CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES ODDS & PREDICTIONS FOR MARCH 22, 2024

Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the games on tap from tonight’s slate features the Cleveland Cavaliers (43-26 SU, 34-33-2 ATS) taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves (47-22 SU, 35-33-1 ATS) for the second and final time this season.

In a battle between two teams coming off losses in their previous outings, here is a look at which squad has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

• When: Friday, March 22, 2024
  
• Time: 8:00 PM ET
  
• Where: Target Center
  
• Location: Minneapolis, MN
  
• TV: BSN and BSOH

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Odds (Via DraftKings)

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Cavaliers Sweep The Season Series?

Cleveland Cavaliers Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 113.4 PPG – 18TH                  
• Offensive Efficiency: 115.7 points per 100 possessions – 17TH                     
• Scoring Defense: 109.4 PPG – 5TH                     
• Defensive Efficiency: 111.6 points per 100 possessions – 4TH          

The Cleveland Cavaliers currently occupy the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference and trail the second-place Milwaukee Bucks by 1.5 games in the standings. Unfortunately, this ball club has dropped six of its last 10 decisions.

This includes a 107-104 loss at the hands of the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. In that contest, four of the Cavaliers’ starting five scored in double figures, headlined by a 25-point, 20-rebound performance from Jarrett Allen. He shot an efficient 10-for-13 from the floor and also handed out three assists. 

Darius Garland finished with 20 points and nine assists on 7-for-18 shooting from the field and 5-for-12 from beyond the arc. Georges Niang added 18 points and three rebounds, while Caris LeVert contributed 16 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds. 

In the previous matchup between these two teams, the Cavaliers prevailed at home 113-104. Jarrett Allen scored a team-high 33 points and hauled in 18 rebounds. However, the Cavaliers will be without three starters this time around. Leading scorer Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.4 points and 6.1 assists per contest. He has a broken nose and will be evaluated next week. 

Evan Mobley (sprained left ankle) and Max Straus (knee strain) have been ruled out as well. Mobley is averaging a double-double with 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest. Straus is contributing 12.2 PPG while converting 34 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. 

Taking that into consideration, sweeping the series could be a tall order for the short-handed Cavaliers.

Can The Short-Handed Timberwolves Bounce Back From Loss To Defending Champs?

Minnesota Timberwolves Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 113.3 PPG – 20TH            
• Offensive Efficiency: 115.6 points per 100 possessions – 18TH              
• Scoring Defense: 106.7 PPG – 1ST                    
• Defensive Efficiency: 108.9 points per 100 possessions – 1ST            

On the other side of this matchup, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been playing exceptionally well as of late. They have the third-best record in the Western Conference, and they trail the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder by just 1.5 games as we head into the home stretch. 

Not only that, but the Timberwolves have posted eight victories in their last 10 games. Unfortunately, Minnesota saw its recent three-game winning streak end with a 115-112 loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. 

As was the case with the Cavaliers in their previous outing, the Timberwolves placed four starters in double figures. Anthony Edwards led the way with 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. All of these were team-highs. 

Jaden McDaniels – who is averaging 10.5 PPG this season – finished with 26 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the floor and he shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He also collected six rebounds and two blocked shots. 

Mike Conley finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Kyle Anderson contributed 12 points, four assists, and three blocked shots. 

The Timberwolves were without three of their frontcourt players against Denver. Karl Anthony-Towns – who is on the shelf with a knee injury – will be out of the rotation for the foreseeable future. Additionally, Rudy Gobert (ribs) and Naz Reid (concussion) are also questionable for this matchup. 

“We have faith in everybody that plays, and for us to have a showing like we did (Tuesday), going against one of the better teams out there, it shows a lot of grit (and) shows what we’re made of,” Conley said via CBS Sports. “… You just love to see the guys build around each other and find ways through it.”

In a battle between two teams missing multiple key players, it will be interesting to see which team emerges victorious. 

Now that we have set the table for this crucial matchup, let’s look at the betting trends for both sides. 

The Picks

The Spread

The Minnesota Timberwolves opened as a 5.5-point favorite. At the time of this writing, the line has moved up to six points for the home team (per OddShark.com). Here is a look at how both ball clubs have fared against the spread this season. 

• The Cavaliers are 6-12 ATS in their last 18 outings.
• Cleveland is 2-6 ATS in its last eight matchups against Minnesota.
• In their last nine road games against the Timberwolves, the Cavaliers are 6-3 against the spread.
• Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are 4-1 ATS in their last five contests.
• In its last six home games, Minnesota is 1-5 against the spread.

As you can see from the above trends, this matchup is a tough one to call. However, given the fact that the Cavaliers have a slightly better road record against the spread (17-15-1) than the Timberwolves do at home (15-16-1), I am leaning toward the road team covering the spread in this scenario.

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers (-6)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 209.5 points. The line has dipped to 209 points (per Pre-Game.com). Here is why going with the “over” is the smart choice. 

• The total has gone OVER five times in the Cavaliers’ last seven games.
• The OVER total is 12-2 in Cleveland’s last 14 road outings.
• The OVER total has prevailed four times in the Timberwolves’ last six outings.
• The total has gone OVER four times in Minnesota’s last five matchups against Cleveland.
• In the Warriors’ last 10 games they have played on a Friday, the OVER total cashed in eight times.

Prediction: OVER 209 points

Player Prop Bets

One of the key players to watch for the Cavaliers is Jarrett Allen. He currently has -120 odds of scoring more than 17.5 points and -110 odds of finishing with less than 17.5 points. 

Here is a look at how his numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup. 

• In 11 career games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he is averaging 15.2 points per contest.
• On the season, Allen is averaging 16.3 points per game across 64 outings.
• In 31 road contests, he is averaging 15.7 points per contest.
• Allen has played against Western Conference teams 22 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 17.1 points per outing.
• In six matchups against Northwest Division opponents, he is averaging 17 points per game.
• Allen has played on Friday night nine times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 17.6 points per outing.
• Over his last 10 outings, Allen has averaged 19.5 points per contest, exceeding the points total for this matchup six times during that stretch.

Prediction: Jarrett Allen OVER 17.5 points

The key player to watch for the home team is Anthony Edwards. He currently has -110 odds of scoring more than 29.5 points and -120 odds of finishing with less than 29.5 points. 

Will Edwards’ season numbers favorably compare against the estimated points total for this matchup? Let’s look at the tale of the tape to find out. 

• In seven career games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he is averaging 17.3 points per contest.
• This season, Edwards is averaging 26.7 points per game across 66 appearances.
• In 31 home contests, he is averaging 26 PPG.
• Edwards has played against Eastern Conference teams 23 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 27.7 points per outing.
• In nine Friday night appearances this season, Edwards is averaging 19.6 PPG.
• In seven matchups against Central Division opponents, he is averaging 31.3 points per game.
• Over his last 10 outings, Edwards has averaged 26.9 points per contest, exceeding the points total for this matchup five times during that stretch.

Based on these trends, going with the “under” for Edwards would be the best option here. 

Prediction: Anthony Edwards UNDER 29.5 points

James Tillman’s Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Picks

• The Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers (+6) OddShark
• Over/Under: OVER 208.5 points (DraftKings)
• Player Prop Bet #1: Jarrett Allen OVER 17.5 points
• Player Prop Bet #2: Anthony Edwards UNDER 29.5 points