Cleveland Cavaliers (36-24) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (32-29)
Game Info: Monday, February 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse)
Betting Odds: Cleveland Cavaliers +1.5 -- Over/Under: 222.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Minnesota Timberwolves pay a visit to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Monday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in decent shape as they’ve won three of their last five games overall, but they will be hoping to bounce back in this one after getting stopped by the new-look 76ers in a 133-102 home loss on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with 25 points with seven rebounds and three assists, D’Angelo Russell added 21 points while Anthony Edwards chipped in with 15 points and five assists. As a team, the Timberwolves shot just 41 percent from the field and nine of 39 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep up with the 76ers right from the start and fell behind by 16 points at halftime, before getting completely blown out in the fourth quarter where they allowed 41 points.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been in decent shape as they’ve won five of their last eight games overall and they will be looking to build some momentum after snapping a three-game skid with a 92-86 win over the Wizards on Saturday. Lauri Markkanen drained six 3-pointers to lead the team with 23 points, Cedi Osman provided the spark off the bench with 19 points and five assists, Jarrett Allen added 18 points with 14 rebounds while Evan Mobley chipped in with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. As a team, the Cavaliers shot just 38 percent from the field and eight of 25 from the 3-point line as they managed just 18 points in the first quarter to trail for most of the game, before taking control in the fourth quarter where they held the Wizards to just 16 points to escape with the narrow victory. Kevin Love had a night to forget as he finished with just four points on one of 10 shooting from the field.
Looking at the betting trends, the Timberwolves are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games, 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games following a loss and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a loss of more than 10 points. The Cavaliers are 13-6-1 ATS in their last 20 home games, 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games against a team with a winning record and 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
Head to head, the over is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings overall and the Timberwolves are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Cleveland.
The Timberwolves could be shorthanded for this one as Malik Beasley is listed as questionable, while the Cavaliers are still depleted in the backcourt with Caris LeVert, Rajon Rondo and Darius Garland all still out. The Cavaliers did a great job of sneaking past the lowly Wizards in their last outing, but the Timberwolves have a little more firepower in their lineup and I think they’ll come out firing after getting embarrassed by the 76ers on Friday. This should be a close one, but the Timberwolves are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Cleveland and I think that trend continues here.
Peter’s Pick Minnesota -1.5
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
Mitch's Take...
