Tanking to a Spanking, Raptors Visit Timberwolves

In this Raptors vs Timberwolves preview, we take a look at the NBA lines, player props, and past matchups to make some NBA picks.

The spread opened at Timberwolves -15 with a total set at 215.5. Minnesota is a heavy favorite at home as it sits with the elite at the top of the Western Conference NBA bracket. Meanwhile, the Raptors are tumbling down the NBA standings and are currently 12th seed in the East.

The Raptors have, as of Tuesday, lost 14 straight games. Young star Scottie Barnes is likely done for the remainder of the season following a hand surgery. Toronto is now in full “tank mode”.

They also have sustained long absences from their other young starters Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett, who returned on a minutes restriction Tuesday night.

Continue on for your Raptors vs Timberwolves preview.

Raptors Looking Rough

Things have not gone well for the Raptors. Raptors fans felt good after making what many believed to be a solid trade towards high-upside youth (trading defensive star OG Anunoby for Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett).

What Raptors fans did not sign up for were NBA injuries, tragedies (RJ Barrett has recently missed significant time after the tragic death of his 19-year-old brother), and drama (center Jontay Porter is now absent due to being under investigation for gambling). These effectively “tanked” Toronto’s season.

One bright spot, however, is rookie Gradey Dick. He has been able to step up during the turmoil. As of Tuesday, Dick has averaged 15.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his six five games. With the return of Quickley and Barrett, we expect Dick to take more of a step back offensively. Take a look at the under on his points tonight.

Quickley’s and Barrett’s return went better than expected, leading the scoring for the Raptors at 28 and 20 points, respectively. And yet they were limited by minutes restrictions

RJ Barrett: Immanuel Quickley:

28 points 20 points
6 rebounds 3 rebounds
6 assists 6 assists
11-18 FG 7-12 FG

BACK LIKE THEY NEVER LEFT🔥 pic.twitter.com/WcK9dfwKSG

— MVP4​​​​ (@UTD_m4) April 3, 2024

Timberwolves Stay Solid

The Timberwolves lost arguably their second-best NBA player Karl-Anthony Towns 12 games ago. And yet they have barely slipped. Structured behind a Rudy Gobert-led defense (Timberwolves have been number one in defensive rating pretty much all season) and the offensive power of budding superstar Anthony Edwards, they have won eight of their last ten games.

Amidst the drama of fan (least) favorite owner, Glen Taylor, officially calling off the team’s sale, the Wolves have stayed solid. As of Tuesday, the Wolves are 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 games and have quality wins over the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Nuggets.

How dominant has the Wolves defense been?

Updating this @johnschuhmann stat…

MIN’s 108.1 defensive rating is 2.7 points better than any other team.

That is the LARGEST margin between the 1st & 2nd ranked teams in the 28 seasons for which there is play-by-play data. pic.twitter.com/uSKwMzkaeG

— Alan Horton (@WolvesRadio) March 30, 2024

Edwards has struggled shooting lately. He hasn’t made a 3-pointer in three straight games (19 attempts), and is averaging way below 50% from the field in those contests.

He has also gone under on his scoring prop for six consecutive NBA games. The Raptor’s weak defense could provide a good opportunity for Edwards to get back on track Wednesday.

Veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. has picked up his game during Edwards’s struggles. Conley has hit his points + assists over in five of the Wolves’ last six games.

He has scored below 14 points only twice in his last ten games (his NBA season average of 11.3 points per game). Even if Edwards steps up Wednesday, the Raptors gave up 128 points Tuesday so there is room for Conley to hit his over as well.

Things Are Different Now

When these NBA teams met earlier in the season things were different. The Timberwolves lost a close one in the Raptors home-opener 97-94, continuing their streak of losses in Canada at 19 (they haven’t won a game there since 2004). A lot has changed since then, and this match is in Minnesota so we expect a different result.

Those differences are reflected in the Timberwolves being favored by a whopping 15 points at home. We think the Timberwolves will close this one out easily. But with the Raptors gaining a bit of inspiration from the return of Barrett and Quickley, anything can happen on the end of a back-to-back.

Now take this Raptors vs Timberwolves preview and make some bets!

For NBA scores today, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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