Minnesota Timberwolves vs San Antonio Spurs: NBA Saturday Predictions

• Expert analysis for Saturday’s marquee match-up between the Timberwolves and Spurs, as well as straight-up picks for all 11 games on tap
• Are the Spurs really going to miss the postseason?
• Can Minnesota keep treading until Jimmy Butler returns?

Another game, another marquee opponent. Things won’t get much easier for the struggling San Antonio Spurs (39-30, 24-8 home) on Saturday when they host the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves (40-29, 14-21 away) at 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV.

The Spurs are reeling, and on March 13th were in an entirely unfamiliar place – the nine spot in the West, and out of the playoffs. That’s about as un-Spurs as it gets.

Barring a massive run to close out the regular season, the Spurs will win fewer than 50 games in a campaign for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Of course, that was a strike-shortened year and they won the title.

Of course, a 39-30 mark minus a top-5 player for virtually all season is still respectable, and getting Kawhi Leonard back (rumoured to be this week) will be good news for a squad relying heavily on LaMarcus Aldridge (22 points, eight rebounds a game this season) to carry an offense that has dipped to 18th in offensive rating.

Barring a massive run to close out the regular season, the Spurs will win fewer than 50 games in a campaign for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

Speaking of vital missing cogs, the Timberwolves are just kicking the can along while Jimmy Butler recovers from his knee surgery. He’s expected to be back by the end of this month, and hopefully the younger Wolves can keep building on a mediocre 4-3 record while he’s been out.

It definitely helps when you have a stud in the making taking the reins. Karl-Anthony Towns has been shredding in his last ten games, averaging 24 points, 13 boards, 1.5 blocks and shooting at a near 57 per cent clip.

They’re going to need all of that and more because his teammate and co-no. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins hasn’t fared so well, averaging 18 points a game on under 43.3-percent shooting and contributing little else on the stat sheet.

Team Stats

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Head-to-Head Results

 Notable Injuries and Absences

 Team Trends

 Prediction: Spurs (108-99)

Counting out the Spurs is not a smart thing to do. With Leonard hopefully  back in the fold, San Antonio will be even better defensively. They’ve kept teams under 100 points a game this year, a minor miracle in this score-happy era.

Minnesota is a team that struggles defensively, surrendering over 107 points a contest, so the Spurs’ pass-friendly offense should get some good looks running the ball through Aldridge on the block.

Dejounte Murray will have his hands full, but he’ll do his part to contribute an important W.

A key match-up will be at the point guard spot, where Minny’s Jeff Teague has been surging, averaging 18 points on 50-percent shooting from the field, to go along with six assists and four rebounds a game over his last ten outings. Dejounte Murray will have his hands full, but he’ll do his part to contribute an important W.

Straight-Up Picks (March 17)

It’s a busy Saturday night in the Association, with ten other games on tap, including a biggie in the Big Easy, another battle for playoff positioning in D.C., and LeBron and the Cavs will try to end their six-game road show in the Windy City.

Make sure to check our website closer to game time, as we have all the best sportsbooks for you to place your wagers on.