NBA Odds: Trail Blazers-Timberwolves prediction, pick and How to Watch

The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Wednesday night NBA matchup at the Target Center. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Blazers-Timberwolves prediction and pick, laid out below.

Portland has endured an up-and-down season, going 19-17, good for seventh place in the Western Conference. Head coach Chauncey Billups is on pace to best his 27-win total in his first season with Portland. The Blazers have struggled of late, losing four of their last six games.

Minnesota has struggled to a 17-21 record this season, 11th place in the Western Conference. Minnesota snapped a six-game losing streak with a victory over Denver last time out. Head coach Chris Finch guided the team to the playoffs last season but will need a turnaround to make it two straight seasons.

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

NBA Odds: Blazers-Timberwolves Odds

Portland Trail Blazers: -1.5 (-112)

Minnesota Timberwolves: +1.5 (-108)

Over: 235 (-110)

Under: 235 (-110)

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Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread

Damian Lillard leads the team with 27.4 points and 7.2 assists per game. Anfernee Simons ranks second with 22.6 points per game. For the first time in his career, Simons has received consistent starting times, and he has rewarded the team with his highest-scoring output. Jusuf Nurkic is nearly averaging a double-double, putting up 14.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, which leads the team. Jerami Grant has averaged 22.4 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting. Josh Hart is second on the team with 8.5 rebounds per game, averaging 9.8 points. Rookie Shaedon Sharpe, the seventh overall pick, is averaging 7.7 points per game on 47.0 percent shooting, mostly playing off the bench.

Portland has drawn 21.4 fouls per game, which ranks sixth in the league. However, their free throw shooting has not impressed, ranking 21st with a 77.2 percentage. Portland’s offense ranks 17th in the league, averaging 112.9 points per game. Portland’s defense has been okay, allowing 112.0 points per game, which ranks 12th in the league.

Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread

While it hasn’t been smooth sailing so far for this Timberwolves team, there still is a boatload in place. It’s just a matter of it all meshing and coming together. Third-year guard Anthony Edwards, a former first-overall pick, leads the team with 24.0 points per game. Karl-Anthony Towns has starred once again for Minnesota, ranking second with 20.8 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. Towns has been out since the end of November but should be back within a week or so. Rudy Gobert’s numbers are a bit down, but he’s still a force down low. Gobert leads the team with 11.7 rebounds, also averaging 13.4 points per game, the lone double-double for Minnesota. D'Angelo Russell is averaging 17.0 points and 6.5 assists per game, which leads the team.

Minnesota ranks third in the league with a 48.9 shooting percentage from the field. Scoring 114.7 points per game, Minnesota’s offense ranks 13th in the league. Defense has been a bit of a struggle for Minnesota, however, despite the addition of Gobert. Opponents have scored 115.8 points per game on the Timberwolves, which ranks 20th in the league. On the positive side, Minnesota has held opponents to a 46.1 shooting percentage, which ranks sixth in the league.