Oddsmakers are expecting a high scoring affair in the November 14th NBA free pick setting the O/U between the Pelicans and T’Wolves at 236. Minnesota is also a slight +1.5 ‘dog tonight on their home court – a place where they’ve gone 5-1 so far this season. The Jimmy Butler era is over in Minneapolis and it seems the team can finally move on. Does New Orleans have the edge however considering that the players acquired in the Butler trade may not be available tonight?
Pelicans Look to Continue Their High Scoring Run
New Orleans is 5-1 at home this season – but just 2-5 away from the Big Easy. They have been putting up some major points on the road (116+ in 4 of their last 5) but unfortunately don’t play defense to go along with that as they are 27th in the league in points/against per game. Can the Pelicans offense be enough to get the win at the Target Center in the November 14th NBA free pick? New Orleans is 3rd in the NBA in both points/game and field goal percentage and the Timberwolves aren’t exactly great on D either ranking 28th in the NBA in points allowed / game. Both teams are also in the top 9 in pace of play so expect a very high scoring affair this evening.
Does Minnesota have the size down low to slow down Anthony Davis? The big man is coming off a 25-point, 20-rebound performance Monday night in Toronto but it may be the Pelicans back court that decides this game. E’Twaun Moore and Jrue Holiday combined for 59 points vs. the Raptors and 36 the game before that vs. Portland. The Wolves may or may not be a bit shorthanded tonight and if so the Pelicans could end up running them right out of the Target Center with a solid inside-out combination.
Who Is Minnesota Going to Put on the Floor Tonight?
Jimmy Butler has gone from Minnesota to Philadelphia and will be making his 76ers debut tonight. However, two of the players that the Timberwolves received in exchange for Butler – Robert Covington and Dario Saric – are unknowns because of a snafu in the league paperwork. Throw in the mix that Jeff Teague is battling a knee injury and Andrew Wiggins is fighting quad issues and it could be a skeleton crew for the Wolves in the November 14th NBA free pick. Who we do know is in the lineup is Karl-Anthony Towns however. He’s had a 25 point, 21 rebound night and a 39 point, 19 rebound outing in the two games since Butler left. It’s safe to say Towns likes his new ‘old’ role. Derrick Rose is also averaging 25 ppg the last three contests and he should be in line for another big night.
Minnesota is 5-1 at the Target Center this year and will be playing just their second game in Minneapolis in November on Wednesday. The Wolves got beat up losing all 5 games on their West Coast road trip over the last week but bounced back with a 120-113 win over Brooklyn at home the last time out. Is home court advantage enough to swing this game the way of the Wolves?
November 14th NBA Free Pick Betting
There’s a lot of the public betting (nearly 75%) on the Pelicans tonight despite the fact they are just 2-5 on the road this season. There’s a lot of questions facing Minnesota tonight regarding their lineup, but we have to look at this as if every new member and possibly injured player takes the court tonight. If so, expect the Wolves to come out with a great energy led by Karl-Anthony Towns who has dominated the last two games and Derrick Rose who has found himself in this Minnesota backcourt.
NBA Free Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves +2.5
