The San Antonio Spurs (4-10) travel to Target Center Thursday to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (5-9). Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Spurs at Timberwolves odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
This has not been the season everyone was expecting from the Spurs. They’ve lost four of their last five, dropping games to the Oklahoma City Thunder and both Los Angeles teams.
Led by star G Dejounte Murray, who is averaging a career-high 18.9 points per game, the Spurs have been clearly missing starting C Jakob Poeltl who will again miss this game.
As for the Timberwolves, they’ll look to get on the right side of winning as well. While they defeated the Kings at home on Wednesday night, they have lost four of their last six.
The Wolves are led by second-year G Anthony Edwards and C Karl-Anthony Towns. The two stars and G D’Angelo Russell were supposed to make a three-headed monster, capable of making the playoffs.
That hasn’t been seen yet. That said, the Wolves will enter as favorites on Thursday evening.
Spurs at Timberwolves odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:15 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Spurs +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Timberwolves -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Spurs +2.5 (-112) | Timberwolves -2.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 218.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Spurs at Timberwolves key injuries
Spurs
- C Jakob Poeltl (health and safety protocols) out
Timberwolves
- SF Josh Okogie (back) questionable
Spurs at Timberwolves odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Timberwolves 111, Spurs 104
Money line
PASS on the money line with a “lean” to the Wolves. I just prefer the points in this instance, especially in the NBA.
Against the spread
“LEAN” to the TIMBERWOLVES -2.5 (-108) as, while sporadic in his production, Edwards is starting to ascend into superstardom. He’s averaging 23.1 points per game and even dropped 48 on the best defense in the league.
Edwards’s ascension has been great to see, but it’s really the rebounding that will play a factor in this game. The Wolves are a top-three offensive rebounding team while the Spurs rank 19th in defensive rebounding rate.
Now, this is only a lean as the Spurs have the fifth-best turnover rate and the Wolves have the 29th best, so there’s a drastic difference there. That said, with the absence of Poeltl, I think the rebounding should be more of a factor.
The Spurs are 2-5 without Poeltl, and their poor rebounding has taken a hit without him. They have the 28th-best rebounding rate over the last seven games.
That, and being on the road, should make all the difference in this one.
Over/Under
BET on the UNDER 218.5 (-107) as this seems like a high total for two teams that are neither in the top 10 in the league in points per game.
These two teams do rank seventh and ninth in pace, but the Wolves turn the ball over too much and the Spurs do the opposite. The Spurs are a well-coached team, and that should help their composure in transition.
Both teams rank in the bottom half of the league in true shooting percentage. While Minnesota can get the boards, they need many of them to actually put significant points on the board.
The Wolves haven’t hit 110 points in four straight games and the Spurs have hit just once in their last six. This is a high total, and I’d bet on the two teams to not quite get there.
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