In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

NHL Model Predictions- Click here

There were no model predictions yesterday, March 17, 2024.

Eight NBA games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all eight matchups can be found below.

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Utah Jazz

Model Predicts- Timberwolves ML, OVER 223.5, Timberwolves -6

The Minnesota Timberwolves will end a six-game road trip on Monday, with the final stop coming in Salt Lake City, Utah to take on the Jazz.

Minnesota enter tonight’s matchup fresh off a 119-100 win over this sam jazz team on Saturday. The victory gave the Timberwolves their third win in the last five games, while Utah is just 1-4 in its last five appearances following the loss.

Both of these teams are dealing with injuries to key contributors, but our model believes Minnesota will be the team that wins tonight’s game and covers the spread. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Most recent game was win over Jazz

  • Won 119-100. Shot 47% overall and 46% as team

  • Outscored Jazz 71-52 in second half

• Have found some success on current road trip despite injuries

  • 3-2 record on road trip. Wins over Pacers, Clippers, and Jazz

  • +2.9 Net Rating in that time- ranks 10th in NBA

• Injuries- Karl-Anthony Towns is OUT. Monte Morris, Rudy Gobert, and Kyle Anderson are questionable

Utah Jazz

• Bad performance vs Timberwolves in last game

  • Shot 46% overall, but just 23% from three

• Have been one of worst teams in NBA since March 1st

  • Own 2-5 record in seven games. Rank 28th in Net Rating (-7.8)

  • Defensive Rating is 125.9- ranks last in NBA

• Injuries- Jordan Clarkson is OUT, Lauri Markkanen is questionable

What’s the Play?

The absence of Karl-Anthony Towns and potentially Rudy Gobert could leave Minnesota vulnerable defensively, but we agree with our model that this is a good spot to back the Timberwolves.

Utah’s defense has been nonexistent this month, especially when it comes to defending the perimeter. Per NBA.com, the Jazz are allowing opponents to shoot an incredible 45.6% from three since March 1st, the highest rate in the league by more than 3%. That alone should enable Minnesota to make up for any defensive lapses in the paint, as well as build a lead.

The Timberwolves already proved they can beat the Jazz easily with KAT and Gobert sidelined. We don’t expect that to change tonight.

The Play: Timberwolves -6 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Philadelphia 76ers- 37-30 overall this season, 20-15 as the home team

• Minnesota Timberwolves- 46-21 overall this season, 23-13 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Philadelphia 76ers- Over is 35-32 this season, 18-17 as the home team

• Sacramento Kings- Over is 19-12-1 as the home team, highest wi % in NBA

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Miami Heat- 20-14-1 against the spread (ATS) as the away team this season

🪄 Magic hand Raptors seventh consecutive loss. Paolo Banchero led the Orlando Magic to a 111-96 victory over the Toronto Raptors with 29 points, while Franz Wagner added 22 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. The Magic, now 8-2 in their last 10 games, started an eight-game homestand with a win, with Moritz Wagner contributing 14 points. Despite the Raptors' Jordan Nwora scoring 18 points, Toronto struggled with turnovers and missed opportunities, leading to their seventh consecutive loss.

💪 Short-handed Hawks take down Clippers on road. Dejounte Murray's 21 points and De'Andre Hunter's 20 helped the Atlanta Hawks defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-93, ending Atlanta's three-game losing streak. Jalen Johnson added 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Clint Capela contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks. Despite Kawhi Leonard's 28 points and Paul George's 26 for the Clippers, who have now lost four of their last five games, Atlanta's strong second quarter, where they outscored the Clippers 30-15, proved decisive.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- Who won the NL and AL Cy Young Awards for the 2013 MLB season?

Question #2- Former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant and current Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham both starred at what Big 12 school prior to their pro careers?

Question #3- Who currently leads the NHL in points, tallying 116 this season?

Anyone know what has happened on March 18th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On March 18th…

1991- Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is born in Del City, Oklahoma. Realmuto was a star at Cal Albert High School, which led to him being selected in the third round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Marlins. He ahs since enjoyed a solid MLB career, becoming an All-Star three times and winning two Gold Glove awards.

1995- NBA star Michael Jordan announces that he is ending his retirement. Jordan was retired from basketball for 17 months at the time, and would return to play for the Chicago Bulls. Jordan led Chicago to three more NBA titles (1996, 1997, 1998) following his return to the court, winning Finals MVP in all three years.

2019- Dirk Nowitzki scores eight points in 12 minutes in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Although not a flashy performance, those eight points game Nowitzki 31,424 points for his career, moving him into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He would finish his career with 31,560 points, which still ranks sixth all-time.

1. Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer

2. Oklahoma State University

3. Nathan MacKinnon