Minnesota Timberwolves at Utah Jazz - 12/31/21 NBA Picks and Prediction
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Utah Jazz (25-9) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (16-18)
Game Info: Friday, December 31, 2021 at 9:00 pm (Vivint Arena)
Betting Odds: Utah Jazz -10.5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz meet Friday in NBA action at the Vivint Arena. The Minnesota Timberwolves look for a win after splitting their last 10 games. The Utah Jazz look to build on their five-game winning streak.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are averaging 108.8 points on 43 percent shooting and allowing 109.3 points on 45.1 percent shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 24.5 points and 3.6 assists, while Anthony Edwards is averaging 22.1 points and 3.6 assists. D’Angelo Russell is the third double-digit scorer and Malik Beasley is grabbing 3.2 rebounds. The Minnesota Timberwolves are shooting 34.2 percent from beyond the arc and 76.9 percent from the free throw line. The Minnesota Timberwolves are allowing 33.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.1 rebounds per game.
The Utah Jazz are averaging 115.8 points on 47.7 percent shooting and allowing 105.6 points on 44.2 percent shooting. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 25.4 points and 5 assists, while Bojan Bogdanovic is averaging 17.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. Rudy Gobert is the third double-digit scorer and Jordan Clarkson is dishing 2.4 assists. The Utah Jazz are shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc and 77 percent from the free throw line. The Utah Jazz are allowing 32.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 47.6 rebounds per game.
The Timberwolves are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Jazz are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The over is 8-3 in Timberwolves last 11 overall. The over is 13-6-1 in Jazz last 20 overall. The Timberwolves are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Utah and 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
The Utah Jazz are piling up the victories, but they're not covering numbers, and they could be without Mitchell again due to a back injury. The Minnesota Timberwolves are quietly playing decent ball these last two weeks, they're covering numbers, and there's a chance Edwards returns for this contest. This line isn't showing the Timberwolves much respect, a club that also plays decent on the road and only loses by an average of 2.6 points. I have to keep riding with the Timberwolves as underdogs, a team I talked up a lot heading into the season.
Randy’s Pick Minnesota Timberwolves +10.5
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Mitch's Take...
