Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been out since late November with a calf injury, is expected to play tonight for the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Atlanta playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Timberwolves were already heavy favorites, but the return of their franchise icon should make for an electric atmosphere at Target Center.
Predictions for the Hawks vs. Timberwolves NBA game starting at 8:00 PM ET on March 22.
Hawks vs Timberwolves picks and predictions
The Timberwolves and their fans are thrilled by Karl-Anthony Towns’ return to the team. With his return tonight, the off-court speculation that arose during his extended absence while he recovered from a calf strain can finally be put to rest.
Evaluation of his influence on the court needs to be improved. Can we expect Towns to begin? Even if he reportedly doesn’t anticipate any limitations on his return, that’s not likely to be the case. Whose time is he going to waste? Try Naz Reid’s first. Will Anthony Edwards, who sprained his ankle on Friday, play again soon? Still up in the air.
The fact that sportsbooks are not offering a “Edwards’ points prop” tonight is probably the best evidence that Edwards will not play. Jaden McDaniels has been on a tear since the trade deadline, and he’s taken another big step forward in the three games the team has played without Edwards, averaging 20.3 points per game on 10-of-18 shooting from deep.
However, Towns could steal a few of McDaniels’ corner threes. Although McDaniels has made at least two threes in 11 of the 16 games since D’Angelo Russell was traded, this is still a possibility that is strong enough to discourage recommending the Over 1.5 on McDaniels’ 3-pointers made as the best bet.
The sum of Towns’ return deserves our attention. The Timberwolves are confident that Towns and Rudy Gobert, forming a defensive “twin towers,” will eventually produce positive results. However, those substitutions will go wrong tonight because Towns has been out for so long. He will probably give up as many three-pointers as he assists the Timberwolves in making.
While the Atlanta Hawks rank just 20th in 3-point attempts per game (averaging 16.5) over their last 20 contests, they are ninth in 3-point percentage (averaging 37.7% over that span).
The Hawks are a team that likes to go Over the total, as they are 40-32 this season, while the Timberwolves have gone Over in their last three games, all of which were played without Edwards.
It should take at most a few shots from a fired-up Towns and some defensive lapses from a rusty Towns to push tonight’s total over the 241.5-point mark.
Hawks vs. Timberwolves spread analysis
As soon as news broke that Towns would suit up tonight, the spread moved one point in the Timberwolves’ favor, from four to five. That’s a bit much to worry about. Since the injury report on Tuesday night made it clear that Towns would play tonight, the spread has dropped back to -4.5.
And yet, why did even the halfway mark drag on for so long? The bookies anticipated this evening’s return of Towns. The minus four was calculated with that in mind. The confirmation from NBA reporters that Towns will play tonight did only generate some headlines.
The hook may not seem like much, but think of how much money you could make as a gambler if you had the same advantage in every game. The Hawks deserved to be a +4 favorite. Changing their value to +4.5 is excessive.
Hawks vs. Timberwolves Over/Under Analysis
In six of Quin Snyder’s eleven games as head coach, the Hawks still need to reach their total. A Timberwolves win by 136-115 against Minnesota nine days ago was one of the Overs.
Even though Atlanta only made 4 of 22 3-point attempts, the total went Over the 241-point mark by a comfortable 10 points in that game. The likelihood of a repeat performance of last night’s ugly behavior is vanishingly small.
Although Minnesota had a good night, its shooting percentages were all within a reasonable range. If anything, leaving points on the board was a result of free-throw shooting percentages below 70%. Ready to bet on the NBA? Check out some online NBA betting sites for the latest odds and lines.
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