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The Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Timberwolves-Thunder prediction and pick.
Neither of these teams had high expectations for the season, but the Timberwolves actually have a shot at being a playoff team this year. Star center Karl Anthony-Towns has led his team to an 18-20 record, a record that has Minnesota in the ninth seed. The Thunder, on the other hand, aren't exactly close to making the postseason. Oklahoma City is 13-24 on the year, but they remain a somewhat competitive team. The Thunder only lost by eight to Minnesota the last time these teams played, so this should be another fairly close game.
Here are the NBA odds for the Timberwolves-Thunder game, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Timberwolves-Thunder Odds
Minnesota Timberwolves: -5.5 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder: +5.5 (-110)
Over: 219 (-110)
Under: 219 (-110)
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Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread
The T-Wolves have proven themselves to be an average defensive squad on the season, which should be more than good enough to deal with this struggling Thunder offense. Oklahoma City only averages 99.5 points per game, which is easily the worst number in the league. The Thunder also only shoot 41% from the field, which is also the worst number in the NBA. This is a downright bad Oklahoma City offense that Minnesota just held to 90 points on Thursday. Expect a similar result here.
There is a huge talent gap between these two teams, and it showed the last time they played. Karl Anthony-Towns was the best player on the court by a long shot, and forward Anthony Edwards wasn't far behind. Oklahoma City deploys the one of, if not the, worst starting five in the entire league. Talent wins games in all sports, but especially in basketball. The Thunder just don't have the personnel to match up to Minnesota, and that will be clear here.
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
When the Thunder do stay in games, it's because of their strong defensive efforts. They don't give up a lot of points, and they control the pace of the game remarkably well. The Timberwolves are one of the best fast-break teams in the NBA, but Oklahoma City allows less than 10 fast break points per game. The Thunder also don't allow that many points in the paint, another method of scoring that Minnesota relies on. This isn't a bad defensive matchup for Oklahoma City at all, and that could be enough for the Thunder to pull off a cover.
While Oklahoma City is having a terrible season in terms of winning, they've been one of the best teams in the NBA at covering the spread. The Thunder are currently 24-13 ATS, which is the second-best record in the league against the spread. They're also an incredible 13-6 ATS when they play at home. The Timberwolves are only 6-8 ATS when they enter the game as a favorite, so this looks like a pretty solid spot to pick the Thunder in.
Final Timberwolves-Thunder Prediction & Pick
Despite their success against the spread, the Thunder aren't the right pick here. Minnesota is a significantly better team, and six points may be too small of a spread for them. Take the Timberwolves here.
FINAL Timberwolves-Thunder Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves -6 (-110)
