has been one of the league's worst teams against this spread this year. Its 24-28-3 record is good for just a 46.2% cover rate, the sixth-worst in the league. The Nets have been even worse on the road, covering just 37.5% of the time (9-16).
They’ve fared better with a rest advantage (6-3-2) and have been decent as moderately-sized underdogs, having gone 6-4 against the spread as underdogs of 4 to 8 points.
The Timberwolves on the other hand have been one of the league's better teams against the spread. Their 29-24-2 record is good for the sixth-best cover rate in the league at 54.7%. At home, that cover rate improves to 59.1% with a 13-9-2 record.
The Nets have also been one of the league's better Under teams, having gone 29-25-1 that way — good for the seventh-highest rate of Unders this year. They have also gone Under the total in six of their last seven games, however Saturday's total of 216.5 marks the lowest total they've seen all year.
Minnesota, despite its defensive proficiency, has been even on totals this year at 27-27-1. At home, however, the Wolves have gone 14-9-1 to the Under — a 60.9% rate that is fourth-highest in that split.
They have, however, notably gone Over the total in four of their last five. And, interestingly enough, in games at or below Saturday's 216.5 total, they have gone 9-1 to the Over as well.
Nets vs Timberwolves betting trend to know
The Nets have hit the Under in 16 of their last 24 games (+7.20 Units / 27% ROI)Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Timberwolves.
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Nets vs Timberwolves game info
| Location: | Target Center, Minneapolis, MN |
| Date: | Saturday, February 24, 2024 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | YES, BSN |
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