Subscribe
Follow Us
The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in their NBA season opener. Check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Thunder-Timberwolves prediction and pick.
The Minnesota Timberwolves outplayed the Memphis Grizzlies in large portions of their first-round NBA playoff series last spring. The Timberwolves established huge leads in multiple games of that series but allowed the Grizzlies to come back. It was a learning experience for a young team which had not been in that position before. The Timberwolves received a graduate-school education on playoff basketball and saw what it takes to win a playoff series. Equipped with that knowledge, the Timberwolves will now try to prove that they really did learn something, and that they are wiser, not just older. It also helps that Minnesota acquired elite defensive big man Rudy Gobert in a major trade with the Utah Jazz. The Timberwolves sent a lot of assets to the Jazz in order to get Gobert, who can be the defensive big in their lineup who protects the rim and takes pressure off Karl-Anthony Towns, who can focus more on his offense. That is, at least, the concept for the T-Wolves, who have assembled a roster with quality and depth. Everyone can see that the starting five — with Gobert, Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D'Angelo Russell — will be formidable. However, the bench pieces are also superb: Naz Reid, Jordan McLaughlin, and others are part of a bench which will enable this team to mix and match lineup combinations with much more success.
This team won't be expected to make the Western Conference Finals, but it will be expected to come close. The T-Wolves are widely expected to finish in the top four of the West and win at least one playoff series.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were dealt a devastating blow in the offseason, when top draft pick Chet Holmgren suffered an injury which will prevent him from playing this season. Holmgren's electric talent wasn't going to make Oklahoma City a team capable of winning a playoff series, but it certainly would have made this team more dangerous and raised the team's floor. Now Oklahoma City is staring at another year with profound limitations. Not having Holmgren in the frontcourt limits this team's options and reduces the Thunder's depth. OKC has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, one of the most electric backcourts in the NBA, but the frontcourt and the bench are significantly limited. In this matchup with the Timberwolves, the frontcourt and bench depth will be huge problems for the Thunder.
Here are the Thunder-Timberwolves NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
NBA Odds: Thunder-Timberwolves Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder: +10.5 (-110)
Minnesota Timberwolves: -10.5 (-110)
Over: 225 (-110)
Under: 225 (-110)
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
The Timberwolves are very talented, but as we saw in the Grizzlies series, they are still very young and are learning how to play together. This should be a really good team by the end of the season, but Rudy Gobert changes the chemistry of the Minnesota lineup. It will be a continuous process for the new-look starting five to blend together on the floor and fit into new roles and responsibilities. The Thunder have an established backcourt which can hold its own in this game. Minnesota's erratic, volatile profile opens the door for the Thunder to keep this game reasonably close and ultimately cover.
Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread
The T-Wolves might have to adjust to new roles with Rudy Gobert in the lineup, but Gobert is definitely going to simplify things for the Minnesota defense. If one guy is beaten on a drive or cut, Gobert will be there at the rim to protect the basket and make life a lot more difficult for opponents. Karl-Anthony Towns should love having Gobert as a defensive stopper in the paint.
You might also have seen that Anthony Edwards has bulked up to 239 pounds. He's still quick and dynamic, but he has added a lot of muscle. Good luck stopping him. This team is fun, but you can see that the front office (adding Gobert) and the players (Edwards making himself more powerful and muscular) are making real commitments in the pursuit of improvement. They'll demolish the undermanned Thunder.
Final Thunder-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick
Minnesota might have its moments of inconsistency in the first 40 to 50 games of the season, but against the Thunder without Chet Holmgren, the frontcourt matchup here is a total mismatch. Minnesota should be able to feast in this game.
Final Thunder-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Timberwolves -10.5
