Six games of NBA action are taking place across today’s Saturday slate. Tipping off at 6:00 p.m. EST, the Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Charlotte Hornets.
Anthony Edwards remains sidelined for the Timberwolves due to his hamstring injury following his strong start to the year. Both these teams enter with a 2-3 record so far this season.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Timberwolves enter as 5.5-point favorites and hold -225 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hornets hold +185 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 230.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for this Saturday night matchup.
Timberwolves vs. Hornets preview, prediction
Minnesota enters with a 2-3 record with their two victories coming over the Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers. They have come up short at the hands of Los Angeles Lakers twice and Denver Nuggets so far this season. The Timberwolves last played on Wednesday so they should be rested outside of Edwards.
Julius Randle has been asked to scale up his offensive role following Edwards’ injury and is averaging 26.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists across the first five games. Jaden McDaniels is second on the team and continues to progress offensively, posting averages of 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds through the start of this season. Donte DiVincenzo looks more settled in during his second season in Minnesota. Rudy Gobert still sets the defensive tone with Naz Reid continuing to bring a spark off the bench. Rob Dillingham, Mike Conley, Bones Hyland, and Terrence Shannon Jr. round out most of their depth. It is too early to panic much about the metrics, but Minnesota ranks 20th in offensive rating, 25th in defensive rating, and 21st in scoring in the early parts of this season.
The Hornets are off to a 2-3 start to the season with their victories coming over the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards. Charlotte has fallen short to the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic. They last played on Thursday and will be without Brandon Miller, Josh Green, and Grant Williams for this matchup.
LaMelo Ball has been upgraded to probable and sets the tone for this Hornets team. He is averaging a team-high 24.4 points, 10.2 assists, and 8.0 rebounds while showing more buy-in defensively than has been the case for most of his career. Collin Sexton has made an impressive early impact, averaging 18.6 points and 4.6 assists while Miles Bridges pitches in 18.2 points and 6.6 rebounds of his own. Rookies Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner are making an impressive early impact as day-one starters and are finding footing in their respective roles. Moussa Diabate, Sion James, Tre Mann, and Tidjane Salaun have each also shown some nice flashes. Charlotte ranks fourth in offensive rating, 28th in defensive rating, and fourth in scoring so far this season.
Timberwolves vs. Hornets pick, best bet
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a bit of a forgotten team in the loaded Western Conference despite their back-to-back Conference Finals appearances. But the injury to Anthony Edwards changes their entire makeup and this is a tough matchup tonight.
Charlotte is filled with young talents who play with a high motor and are bought into their role. LaMelo Ball looks to have turned a page with his maturity and the rest of the team is following. They launch three-pointers at a high rate and are connecting at a 40.3% rate as a team.
Minnesota has other scoring options, but will not reach its peak as a team without Edwards on the floor. The Wolves lean on their defensive identity in theory, but have not backed this up this season. Opponents have scored 110+ points against them in every game this season and 127+ points twice.
Expect the Hornets to push the tempo and have some success creating early offense. When both these teams are at full strength there is no doubt that Minnesota is the better team. But this is not the case tonight and Charlotte has played more connected and motivated basketball to start the year. Count on the young legs to be a factor in this matchup and for this to be a battle down to the end. Keep the Hornets in mind as live underdogs in this game. I am backing them to cover the 5.5-point spread.
