The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to take on the Miami Heat on Saturday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Timberwolves-Heat prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Minnesota is coming off a 118-110 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday. Anthony Edwards led the way in scoring with 25 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had his 32nd double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds. The defeat snapped a six-game winning streak. Minnesota looks to avoid its first back-to-back defeat in a month when they lost to the Sacramento Kings and the Chicago Bulls on February 9 and 11, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Heat are fresh off a 117-105 win on Friday over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bam Adebayo led Miami with 30 points and 17 rebounds, which marks the first time in his career that he tallied at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game. Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, while Tyler Herro added 22 points off the bench. This comes after the Heat suffered a brutal 111-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns in a battle between the top two teams of each conference.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Timberwolves-Heat NBA odds for this Saturday night NBA matchup.
NBA Odds: Timberwolves–Heat Odds
Minnesota Timberwolves: +6 (-110)
Miami Heat: -6 (-112)
Over: 228.5 (-110)
Under: 228.5 (-110)
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Why the Timberwolves could cover the spread
The Timberwolves won the first time these two teams met this season, despite Karl-Anthony Towns scoring just 11 points in that game. Minnesota overcame an eight-point Heat heading into halftime and outscored Miami by 20 in the second half to take the 113-101 win at home. Anthony Edwards popped off for a game-high 33 points while Malik Beasley turned in 29 points off the bench.
Minnesota enters as six-point underdogs for this one and they can have a good shot of winning or at least covering that spread if their Big Three of Towns, Edwards, and D'Angelo Russell play well offensively. Malik Beasley struggled versus Orlando but had a torrid 5-game stretch before that where he averaged 20.6 points and shot 52.5 percent from long distance. He could be the X-factor in determining the outcome of this game.
The Timberwolves have yet to turn in their injury report, but it may be worth noting that only Jordan McLaughlin sat out against the Magic. Jarred Vanderbilt (quad) was a game-time decision, but he ended up playing 20 minutes. Edwards also played his second game back following a four-game absence and looks to be finding his rhythm back.
The Timberwolves have gone 36-30 against the spread, which is better than most teams this season. They're also 41-27 on the over/under. Minnesota is an even 12-12 versus East teams, 16-18 on the road, and 19-19 against teams above .500. The Timberwolves are still trying to catch the no. 6 seed in the West to avoid the play-in. With 2.5 games still separating them from the Nuggets, you have to think they'll be playing with a higher sense of urgency with 14 games remaining on their schedule.
Why the Heat could cover the spread
The Heat were able to bounce back from a poor effort against the Suns last Wednesday and beat the Cavaliers for their fourth win in five outings. Miami has gone 40-27 against the spread. Only they and the Memphis Grizzlies (43-24) have been able to cover their respective spreads 40 times this season so far.
As mentioned, the Heat dropped their only encounter with Minnesota this season, despite fielding in a relatively healthy roster for that game. Five Miami players scored in double-figures, but no one eclipsed the 20-point mark.
Towns and Adebayo should be a nice matchup to watch. KAT has historically gotten the better of Adebayo, but the latter outplayed the former in their latest encounter.
The Heat have yet to submit their injury report. Nonetheless, Miami has announced that Markieff Morris has been finally cleared to return to action. Morris (neck) has been out of commission since Nikola Jokic dropped him with a stiff hit to the back four months ago. Caleb Martin injured his knee against the Suns last Wednesday. While the injury looked bad initially, the two-way guard didn't need to undergo an MRI, which suggests he avoided anything major. Meanwhile, Victor Oladipo finally made his triumphant return to the NBA recently and has averaged 16 minutes off the bench in three outings so far.
Miami owns one of the best home records in the NBA at 24-8. They are 16-10 against West teams and 23-16 versus teams over .500. The Heat are not out of the woods yet with 2.5 games separating them from the no. 2 seed Bucks. A win on Saturday would further separate them from the pack and give them a better chance of locking up the one seed.
Final Timberwolves–Heat prediction and pick
Unlike in previous years, Minnesota has been a different team this season. That's why it's hard just to dismiss them against one of the best teams in the league in the Heat. Nonetheless, with a 40-27 ATS record so far, it might be easier to trust Miami to cover.
Final Timberwolves–Heat Prediction & Pick: Heat: -6 (-112)
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