Minnesota Timberwolves vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction: A huge game for both teams

The NBA Regular Season is in its final stages and within a couple of days, we will hit the Play-in tournament, signifying the beginning of the Postseason. This has been another crunch-time season and we will learn the final standing of many suitors on the last day. One such scenario is developing between the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans which will fittingly meet here.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves eviscerated the Spurs 151:131 in the last game on the heels of a 33 points outburst by Anthony Edwards. This was the second straight win for Minnesota and because of up-and-down play all season, they have 41 wins and 40 losses. The Wolves have received the services of Karl Anthony-Towns after a long-time and Anthony Edwards has led the way. The Guard rotations are relatively thin and the injury to Naz Reid has severely impacted the depth. It will be up to the frontline of Edwards, Anderson, Anthony-Towns, and Gobert for the Wolves which have huge defensive issues and some issues during late-game situations.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pels come into the game after defeating the Knicks 113:105 as Trey Murphy III launched 31 points. New Orleans has won four of their last six games and after a period where they won just about 20% of their games, the Pels have registered nine wins in eleven games and somehow have 42 wins and 39 losses. The loss column has bloated because of Zion Williamson’s injury, who propelled the team to new heights, registering almost a 60% win bracket. The Pels have been taking a lot of impetus from the play of Brandon Ingram who has not only led the scoring front but also has become an effective playmaker.

Injuries

• Timberwolves: OUT: Naz Reid. Game-Time Decisions: Austin Rivers, Jaylen Nowell;
• Pelicans: OUT: Jose Alvarado, Zion Williamson.

Expert Betting Tips

The Wolves have an imposing offensive team when Edwards and Anthony-Towns have been in tune. For the Pels, the defensive effort has been A-1 lately and their offense has unearthed options other than Ingram and to an extent McCollum. This means that the Pels will be on the business end here and the Wolves will be made to work hard. A win can move the Wolves up in the seventh vs eighth match-up which means a win can ensure a first-round spot whereas for the Pels, the chances of the eighth finish are more likely here. I predict a close showdown and slightly favor the Pelicans over the Wolves. I predict a scoreline of 129:125.