At home, the Minnesota Timberwolves (4-5) should be a better team than the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets (1-8), who enter Saturday’s matchup at Target Center on a five-game losing streak. However, there are some possible extenuating circumstances.
If you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research for the Rockets-Timberwolves tussle, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet at BetMGM.
The game starts at 7 p.m. Central and can be seen via AT&T SportsNet Southwest (in Houston markets) or on NBA League Pass.
The case for optimism with the Rockets is that they haven’t played since Wednesday, whereas the Timberwolves are on night two of a back-to-back after playing a hard-fought game Friday versus the Bucks — likely the NBA’s 2022-23 title favorite at the moment.
The case for pessimism is that Houston’s best player this season has been second-year center Alperen Sengun, and he will have a brutal matchup against three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Will the likes of Kevin Porter Jr. or Jalen Green be able to pick up the scoring slack, should Sengun be held in check? It’s a lot to ask against a Minnesota squad that has plenty of offense, headlined by the likes of Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns.
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The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Timberwolves -8.5
- Money line: Timberwolves -375 / Rockets +300
- Over-under: 231.5
Click here to place your bets at BetMGM.
Rockets at Timberwolves injury report:
- Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate out (right ankle soreness), TyTy Washington out (left knee sprain), Bruno Fernando out (left knee soreness), Jabari Smith Jr. out (illness)
- Timberwolves: To be released Saturday afternoon
Advice and prediction
Even with a rest advantage, the Timberwolves at home are a rough matchup for the Rockets, since Minnesota has the type of paint presence with Gobert that could hold down Houston’s best player to date in Sengun. If that happens, it’s unclear whether the Rockets have sufficient help, elsewhere, to create enough offense to stay close.
Prediction: Timberwolves 118, Rockets 108
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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