The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Charlotte Hornets for an interconference battle to start the second half of the season. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hornets-Timberwolves prediction and pick.

The Hornets ended the first half of the season with the 4th worst record in the NBA. With a (17-43) record, they will certainly be in the running for Victor Wembanyama this summer. Between them and the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets, it's unclear yet who will tank the hardest for the No. 1 pick. And if we are being honest, the kid is worth it. I'm not a fan of tanking but who wouldn't want him on your team? Don't expect the Hornets to give you much effort in the 4th quarter of games the rest of the way through.

The Timberwolves finished just above .500 at (31-30) during the first half and saw Anthony Edwards named an All-Star for the first time in his young career. Minnesota is second in the division and seventh in the conference. They need to go on a run to secure a top-6 seed which has become ever-important in the playoffs. A 7th seed isn't guaranteed anymore with the play-in tournament. The Dallas Mavericks are one game ahead of the Twolves for the 6-seed and the Phoenix Suns are 1.5 games ahead. The good news for the Twolves is that they are just two games away from the 4th seed.

Here are the Hornets-Timberwolves NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NBA Odds: Hornets-Timberwolves Odds

Charlotte Hornets: +6.5 (-110)

Minnesota Timberwolves: -6.5 (-110)

Over: 240.5 (-110)

Under: 240.5 (-110)

How To Watch Hornets vs. Timberwolves

TV: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Southeast

Stream: NBA League Pass, fuboTV

Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread

Cody Martin is out for the Hornets but Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. are both probable to play. That is good news for the Hornets' chances of covering this spread. Oubre Jr. is having a phenomenal offensive season averaging 20.2 points and even averages 1.6 steals on the defensive end. Rozier is the next best guard behind LaMelo Ball on the team and is also right behind him in scoring. The former Celtic averages 21.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on the year. Charlotte will benefit from having them on the floor.

Believe it or not, the Hornets are on a two-game win streak. They took down the Atlanta Hawks followed by the Spurs to end the first half. Because of where they are at in the standings, I don't expect them to give much effort. But a win tonight could give them hope to start competing.

Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread

Karl-Anthony Towns continues to sit for the Wolves but he is on pace to return from injury soon. Jaden McDaniels continues to play well in his place averaging 11.4 points off of 51.5% shooting. He's 31st in the league in FG% and his ability to defend is also huge for them. D'Angelo Russell is gone but in came Mike Conley at the trade deadline. Conely is a great veteran to have for this team and played with Rudy Gobert with the Utah Jazz for a few seasons. Another player who has stepped up in Towns' absence is Naz Reid who is averaging 10.2 points off of 52.9% shooting.

The Timberwolves play better when everyone is involved. They don't need Edwards to score 40 points a game for them to be successful. Even with Towns out, they still have five players who average north of 10 points per game and Conley isn't one of them. Once Conley gets fully adjusted I can see the Wolves making a late run as one of the top seeds in the West.

If they want to cover this spread tonight, they can't let Ball and Rozier dominate the backcourt scoring.

Final Hornets-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick

The Twolves are the better team and should cover seven points at home. I also like the over at 240.5.

Final Hornets-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Timberwolves -6.5 (-110); Over 240.5 (-110)