Don't look now, but an exciting matchup on the hardwood is set to take place as the Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Wisconsin to take on the Milwaukee Bucks this evening. Join us for our NBA odds series where our Timberwolves-Bucks prediction and pick will be revealed.
In an attempt to keep their heads above water with their absence of star big man Karl Anthony-Towns, the Timberwolves have gone on to lose four in a row after a narrow one-point defeat in New Orleans and are at a crossroads 35 games into the season.
When it comes to the Bucks, Milwaukee could not be more excited to return to their home floor after recording a 1-4 record after recently losing t the Chicago Bulls 119-113 in crushing overtime fashion. Luckily, despite being in the thick of a four-game losing streak, Milwaukee still holds a one-game lead in the Central Division Standing over the Cavaliers.
Here are the Timberwolves-Bucks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Timberwolves-Bucks Odds
Minnesota Timberwolves: +6 (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks: -6 (-110)
Over: 227.5 (-110)
Under: 227.5 (-110)
Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread
With both sides entering play with long and grueling four-game losing streaks, the Timberwolves come into tonight with the perfect opportunity to end their skid despite being shorthanded. The last time Minnesota last saw action, the Wolves almost came away with an eyebrow-raising win over one of the better teams in the Western Conference in the Pelicans but could not overcome a poor second half where they were outscored by ten points.
Above all else, if the T-Wolves are going to find a way to cover the spread on Friday night, Minnesota cannot afford to not capitalize on scoring off of turnovers. Believe it or not, the Wolves did excel at forcing New Orleans to be uncomfortable by generating 15 giveaways on the night, but they failed to do much after that as they only scored 16 points off of those turnovers. Clearly, the Wolves have proved they can get important stops down the stretch, but doing the most with those opportunities will be vital.
Not to mention, but can Anthony Edwards continue to provide the Wolves with an abundant amount of scoring? Without a doubt, Edwards has been one of the top options on offense over the course of the past six games with a whopping 28.8 points per game. One of the several rising stars that exists in today's NBA, Edwards could serve as the Wolves' best chance at punching their ticket to a spread-covering type of evening.
Of course, newly acquired center Rudy Gobert has been asked for more on the court in the wake of Towns' absence, and so far he has impressed. Be on the lookout for Gobert to be a problem for the Bucks in the paint as he remains one of the better two-way players that the league has to offer.
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
Bafflingly enough, the Bucks are in the midst of one of their longest losing streaks of the season but fear not Milwaukee bettors, this is a team that enters play today with a winning record when it comes to covering the spread and are also returning home where they have posted a near flawless 15-4 mark. Obviously dangerous when their home fans are at full roar, this is an extremely tough team to best when they are playing at their best.
Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case as of late, but there are ways that Milwaukee can reverse their fortunes prior to tip-off tonight. In fact, the Bucks happen to be slightly shorthanded themselves as it is expected that they will be without the services of Jrue Holiday and even Khris Middleton as the latter is still working his way back from a gnarly knee injury that he suffered during last season. Obviously, this just means that the Bucks will have to implement their game plan through Giannis Antetokounmpo to an even more degree. Fortunately, that is not a bad idea to formulate, as the 28-year-old from Greece is experiencing another MVP-worthy campaign with the third-best scoring average at 31.3 points per game in the league to go along with 11.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
While the Bucks boast one of the top players on the face of the planet, it will be critical for them to get other contributions from other names on this talented roster. More importantly, Milwaukee has struggled mightily with their three-point shooting. In the overtime loss to the Bulls, the Bucks shot a horrendous 20% from trey-land and will need to shoot a whole lot better from beyond the arc to cover the spread.
Final Timberwolves-Bucks Prediction & Pick
The Bucks have not lost five consecutive games since February of the 2020-2021 season, and they should not be expected to reach this mark against a shorthanded Minnesota squad, Not only that, but the Timberwolves don't have an answer for Giannis.
Final Timberwolves-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Bucks -6 (-110)
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