Posted on
1/23/2008 4:58:01 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – Suns at Timberwolves
By Charles Jay
The Minnesota Timberwolves (6-34 SU, 17-23 ATS) will try to win two games in row for the first time this season on Wednesday when they play host to the Phoenix Suns (30-12 SU, 19-22-1 ATS) in NBA action starting at 8 PM ET from the Target Center in Minneapolis.
In the BetUS basketball betting odds, the Suns are listed at -9.5, with the total posted at 214 points.
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:
* PHX has covered four of the last six meetings
* PHX has won nine of the last 12 meetings SU
* Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
* PHX has won and covered four of the last six meetings as the road team
* MINN has won 10 of the last 14 meetings SU as the home team
* Ten of the last 13 meetings in Minneapolis have gone OVER the total
Phoenix comes in as the league's highest scoring team, at 110 points a game. The Suns make nine three-pointers per contest, and have a 2.1-to-1 ratio of assists to turnovers. Phoenix is also minus-5.2 per game in rebounding margin. Also:
* PHX has won five of its last six games SU
* PHX has covered four of its last five games
* PHX has won and covered four of its last six road games
* PHX has played eight of its last 11 games UNDER the total
Minnesota has allowed its opponents to shoot 46.8% from the field. The T-Wolves are 27th in the league in scoring, with 93.7 points per game. They have been held below 100 points 29 times, second only to Philadelphia. Also:
* MINN has covered four of its last 13 games
* MINN has won two of its last 13 games SU
* MINN has played six of its last seven games OVER the total
* MINN has covered six of its last 25 home games
* MINN has won four of its last 25 home games SU
So what had to happen the other day for Minnesota to pull the ROAD upset of Golden State? Well, they had to shoot almost 51% from the field; they had to hold Golden State to less than 44% shooting; they had to make nine shots from beyond the three-point arc, they had to get Baron Davis and Michael Biedrins in foul trouble, and they had to get 35 points out of Ryan Gomes.
Could those kinds of things happen again? The Wolves are just 5-11 ATS as a home underdog, and they do not put on a particularly valiant stand at the Target Center, where they are 4-14 SU and get outscored by eight points a game on average. These two just played five days ago, and Phoenix coasted to a 115-95 win. And while the Suns are not the rested team here (having played and won in Milwaukee last night), they are the more offensively efficient team, tallying 113 ppg over their last four.
But let's grant that Minnesota is playing with a little more offensive punch. The Wolves have shot 53% and 51% in their last two, scoring 108 and 109 points on the road (where they are 2-20 SU) against Denver and Golden State, respectively. The aforementioned Gomes has scored 20 points or more four times in his last six starts (and you can bet he'll continue starting). And Minnesota has played six of its last seven over the total.
So let's go OVER the 214 points, as it is posted in the BetUS NBA betting odds.
BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: PHOENIX -9.5, Total 214
JAY'S PLAY: OVER 214
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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)