Rockets vs Timberwolves Lines: Take Houston ATS vs Minnesota
Timberwolves Need Home Win vs Rockets
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a dogfight to move up in the NBA bracket for the Western Conference playoffs, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets sitting ahead of them for the top spot.
However, they’ll have a battle on their hands on Tuesday night as the hot Houston Rockets come to town looking to keep their postseason hopes alive with a victory.
Houston had won 11 straight prior to a Sunday loss to the Mavericks, with the Rockets trying to catch the Golden State for the last spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
The Rockets are two games behind Golden State Warriors with eight games remaining in the regular season. The line for this contest favors the Timberwolves by 8.5 points at home, with the over/under set at 217.5 points.
Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves 
Day/Time:
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn
Streaming: NBA League Pass
Are the Rockets Heating Up Too Late?
The young Rockets have been the NBA’s hottest team over the last few weeks, but they had dug themselves enough of a hole that it might not be enough to clinch a postseason berth. Guard Jalen Green has been the offensive catalyst for Houston, though he’s coming off a disappointing performance against the Dallas Mavericks.
Green averaged 30.2 points over the team’s 11-game winning streak, but he had just 12 points in the Sunday setback.
Forward Jabari Smith Jr. was the team’s top scorer against Dallas, scoring 28 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. He needs to be at his best with the Rockets without center Alperen Sengun (21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists) for the rest of the regular season due to an ankle injury suffered in early March.
Timberwolves Looking To Rebound From Loss
Minnesota doesn’t want to look at the results of the other NBA games today, but it will watch the scoreboard , with the Thunder and Nuggets both sitting a game or less in front of it.
The Timberwolves need all the wins they can get to clinch homecourt advantage through the Western Conference finals, and a home loss to the Chicago Bulls will not be well-received by the team.
Guard Anthony Edwards has been among the favorites for NBA MVP this season, as he’s averaging Minnesota in scoring at 26.1 points per game while also averaging 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists against Chicago, but he also had six turnovers, which has to improve.
Without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup, center Rudy Gobert is being looked upon to provide more, especially on the defensive end. He is second in the league in rebounding (12.9 per game) and sixth in blocks (2.1), but he must be even more of a presence against a Rockets team that likes to drive to the basket.
Rockets Keep It Close in Loss
It’s hard to imagine Minnesota losing two straight at home, which is why the Rockets vs Timberwolves lines are favoring the hosts. Still, Houston has been playing great of late and can’t afford another loss in its quest for the playoffs.
This should be one of the highly-contested NBA games tonight, so your ATS bet should be on the Rockets getting 8.5 points. Minnesota is a top defensive team, but we like this one to go over 217.5 points as well, as Houston can light up the scoreboard when it gets rolling.
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