Thunder vs. Timberwolves Pick
Will the Oklahoma City Thunder be taking it easy tonight when they hit the road to face the Minnesota Timberwolves at 8PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the T’Wolves are favored at home in this game, as they are getting odds of -4.5 points against the Thunder. The over/under total for the game is listed at 213.5 points. The home team has won and covered the spread in all three meetings this season.
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Oklahoma City is coming off a 106-105 win at Denver this past weekend to move to 46-34 overall. The Thunder are locked into the sixth seed in the West and will play the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. The Thunder are 44-35-1 against the spread this season and averaging 106.7 points per game on offense while allowing 105.9 on defense. Over their last five, OKC is scoring 103.8 on offense while giving up 103.4 on defense. Russell Westbrookis averaging 31.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game. It’s likely OKC will gear him down over these last two games to not risk fatigue entering the playoffs.
Minnesota has lost four straight, all on the road, to drop to 31-49 on the season. The Timberwolves are just 1-4-1 against the spread in their last six and 36-43-1 ATS on the season. Minnesota averages 105.5 points per game on offense while allowing 106.6 on defense. Over their last five, the T’Wolves are putting up 107.4 on offense while giving up 113 on defense. Karl-Anthony Towns is leading the team with 25.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
Bet on Thunder vs. Timberwolves
I am not a fan of the Timberwolves being a 4.5-point favorite, but it is unclear just how much Westbrook will play tonight and at what level. Without Westbrook giving his all, the Thunder are a much different team. OKC probably would be among the worst teams in the league without Westbrook, so I don’t see them doing too well on the road against the Timberwolves.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES -4.5