Look For Julius Randle To Struggle Against The Warriors

• Julius Randle has struggled against the Warriors this year, averaging under 16 points per game. His line is 20.5 points tonight
• The Warriors are 7 point underdogs despite beating Minnesota in three of four regular season matchups

MINNEAPOLIS – The 6th seeded Minnesota Timberwolves host the 7th seeded Golden State Warriors Tuesday night for the opening game of their second round series in the Western Conference.

Warriors vs Timberwolves Game Odds

The Timberwolves are considerable favorites in this game as legal sports betting sites give them a 7 point cushion in the point spread.

Both Minnesota and Golden State beat higher seeded teams in the Lakers and Rockets to advance to the second round, though there was just a one game difference between the Timberwolves and Lakers and a four game difference between the Warriors and Rockets.

Minnesota swiftly defeated Los Angeles in five games, while the Warriors beat the Rockets in seven.

Julius Randle vs Draymond Green

Julius Randle was stellar for the Timberwolves in their first round series, averaging 22.6 points per game while shooting 48.1% from the field and 39.3% from deep.

However, he has struggled in his matchups against the Warriors this season, with his average dropping to just 15.8 points per game and a significant dip in efficiency, shooting 37.5% from the field.

A major reason as to why Randle has struggled so mightily against Golden State is the defensive prowess of Draymond Green, who matches up well with Randle at the power forward position. Green was a finalist for defensive player of the year this season.

Randle’s point total is set at 20.5, a figure which he has gone over in each of his last four games. However, he has yet to score over 20 points against Golden State this season.

Bet on Randle’s offensive production to continue to be limited by four time first team all defense selection and future hall of famer Draymond Green.

Golden State’s Success vs Minnesota

The Warriors won the regular season series against the Timberwolves 3-1, with the Wolves’ only win coming back in early December. They played against each other four times in the span of a month and have not faced off since January.

The two teams have not played each other since the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler, meaning Minnesota has yet to play Golden State at full strength.

Despite this, Minnesota is favored by 7 points at home, where they have yet to beat the Warriors this season.

Though it is four months later and a lot has changed, the Warriors still have Stephen Curry and should not be taken lightly. Pick Golden State to cover the spread at legal NBA betting sites and possibly even win outright.

News tags: California | Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | Houston Rockets | Jimmy Butler | Julius Randle | Los Angeles Lakers | Minnesota | Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA | Stephen Curry