by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Nov 15, 2021
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Where to watch: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Arizona
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Suns -4
BetMGM: Suns -3.5
Caesars: Suns -4
Season record
Suns: 9-3
Timberwolves: 4-8
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Suns - Timberwolves preview and analysis
Recent form
Suns: won eight straight; won 115-89 at Rockets on Sunday
Timberwolves: lost seven of eight; lost 129-102 at Clippers on Saturday
Now the proud owners of the longest winning streak in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns.
The reigning Western Conference Champions, by way of their dominant win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, hold an eight-game winning streak coming into Monday’s back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
The Suns, despite the long travel from central Texas to Minnesota, open most books as 4-point favorites against the struggling Timberwolves. Even with the fact star center Deandre Ayton (leg) is likely missing this game for cautionary purposes, he may not even be needed the way Phoenix is shooting the ball.
During this winning streak, the Suns have outscored opponents by 12.9 points while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and 37.5 from 3-point range.
The shooting took a dip Sunday against the Rockets -- 43.3 percent, 35 (14-of-40) from 3-point range -- but the Suns forced 23 Houston turnovers and got six players in double figures, led by 26 from Devin Booker to go with six assists and five rebounds. Chris Paul had 15 points and seven steals, and JaVale McGee had his best output of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
"It's been a point of emphasis for us to close out games," Booker said as the Suns outscored the Rockets 64-45 in the second half. "When we have leads on teams, just open it up, stay solid, don't get out of character and do things that we don't do. Like Coach (Monty Williams) says ‘Don't play with the game.' That's a product of tonight."
Meanwhile, the Suns’ defense has more than done its part holding teams to just 42 percent shooting and only 30.7 percent from behind the arc. It’s a formula that worked for the Suns all the way to their NBA Finals run. And again, this is even without Ayton in the lineup.
The Suns would probably like Ayton in a matchup like this, facing Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves, who have lost seven of eight and continue to look like a disappointment on the court.
It seems like every year, we as basketball folks want to see Minnesota make that next leap. The Jimmy Butler era was the closest we had to getting that, but the talent on this roster should not warrant this much disappointment. The Timberwolves, for as good as the Los Angeles Clippers are, should not be kept to 102 points and lose by 27 like they did on Saturday.
And they can’t get by with Towns having 3-for-11 shooting nights while Anthony Edwards (21) and D’Angelo Russell (15) combine for 36 points on 15-of-38 shooting, while the Wolves shoot 39.2 percent overall.
"They wrestled with him, they pre-doubled him," Wolves coach Chris Finch said of how the Clippers defended Towns. "They take the ball out of his hands every shape, way and form when he gets it. We got to find a way to solve that and it's on me."
Prediction
We can’t fall into the trap in saying we’ll tell a lot from a November basketball game, but Monday night is going to have one of those feels for Minnesota. There’s a difference of an off night and not bouncing back in a way they should. The Suns are on a back-to-back with hefty travel. There is absolutely no way the Timberwolves should lose this game. Timberwolves by 6
Betting trends
The Suns are 45-35 ATS on the road over the past three seasons.
The Suns are 14-3 ATS over the past three seasons following two straight wins by 10 or more.
The Timberwolves are 25-49 ATS at home over the past three seasons and are 23-52 straight up.
The Timberwolves are 1-5 ATS following a loss of 20 points or more on the road over the past three years.
Projected starting lineup
Suns:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: JaVale McGee
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: JaVale McGee
Timberwolves:
PG: Patrick Beverley
SG: D’Angelo Russell
SF: Anthony Edwards
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
SF: Anthony Edwards
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Key injuries
Suns: C Deandre Ayton (leg, out)
Timberwolves: None
Statistical leaders
Suns:
Points: Devin Booker -- 22.4
Rebounds: JaVale McGee -- 7.0
Assists: Chris Paul -- 10.4
Timberwolves:
Points: Anthony Edwards -- 24.1
Rebounds: Karl-Anthony Towns -- 9.3
Assists: D’Angelo Russell -- 5.6
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
