Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and bets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (27-19) visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-30) Saturday at Target Center. Tip-off is set for shortly after 8 p.m. ET. We analyze the Thunder-Timberwolves sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Thunder at Timberwolves: Key Injuries

Thunder

  • Steven Adams (ankle) questionable
  • SG Terrance Ferguson (personal) questionable
  • SG Abdel Nader (ankle) questionable
  • SG Andre Roberson (knee) out

Timberwolves

  • SF Jake Layman (toe) out

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.


Thunder at Timberwolves: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Thunder 125, Timberwolves 117

Moneyline (ML)

Both teams are on the second half of a back-to-back. The THUNDER (-128) beat the Atlanta Hawks 140-111 for a fourth straight win, while the Wolves (+105) lost an eighth straight, falling 131-124 to the Houston Rockets. Minnesota is in a free-fall, having lost nine of its last 10 games and is just 6-16 at home for the season. The surprising Thunder are seventh in the Western Conference, are 7-3 over their last 10 games and are 12-10 on the road.

The Thunder have won both head-to-head meetings this year, winning 139-127 at home Dec. 6 and 117-104 in Minnesota Jan. 13. Take the visitors for a third straight win in the season series.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Thunder to win returns a profit of $7.80.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The better bet is to back the THUNDER (-1.5, -115) to win by 2 or more points. OKC is 31-15 against the spread overall and 17-5 on the road. Minnesota is just 17-26-2 ATS overall and 5-16-1 at home.

The same $10 bet on the Thunder to win by at least 2 points returns a greater profit of $8.70.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the OVER 224.5 (-125) with both sides having played Friday. The two teams combine to average 222 points per game with 223.2 points allowed. The two meetings so far this season went 1-1 against Saturday’s point projection. OKC has a 4-3 over/under on the second half of back-to-backs and Minnesota is 3-3.

Esten’s NBA betting record: 153-129

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves odds, picks and best bets

Previewing day’s Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (22-17) head to the City of Lakes to play the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-23) at the Target Center at 8:00 p.m. ET. We analyze Thunder-Timberwolves odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVIxK0x7i8&w=560&h=315]


Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.


Thunder at Timberwolves: Key injuries

THUNDER

  • Nerlens Noel (ankle) out
  • SG Andre Roberson (knee) out

TIMBERWOLVES

  • Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) out
  • SF Jake Layman (toe) out

Thunder at Timberwolves: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Thunder 119, Timberwolves 104

Moneyline (ML)

This moneyline is terrifying me. Why are the 22-17 Thunder only -154 against the 15-23 Timberwolves team? Towns will miss his 14th consecutive game, and the Thunder have all their top producers in the lineup. I cannot make sense of it, and either BetMGM is way off on their number or I’m going to lose money this game. Granted the Thunder are 9-10 overall on the road and the trends aren’t ideal—Thunder are 1-8 ATS in the last nine meetings—but the Timberwolves are just 6-11 overall at home. The Thunder have a matchup edge over the Timberwolves in the strength of schedule, field goal percentage, offensive rating, defensive rating, effective field goal % and opponent’s effective field goal %. This will be the fifth game for the Thunder in the last seven days, and the odds makers could be expecting weariness on the road with such a busy schedule.

I might end up with egg on my face because this bet is too good to be true, but BET THUNDER -154 on the moneyline. New to sports betting? A $143 wager on the Thunder to win returns a profit of $100.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

If we are on Thunder -143 to win straight up, then we love Thunder -3.5 (-106). Oklahoma City has performed well against bookmakers’ expectations this year—their 26-13 ATS record is tops in the NBA; the Timberwolves’ 16-20-2 ATS record is the 25th-worst in the NBA. They crush bad teams when visiting their homes:  the Thunder are 9-2 against the spread in road games against below. 500 teams. Timberwolves are 2-3-1 at home against above .500 teams.

In their last game, the Lakers mopped the Thunder, 125-110, but the Thunder have bounced back well from double-digit losses this season—they are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points. BET THUNDER -3.5 (-106). 

Over/under (O/U)

The juiced line is BetMGM trying to scare you away from the Over and the combined per game scoring totals of each team is 227.7. That’s too simplistic of a handicap, here are more tidbits:

  • The Over is 5-0 in the last five Thunder-Timberwolves games.
  • The Over is 11-1 in Thunder’s last 12 games as a road favorite.
  • The referee crew assigned to this game has an Over/Under of 40-16 on the season.

HAMMER OVER 217.5 (-125).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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