Timberwolves vs Pelicans prediction NBA · Tuesday, December 2
At a glance
The New Orleans Pelicans (3-18) host the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-8) on Tuesday, December 2 at 8:00 PM ET at Smoothie King Center in NBA action. Final score: Timberwolves 149 – Pelicans 142. Before tip-off, the Basketlog model gave the Timberwolves a 81% chance to win: prediction correct. This season, the Pelicans are 2-9 at home and the Timberwolves are 5-5 on the road. Over the last 10 games: 1-9 for the Pelicans and 6-4 for the Timberwolves (current streaks: Pelicans L3, Timberwolves W2).
The analysis Model
The Timberwolves start with a clear edge. The model projects Pelicans 110 – 121 Timberwolves, a margin of about 10.8 points in favor of the Timberwolves and a total around 231 points. Expect a game at a standard NBA pace.
- The overall strength gap (-8.8 vs +4.3 pts/game) is the main factor.
- The Pelicans need to win the pace battle to stay in the game.
- The Timberwolves' offense (117.3 pts/game) is the more productive of the two.
- The Timberwolves' defense allows clearly fewer points (112.3 pts/game).
What tips the balance
Scenarios
Stat comparison Current season
MINNOTop performers
Timberwolves
Anthony EdwardsG · #544pts / game
Naz ReidC · #06assists
Rudy GobertC · #2713reboundsPelicans
Trey Murphy IIIF · #2533pts / game
Derik QueenC · #226assistsTrey Murphy IIIF · #2515reboundsRecent form
MINNOHead-to-head
MIN lead 3-1 this season.
MIN
Team comparison
| MIN | NO | |
|---|---|---|
| 12-8 | Record | 3-18 |
| 117.3 | Points scored / game | 110.7 |
| 112.3 | Points allowed / game | 121.1 |
| +4.3 | Adjusted margin / game | -8.8 |
| W2 | Current streak | L3 |
| 6-4 | Last 10 games | 1-9 |
| 5-5 road | Home / road record | 2-9 home |
| 49-33 (+5.0) | Last season | 21-61 (-9.4) |
| No | Played yesterday | No |
Injury report Timberwolves
Injury report Pelicans
Probabilities estimated by the Basketlog model from available public data. They are neither a certainty nor betting advice.