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Inter-league action will be at the forefront of this one as the surging Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Philadelphia 76ers who are in the middle of a lengthy home stand. It is time to check out our NBA odds series, where our Timberwolves-76ers prediction and pick will be revealed.
Without a doubt, a Minnesota squad with lofty pre-season expectations has started off rockier than what they would've liked, but it appears that the Timberwolves are headed in the right direction after back-to-back wins to snap a grueling three-game losing streak. Now sitting with a record of 7-8, can the Wolves continue to trend positively?
As for the Sixers, Philly is in the midst of a strong showing at home that reached its pinnacle of success in a 110-102 victory over the Bucks on Friday. While the record probably isn't where they want it to be, the good news is that there are still 67 games to be played on Philly's schedule to try and prove that they can be a championship contender down the stretch.
Here are the Timberwolves-76ers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Timberwolves-76ers Odds
Minnesota Timberwolves: -3.5 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers: +3.5 (-110)
Over: 218.5 (-110)
Under: 218.5 (-110)
Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread
With a starting lineup that usually towers over their competition, the Wolves come into this one with the hopes that they can play a little bit of bully ball down low to pester fellow big man Joel Embiid. Tasked with an extremely long and lanky starting lineup with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert occupying the frontcourt, it is hard to argue against the fact that the Timberwolves possess the right type of skill to make life difficult for a shorthanded Sixers squad.
Outside of the Towns and Gobert dominating the paint, Minnesota will need a tremendous effort from their guards. More specifically, the game-to-game growth of Anthony Edwards is starting to make Timberwolves fans daydream about how special their young standout can be in this league. With a season-high 35 points in the win over the Magic, Edwards could be the golden ticket for Minnesota to cover the spread.
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The biggest question mark when it comes to this Timberwolves bunch overall is relying on their shaky defense in the critical moments of the game. At the moment, the ‘Wolves are allowing over 115 points per game, and can't afford to get lazy defensively. Fortunately, Minnesota is going up against a Philly squad that scores the fourth-least points in the entire league. With that being said, this contest could be exactly what the T-Wolves need to fine-tune their defense and begin to improve greatly when on that side of the court.
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
Despite a slew of injuries that have limited what the Sixers are able to do on both sides of the floor. As it stands, Philadelphia will be without the services of a pair of dynamic playmakers on the floor in James Harden and Tyrese Maxie. Nevertheless, few would even realize that Philadelphia has been shorthanded in large part based on how they've been playing of late. In fact, the Sixers have reeled off four wins in their previous five games and are possibly even playing better without them out there.
Regardless of some health situations, the Sixers will continue to need some of their more unlikely of heroes to get the job done. Against Milwaukee, it happened to be the Georges Niang show off the bench as he was Philly's third-leading scorer with 17 points on 4/8 shooting from downtown. Especially with Maxie now out due to a foot injury, performances like the one from Niang could the difference in whether or not Philadelphia covers the spread or not.
In addition, another critical factor and trend that Philadelphia will need to master is the art of starting strong to take the will and fight out of the Wolves. Not to mention, getting off to a hit start will energize what should be a hectic and passionate 76ers fanbase for this one.
Final Timberwolves-76ers Prediction & Pick
Believe it or not, but the injury bug will finally rear its ugly head at Philadelphia in this one. On paper, the Sixers do not match up well with the Wolves and will have a hard time coming up with an answer versus Minnesota's dominant bigs down low.
Final Timberwolves-76ers Prediction & Pick: Timberwolves -3.5 (-110)
