Pistons vs. Timberwolves Prediction
The Minnesota Timberwolves played .500 ball over their last 10 games but they’ll look to take advantage of a struggling Detroit Pistons team Wednesday night when the teams clash at 8:00 p.m. ET. Are the Timberwolves a safe play for bettors or is the value in the underdog Pistons?
Game Snapshot
563 Detroit Pistons at 564 Minnesota Timberwolves
8:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Timberwolves are 5-point favorites to beat the Pistons. The total, meanwhile, sits at 218 points and as of this writing, 52% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Timberwolves to cover the point spread.
Detroit Pistons Fantasy Spin
Blake Griffin triple-doubled with 19 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, one steal and two triples in 35 minutes against the Bucks on Monday. He technically had a quadruple-double if you want to include turnovers (10), and he wasn’t very efficient either, hitting 4-of-13 from the field and 9-of-12 from the line. Griffin had a chance to tie this game twice in the final 15 seconds, but bricked both of his 3-pointers. Lines like these are nothing new for Griffin, and his fantasy owners just have to take the good with the bad. The Pistons have lost seven of their last eight games, but their schedule does soften a bit with games coming up against the Wolves, Hornets, Hawks and Wizards.
Minnesota Timberwolves Fantasy Spin
Jeff Teague (left ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Pistons. It’s not great that Teague is getting ruled out a full day in advance of tip-off, although the positive spin here is that maybe once he’s finally healthy again, he’ll be able to return to being an early-round guy. Teague acknowledged on Monday that he only felt 75% healthy, that he initially injured his ankle on Nov. 23 and that it had consistently gotten worse since then — which is right about the time he started slumping. While he’s out, Derrick Rose will fill in as the starting PG and Tyus Jones will see an uptick in minutes.
NBA Betting Trends
Pistons
The under is 8-2 in the Pistons’ last 10 games overall and is 4-1 in their last five road games.
Timberwolves
The over is 4-1 in the Timberwolves’ last five home games but the under is 16-6 in their last 22 games overall.
Prediction
The Pistons have been a great play in this series, going 6-0 against the number in their last six games versus the Timberwolves. They’re also 13-5 against the number in their last 18 road games and 9-3 against the spread in their last 12 games against Western Conference foes. On the other side, the Timberwolves are just 5-18-1 against the spread in their last 24 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.
Wednesday NBA Prediction: Detroit Pistons +5