The Western Conference is shaping up just as we expected, with the Golden State Warriors once again proving to be the class team in that conference. Things are a little more unexpected over in the Eastern Conference, with the Boston Celtics starting to open up a gap at the top. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of how things are playing out in the East has been the performance of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who now find themselves 5 games out of the top spot. We say that it’s surprising, but the Cavs have developed a reputation as a team who at times looks disinterested in the regular season, only to crank it up in the playoffs, despite what the NBA betting lines may say.
They will have a little bit of a tricky one this Monday night, as they will be on the road to a Minnesota Timberwolves team that is sitting pretty in the #4 spot in the Western Conference. The Cavaliers have not put together a very good road record this season, so this one is far from being a slam dunk, and could, in fact, prove to be quite the entertaining match-up.
They had a bit of a rough week last week, losing 2 of 3, although they did close things out on a positive note with a 116-98 win over the Pelicans. The tough thing here for Minnesota is that they have not been able to beat the Cavaliers for 3 straight seasons, going 0-6 during that stretch. They are 11-11 against teams with winning records this season, so they have been somewhat competitive against the better teams in the NBA thus far.
Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves NBA Betting Lines & Expert Pick
Dimes. Dunks. The Return.
Find your #MondayMotivation with our Top Plays of Week 12. #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/IQ39y2yokZ — Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) 8 de enero de 2018
- When: Monday, January 8 at 8 PM EST
- Where: Target Center, Minneapolis
- TV: FSOH and FSN
- Radio: 1100 AM (Cleveland) / 830 AM (Minnesota)
- NBA Betting Lines: Minnesota Timberwolves -1 (Point total at 222.5)
Team Records
- All: Cleveland Cavaliers 26-13 / Minnesota Timberwolves 25-16
- Home: Cleveland Cavaliers 15-4 / Minnesota Timberwolves 14-6
- Away: Cleveland Cavaliers 11-9 / Minnesota Timberwolves 11-10
- As Favorite: Cleveland Cavaliers 21-10 / Minnesota Timberwolves 20-9
- As Underdog: Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3 / Minnesota Timberwolves 5-7
- ATS: Cleveland Cavaliers 12-26-1 / Minnesota Timberwolves 18-21-2
- Over/Under: Cleveland Cavaliers 19-19-1 / Minnesota Timberwolves 20-20-1
Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)
- Record: Cleveland Cavaliers lead 7-3
- Score: Cleveland Cavaliers 106.40 / Minnesota Timberwolves 101.20
- Field Goal Percentage: Cleveland Cavaliers 45.68 / Minnesota Timberwolves 48.13
- Rebounds: Cleveland Cavaliers 40.60 / Minnesota Timberwolves 42.50
- 3 Point Shots: Cleveland Cavaliers 65-185 / Minnesota Timberwolves 96-264
- Steals: Cleveland Cavaliers 9.40 / Minnesota Timberwolves 8.80
Why consider the Cavaliers NBA Betting Lines?
The question that needs to be asked right now is whether the play of the Cavaliers is just a sign of them being bored of the daily regular season grind, or whether it is, in fact, a sign of a bigger issue. That may well be a question that needs to be shelved until we have seen more of this team with Isaiah Thomas in the line-up. In the two games that he has played since returning from injury, Thomas has averaged 18 PPG, while the team as a whole scored 129 PPG, a massive leap over their current season average of 110 PPG. Thomas missed the game against the Celtics, which ended in defeat, so it may well be a sign that the Cavs are more in tune with him in the line-up. The Cavaliers are just 11-9 on the road this season and have gone 5-5 in their last 10 overall. They are 7-5 against teams from the Western Conference this season.Team Statistics
Offense- Total Score: 110.46
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.52
- Three-Point Percentage: 38.02
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.77
- Total Rebounds: 41.95
- Total Score: 107.72
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.97
- Three-Point Percentage: 37.01
- Free Throw Percentage: 74.23
- Total Rebounds: 43.13
Why consider the Timberwolves NBA Betting Lines?
The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently occupying the #4 spot in the Western Conference, and also have a 2 ½ game lead over OKC in the Northwest Division. At 25-16, it has been a very good season for the T-wolves thus far, and they have been particularly tough to take down in their own building, where they are currently 14-6 on the season.
They had a bit of a rough week last week, losing 2 of 3, although they did close things out on a positive note with a 116-98 win over the Pelicans. The tough thing here for Minnesota is that they have not been able to beat the Cavaliers for 3 straight seasons, going 0-6 during that stretch. They are 11-11 against teams with winning records this season, so they have been somewhat competitive against the better teams in the NBA thus far.
Team Statistics
Offense- Total Score: 107.98
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.37
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.21
- Free Throw Percentage: 79.86
- Total Rebounds: 41.51
- Total Score: 105.20
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.60
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.07
- Free Throw Percentage: 78.24
- Total Rebounds: 41.20
Latest NBA Betting Trends
- Cavaliers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games on the road
- Cavaliers are 19-6 SU in their last 25 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games
- Timberwolves are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games when playing Cleveland
- Timberwolves are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 5 games
