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Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns, NBA forecast

FinalMIN wins series 4-0

Away

Timberwolves

8-3

115–133

at

Home

Suns

5-6

MIN 49%PHX 51%

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Mortgage Matchup Center · Arizona's Family 3TV, Suns Live, FanDuel SN North

Win probability

Starts from the pregame forecast, then moves with every score and the time left. Above the line favors PHX; hover for each play.

PHX favored MIN favored131 scoring plays
Q1Q2Q3Q4PHX50%MIN

Game center

From the ESPN box score.

Top performers

Timberwolves
Suns

Last plays

  • Q40.0End of Game115–133
  • Q40.0End of the 4th Quarter115–133
  • Q49.1Chimezie Metu defensive rebound115–133
  • Q413.0Troy Brown Jr. misses 13-foot two point shot115–133
  • Q420.0Troy Brown Jr. defensive rebound115–133
  • Q423.1Chimezie Metu misses 19-foot pullup jump shot115–133
  • Q444.2Luka Garza makes two point shot115–133
  • Q446.0Luka Garza offensive rebound113–133
  • Q447.1Yuta Watanabe blocks Luka Garza 's 5-foot two point shot113–133
  • Q447.1Luka Garza offensive rebound113–133

Turning points

The 5 plays that swung the win chance most, each judged at its own moment: the chance with the score just before it against just after.

  1. Q16:05Josh Okogie makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jusuf Nurkic assists)MIN 14 – 17 PHX · PHX 51% → 57% +7
  2. Q15:29Josh Okogie makes 22-foot three point jumper (Eric Gordon assists)MIN 16 – 20 PHX · PHX 53% → 60% +7
  3. Q112.0Nickeil Alexander-Walker makes 24-foot three point jumper (Kyle Anderson assists)MIN 29 – 33 PHX · MIN 33% → 40% +7
  4. Q211:09Mike Conley makes 27-foot three pointer (Kyle Anderson assists)MIN 32 – 37 PHX · MIN 31% → 37% +7
  5. Q210:28Drew Eubanks makes 23-foot three point jumper (Keita Bates-Diop assists)MIN 32 – 42 PHX · PHX 67% → 74% +6

The pick

Reconstructed from what was known before the game: the ratings at that point.

Suns 51%

Toss-upHit
MIN 49%PHX 51%

Forecast Elo ratings alone

How often that comes true: NBA favorites the forecast gave 50–55% have won 49.4% of 342 graded games.

Market
No line yet
Pre-line forecast
PHX 51%
Elo + market-implied
Elo ratings
MIN -1
PHX 45%
Fair odds
PHX -103
MIN +103 · the forecast as odds, no margin
Pregame projection
MIN 111.0 – 111.2 PHX
Margin from the forecast, total from team scoring ratings

How the number is built

Elo inputs in rating points (higher favors that team; 25–28 Elo is about a point of spread in football and basketball), then how the pieces combine.

FactorMINPHXWhy
Team rating15631480Elo entering the game; 1500 is league average
Home field—+36Worth 36 Elo in the NBA
Rest−40—MIN on the second night of a back-to-back
Lineups+72+33MIN: Stronger than its recent lineups · PHX: Stronger than its recent lineups (from the box score)
Travel−12—MIN crossed 1 time zone heading east to this game: 12 Elo per zone for body-clock lag
Elo ratingsMIN +34 EloMIN 54.9%
Market-implied ratingsPHX 51.4%Team strength as past closing lines priced it, same game context
Pre-line forecastPHX 50.7%10% Elo, 90% market-implied (log-odds blend)

Tale of the tape

This season coming into the game, regular season, each number with its league rank (the longer the bar, the higher). Home and road: the host's record at home against the visitor's on the road. Offense and defense are points per 100 possessions, which sets aside how fast a team plays.

Try another venue →
Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns compared, with each team's league rank
MINStatPHX
17th of 30111.9Points scored111.818th of 30
1st of 30102.9Points allowed112.113th of 30
2nd of 30+9.0Margin−0.316th of 30
19th of 30109.2Offense rating109.418th of 30
1st of 30100.4Defense rating109.711th of 30
16th of 30101.5Pace100.820th of 30
6th of 303–2Road vs home1–425th of 30

Who's playing

Who sat out, from the box score, and what each absence cost against the lineups the team had been playing.

All player ratings →

Timberwolves

+72 Elo

Full strength: nobody who matters sat out.

Suns

+33 Elo

Full strength: nobody who matters sat out.

Rating history

Each team's Elo over the last two seasons. Hover or drag to compare on any date.

TimberwolvesSuns
140014501500155016001650league averageNovJanMarMayJulSepNov