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The slumping Los Angeles Clippers head to the Great North State for the second of a back-to-back as they take on the surging Minnesota Timberwolves in what should be an absolute treat. Join us for our NBA odds series where our Clippers-Timberwolves prediction and pick will be unveiled.
Things couldn’t have possibly gotten any uglier for the Clippers last night, as they were destroyed by the Nuggets in the Mile High thin air by a score of 122-91. On the season, LA has gone 21-19 overall but their recent four-game losing streak has fans slightly concerned of where the future of this team stands.
Similarly to the Clippers, the T-Wolves have also fallen on some hard times but have done a tremendous job in getting ready for play lately as Minnesota has found ways to beat the Nuggets and the Trail Blazers in a decisive fashion. Still three games under .500 at 18-21, can Minnesota slowly but surely claw themselves back into the playoff conversation out west?
Here are the Clippers-Timberwolves NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Clippers-Timberwolves Odds
Los Angeles Clippers: +4.5 (-110)
Minnesota Timberwolves: -4.5 (-110)
Over: 224.5 (-110)
Under: 224.5 (-110)
How To Watch Clippers vs. Timberwolves
TV: Bally Sports North/Bally Sports SoCal
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
To make matters worse for the Clippers, it is expected that forward Kawhi Leonard will be sitting this one out due to resting his surgically operated knee that he injured nearly two years ago. While many critics have given Leonard and the Clippers some heat about his lack of consistency when it comes to suiting up for play, Los Angeles is left with no choice but to get other playmakers involved if they want to cover the spread.
For starters, the Clippers can’t be any more than they were in last night’s horrendous showing on national tv, and after shooting an abysmal 13.5% from three-point range on Thursday, the Clippers should be more than enthusiastic about moving on from that debacle. Other than the fact that Los Angeles needs to greatly improve upon their perimeter shooting, driving to the hole and creating some free-throw opportunities may be the key to victory later tonight. Since LA may be slightly fatigued by playing their second game in as many days, the Clippers cannot afford to settle for contested jump shots that will no doubt destroy the rhythm of an already scuffling offense.
Other than the fact that something must be done to put the ball in the hoop far more frequently, be on the lookout for a bounce-back outing by the defense. The last time these two squads faced off with one another, the Clippers did an outstanding job in holding the Wolves to only 88 points on 41% shooting from the night. If anything, the Clippers’ defense has been fantastic this year through 39 games, and putting the clamps down on a Minnesota bunch that is a streaky shooting squad could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread
At first glance, things were starting to look extremely dyer in the wake of Karl Anthony-Towns’ injury that has left him sidelined for multiple weeks now, but Minnesota has been able to stay afloat. In the team’s last couple of games, the Wolves have given the keys of the offense to the promising up-and-coming star in Anthony Edwards and he sure hasn’t disappointed whatsoever. In fact, the only 21-year-old shooting guard has averaged 31 points per game over the course of the last four games and is using his aggressive nature to punish the opposition. With a stellar 32-point outing in the win versus the Blazers, it marked the tenth consecutive game that the former Georgia product was able to drop at least 23 points in a game.
While a commanding and dominating performance by Edwards will make this Wolves team that much more dangerous, taking care of the basketball and finding more fluidly throughout the offense is critical. With only 27 turnovers over the previous two games, the Wolves are doing a better job of maximizing their possessions with the basketball and have also been shooting at a high clip.
In addition, can the bench of the Wolves provide stellar minutes out on the floor? With the absence of Towns, the up-and-down play of D’Angelo Russell, and the scoring inconsistency of Rudy Gobert, getting production from names like Taurean Prince off in reserve action could end up being the difference-maker in this one. On Wednesday, it ended up being Prince that was feeling it as he provided the Wolves with 11 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor.
Final Clippers-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick
Nearing the halfway point of the campaign, there is no question that the Clippers and Wolves need every win they can get in an attempt to make a run at a Western Conference playoff berth. However, it is hard to imagine the Clippers can turn things around less than 24 hours after getting shellacked by Denver, and with Minnesota starting to get into a groove lately.
Final Clippers-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Timberwolves -4.5 (-110)