Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Timberwolves -11

Fanduel:  Spread:  Timberwolves -11

BetMGM:  Spread: NL

Wizards: 34-43, 11th place Eastern Conference

Timberwolves: 44-34, 7th place Western Conference

A non-conference NBA matchup between an Eastern Conference team going nowhere and a Western Conference team with a chance at the playoffs.  The Washington Wizards are 5.5 games out of the play-in game with 5 games left to play.  For the Wizards to make a play-in game they would have to win out and the Brooklyn Nets or the Charlotte Hornets would have to drop a few.  It is not inconceivable.  There are also a few mathematical possibilities of going 4-1 or 3-2 while the other teams drop several games.  It’s all a headache for the Washington management team… but so is the roster they have assembled.  The Minnesota Timberwolves are in 7th place in the Western Conference and have an outside chance of catching the Denver Nuggets or the Utah Jazz to land in 6th place and not needing a play-in game at all.  The one thing we do know is that the Los Angeles Clippers will not catch them for 7th… the Clippers are 5.5 games back and simply not enough games to make it all up.  Especially if the Wolves beat the Wizards.  The Wolves have shown a marked improvement in their play ever since C Karl-Anthony Towns won the 3-point shooting contest at all-star break.

The Washington Wizards have won 5 of their last ten games.  They went 6-4 ATS during that stretch.  They are doing what the Wizards have always done, which is treading water.  They will win or lose just enough to miss the playoffs and the play-in game while still decimating their chances in the NBA draft lottery.  It should be especially painful this season with SG Bradley Beal on the injury list sitting next to SF/PF Kyle Kuzma who is also injured.  The team has C Kristaps Porzingis that they picked up with a successful trade with the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline. It was one of those NBA trades that helped the Mavericks but didn’t hurt the Wizards in any way.  As this team heads for vacation and looks to the draft they should not rule out trading Bradley Beal finally!  It is past time for doing that!  Bradley may have only half the value he had last year… and year after year the team shows no improvement after huge trades.  Last off season the Wizards suckered the Lakers into taking SG Russell Westbrook and getting back a king’s ransom of useful players… of course in accordance with Wizards history those useful players did not translate into winning… WHY?,.. Because they held onto Bradley Beal (their lone all-star) and watched him hit the Injury list for most of the season… They could have gotten so much for HIM.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have won 6 of their last ten games. They went 6-4 ATS during that stretch.  They slumped into a 5-game losing streak before winning their last game against the Denver Nuggets.  That losing streak kept them from catching Denver in the standings… but C'est La Vie.  Leading scorer for the Wolves C Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points in the win over the Nuggets. With 24 points from SG D’Angelo Russell and 18 points from SF Anthony Edwards.  That is the formula for Minnesota… These three players have to perform well to make up for all the roster weaknesses around them.  Karl-Anthony has been the best player on a bad team since he was drafted #1 overall by Minnesota in 2015.  It has been sad… but for years I have written that he should be traded to improve the team overall…. Until this season.  Karl-Anthony has really shown his long distance shooting and his leadership… Now I SCREAM that he should be traded!  The man is top three or five at Center in the league, he is in his prime, he is figuring out a way to win games… He Must Be Traded!  That is the only solution for a team that has been bad forever.  Karl-Anthony will never be worth more than now!  Give him to the Raptors or the Hornets or the Warriors… anyone needing a Center NOW would fork over a treasure trove of picks and young players for Karl-Anthony.  The result would be that finally the Timberwolves could build around Anthony Edwards… and possibly move him to shooting guard where he is more effective.

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The Wizards are 22nd in scoring with 108.7 ppg, 24th in rebounds with 43.2 per game, and 7th in AST/To ratio with 1.9.  On defense they rank 15th while allowing 111.3 ppg from opponents.

The Timberwolves are 1st in scoring with 115.5 ppg, 13th in rebounds with 44.5 per game, and 14th in AST/To ratio with 1.8. On defense they rank 23rd while allowing 112.6 ppg.

Our prediction for Tuesday, April 5th is….  Timberwolves 130 - Wizards 118

With SG Bradley Beal and Pf Kyle Kuzma out with injury for the Wizards and with them being woefully out of the playoff picture… the season is essentially done for the Wizards. The Timberwolves are still firing on all available cylinders and will roll the Wizards. Check your point spread closely and then bet on the T-Wolves to win.

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Minnesota is 17-7 ATS as a home favorite this season.
Minnesota is 18-5 ATS when revenging a road loss this season.
Washington is 2-0 ATS versus Minnesota the last 3 seasons.

Wizards: SG Bradley Beal (wrist) Out ** PF Kyle Kuzma (knee) Out 

T-Wolves: SF Jaden McDaniels (ankle) Out ** SG Malik Beasley (ankle) Quest

Wizards: SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, PF Rui Hachimura, C Kristaps Porzingis, SG Corey Kispert, PG Thomas Satoransky

T-Wolves: SF Anthony Edwards, PF Jarred Vanderbilt, C Karl-Anthony Towns, SG D’Angelo Russell, PG Patrick Beverley

Wizards

Points: Bradley Beal 23.2

Assists: Bradley Beal 6.6

Rebounds: Kyle Kuzma 8.5

T-Wolves

Points: Karl-Anthony Towns 24.5

Assists: D’Angelo Russell 7.0

Rebounds: Karl-Anthony Towns 9.8

Wizards: Wes Unseld Jr

T-Wolves: Chris Finch