Pistons At Timberwolves Preview: A Bettors Perspective
Jan 18th, 2012 by PJ LaFerla
Betting Line:
Detroit Pistons (+8)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-8)
Over/Under 186.5
Game Time 8:05 EST
If you haven’t noticed by now, more times than not, my selections tend to go against the grain of the public bettors and are less obvious choices compared to other professional handicappers. I am fine with that because my results produce winners and winners produce money in my pocket. And that my friends is what sports betting is all about! I bring up this point because tonight’s match-up between the Pistons and Timberwolves has me leaning towards the obvious. Or does it?
GAME ANALYSIS:
The Pistons (3-11) come into this game without any improvement on the offensive side of the ball as the team continues its struggle to score points. When you average 85.4 points scoring and give up about 95 points a game, you can expect to have 3-11 record and only win one game on the road. Even worse for the Pistons is their meek three ATS covers out of 14 thus far this season. It’s hard to believe just four short years ago this team was a conference finals regular. Times are changing in Motown and the Pistons have a long road ahead of them to get back to an elite team in the NBA.
The Timberwolves (5-8) aren’t really boasting a much better record than the Pistons, but they are dominating in the ATS category with an outstanding 9 wins and 4 losses record. They also know how to score points, averaging 95 a game. However, they are almost giving up the same amount at 93.1 a game. Although as a team they have a lot of work to do, the long awaited arrival of Ricky Rubio along with Kevin Love and a slew of other young talent has the fans in the twin cities believing they can become contenders in the very near future. But as I mentioned, don’t get excited just yet. They are coming off a year in which they shot a very low 44% and struggled to get to the line ranking near the bottom at 25th overall. Defensively they committed the 2nd most turnovers in the league. As you can see (now you know what I mean) they have a lot of work to do.
WHO TO BET ON?
Defense wins games, but you need to score to win! The Pistons can’t score and their defense is nowhere near what we all remember; and watching them play, it seems like they have already giving up on the season. The direct opposite can be said for the Timerwolves. Ricky Rubio certainly adds a flair of excitement, especially at home -getting the crowd involved. More importantly win or lose the Timberwolves enter every game believing in themselves and not intimidated anymore by bigger market teams. Look for a blowout win and an easy cover for the Timberwolves at home tonight.
Make your play on the Timberwolves to cover the point spread!
SOME OTHER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THIS GAME:
~ The Pistons are 5-1 straight up in its last 6 games when playing on the road against the Timberwolves.
~ The Pistons are 1-6 against the spread in its last 7 games on the road.
~ The Timberwolves are 2-2 against the spread versus the Pistons over the last 3 seasons.
~ The Timberwolves are 1-7 against in its last 8 games when playing at home against the Pistons.
PREDICTION:
Timberwolves 95, Pistons 79
PJ Laferla is a practicing freelance writer, professional handicapper, and the founder of SportsInput.com. If you are interested in hiring PJ Laferla for freelance writing or for winning picks against the spread, please submit all inquires to PJ@sportsinput.com.