Minnesota Timberwolves vs Toronto Raptors Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 03/04/2024, 05:06  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 03/04/2024 at 12:00 in NBA Prediction

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be at home to welcome the Toronto Raptors for their next NBA assignment. They arrive for the game as the second-placed team out in the Western Conference while the Raptors are 12th in the East. The Timberwolves got back to winning ways last time out thanks to a 113-106 victory over the Rockets. They had earlier lost at home to the Bulls to see a four-match winning run snapped. The win over the Rockets came on the first night of a back-to-back. It was their 52nd of the season and moved them to half a game from top spot in the West. Chris Finch’s men have seven more games to go in the regular season. If they are to clinch first place, they cannot afford to slip up again. The top three teams in the West are all within 0.5 games of each other. Karl Anthony-Towns will not be available again here. The forward is likely to be out for the rest of the regular season due to a knee issue. Minnesota have averaged 108.3 points over their last three matches.

The Toronto Raptors possess the longest-active losing streak. Darko Rajakovic’s men have lost 14 straight games. Three more losses and they will have tied a franchise record. This return has them with a 23-52 record. But as they have dominated this matchup in recent seasons, the Canadian franchise will fancy its chances here. The Raptors have won 10 of the last 12 matchups with the Timberwolves and are on a two-game winning run against them. They won the first meeting of the season at home 97-94 back in October. Toronto, also on the second night of a back-to-back, are coming off a 128-111 home defeat to the Lakers. Injuries have also dragged the team down. For this trip, seven players have been ruled out. Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr, Chris Boucher, Jakob Poeltl, and Jontay Porter are some of those out injured. The Raptors, who rank 20th on offence, have averaged 110.7 points over their last three matches.