Nobody would blame the home team for being exhausted heading into the March 4th Bulls at Timberwolves betting pick. That’s because Minnesota was in an incredibly fast paced game on Tuesday, scoring the 139-134 win in New Orleans as +11 point underdogs.
The T’Wolves had 113 possessions on Tuesday, even higher than their league leading 108.2. The Bulls meanwhile are coming off a 109-107 win at home over Dallas on Monday as a +7 point underdog. Chicago is also getting healthier, while Minnesota burned up a lot of minutes vs. the Pelicans. Nonetheless, the oddsmakers have the Wolves as a -2 favorite in this matchup.
Who’s In, Who’s Out for the Bulls?
Chicago has avoided “shutting it down” for the last 20+ games of the season as they’ve recently welcomed Otto Porter, Jr. and Wendell Carter, Jr. back from lengthy absences. More reinforcements are coming in the March 4th Bulls at Timberwolves betting pick as it looks like Lauri Markkanen will see his first game action since January 22nd.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, their biggest threat will miss his second game in a row as Zach LaVine sits with a quad injury. Chicago did beat Dallas on Monday with LaVine out of the lineup, but the Mavs were also on leg two of the back to back – as Minnesota is on Wednesday.
While it was a nice win for Chicago to upset the Mavericks, it was just the Bulls’ 2nd victory in the last 12 games. The Bulls are one of the worst offensive teams in the league (25th in ppg) but have to be a bit optimistic after the Pelicans dropped 134 on Minnesota on Tuesday. Bulls rookie Coby White can pick up some of the slack from LaVine being out as he’s put up 33+ in 3 of the last 5.
Can Minnesota Shine on a Second Straight Night?
The Timberwolves are proving to be a team you don’t sleep on as the season heads towards the last quarter. Minnesota will never sniff the playoffs this year being 12 GB, but in the last 4 games they’ve upset a playoff contender (Miami) and the darlings of the NBA (Pelicans) and both on the road.
The big question for Minnesota heading into this tilt is how much left they have in the tank after a fast pace game that saw 273 total points Tuesday in New Orleans? The T’Wolves might not be in a bad spot for the Bulls, mostly because they used great depth vs. the Pelicans. Eight players logged at least 19 minutes for Minnesota in New Orleans and 7 of those had at least 13 points.
Minnesota’s front court of Naz Reid, Juancho Hernangomez, and Josh Okogie combined for 40 points and 26 boards Tuesday night vs. the Pelicans. That’s important because Chicago ranks 30th defensively vs. the C, 29th against PF’s and 24th vs. the SF.
We’ll see how that changes as the Bulls get some bodies back but Hernangomez has 12+ boards in 2 of the last 3. That’s without taking into account D’Angelo Russell or Malik Beasley in the back court as they combined for 51 vs. the Pelicans.
March 4th Bulls at Timberwolves Betting Pick
Bettors are split about 50/50 in this one. Chicago beat a very good team in Dallas on the back-to-back on Monday and should be able to do the same as Minnesota makes their way back from the Big Easy.
Pick: Chicago Bulls +1.5
