Prizing:

1st Place: $50 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card

Overview:

On Wednesday, November 23^rd, the (4-8) Minnesota Timberwolves will be on the road to take on the (4-10) New Orleans Pelicans.

The Crowd:  

“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Timberwolves 96.4 – Pelicans 95.2 with an over/under of 191.7.

Statistics (2016-17 season):

Point differential: Timberwolves +1.7 (10^th) > Pelicans -5.1 (25^th)

Points per game: Timberwolves 105.0 (16^th) > Pelicans 102.5 (20^th)

Points allowed per game: Timberwolves 103.3 (13^th) > Pelicans 107.6 (23^rd)

Field Goal Percentage Offense: Timberwolves 46.0% (7^th) > Pelicans 43.8% (23^rd)

Three Point Percentage: Timberwolves 39.4% (1^st) > Pelicans 30.7% (tied for 29^th)

Field Goal Percentage Defense: Pelicans 44.0% (9^th) > Timberwolves 46.3% (24^th)

Turnovers committed per game: Pelicans 12.6 (11^th) > Timberwolves 13.9 (tied for 15^th)

Turnovers forced per game: Timberwolves 14.6 (tied for 6^th) > Pelicans 13.6 (16^th)

Rebounds per game: Pelicans 43.6 (17^th) > Timberwolves 42.5 (tied for 23^rd)

Assists per game: Pelicans 23.3 (8^th) > Timberwolves 21.7 (tied for 13^th)

Summary:

Both teams have gotten off to rocky starts early in the season.  New Orleans will be playing in the second night of a back to back so they may have tired legs.  Minnesota has the advantage in most of the statistical categories and are generally recognized as one of the up and coming teams in the NBA.  After years of finishing near the bottom of the league in perimeter shooting Minnesota now ranks atop that category.  New Orleans really struggles to shoot the ball so if they get down early it could be a long night.  New Orleans has been terrible defensively this season so Minnesota could really exploit that.  Anthony Davis is a top five player in the league for the Pelicans but he has nothing around him.  The Pelicans really miss Eric Gordon and seem to really lack the depth this year.  Minnesota is only (1-5) on the road this year but I think this is a game they can win.

**LISTEN HERE** to the latest edition of “The Berger Shop” podcast, sponsored by The Crowd’s Line.  This week’s episode features an in-depth discussion with Frank Isola of New York Daily News.

Note:

To be eligible to enter a Crowd’s Line contest you must be over 18 years of age, a resident of the United States/Canada, and submit your score prediction on our prediction tool (blog widget). The winner will be selected according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology.  If more than one entrant has the same winning score the winner will be selected by random drawing.  Only one prize will be awarded per contest and that winner will receive their prize in 5-7 business days.