The Minnesota Timberwolves (13-21) visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-25) Sunday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Timberwolves-Cavaliers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
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Timberwolves at Cavaliers: Key Injuries
Timberwolves
- SF Treveon Graham (flu) questionable
- SF Jake Layman (toe) out
- PG Jeff Teague (knee) questionable
- PF Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) questionable
- PF Noah Vonleh (gluteal) questionable
- SF Andrew Wiggins (flu) questionable
Cavaliers
- SG Kevin Porter Jr. (personal) questionable
- C Larry Nance Jr. (knee) out
- SF Dylan Windler (leg) out
Timberwolves at Cavaliers: 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 10:40 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Cavaliers 110, Timberwolves 106
Moneyline (ML)
The Timberwolves (-143) are coming off a 99-84 home win over the Golden State Warriors Thursday and they’re 3-2 in five games since snapping an 11-game losing streak. They’re 8-10 on the road and 7-5 against the Eastern Conference this season. The CAVALIERS (+120) are a good value play as a home underdog – they won 94-88 at the T-Wolves Dec. 28.
Cleveland has lost three games since that win, including a 121-106 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday, as they enter on the second half of a back-to-back. The Cavs are just 6-12 at home this season, but they’re the healthier of the two teams and shouldn’t be underdogs so close to a head-to-head victory. Take the value.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Cavs to win returns a profit of $12 if they do.
Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Stick with the ML rather than playing Cleveland to cover a spread of +1.5 (+105). The one point of insurance in the event of a loss results in $1.50 of lost profit if the Cavaliers win outright.
Minnesota is 14-18 against the spread overall but 10-7 on the road. Cleveland is 14-20 overall and 7-10 at home. Don’t fall for the Wolves’ recent “strong” stretch with Towns, Wiggins and Teague all at less than full health. The Cavs are 3-2 ATS on the second half of back-to-backs, while the Timberwolves are 0-6-1 ATS with a rest advantage.
Over/Under (O/U)
Back the OVER 213.5 (-115). Both teams are depleted on the defensive end and the Cavs’ back-to-back situation will result in a weaker defensive performance than usual. The two teams combine to allow an average of 228.0 points per game. While they fell well short of that number a week ago, it’s safe to expect some correction with Sunday’s projected total set in the middle.
Esten’s NBA betting record: 122-95
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