The Minnesota Timberwolves (31-27) host the Toronto Raptors (31-25) Wednesday at Target Center for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we look at the Raptors vs. Timberwolves odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Toronto has lost back-to-back games to the Denver Nuggets (110-109 Saturday) and New Orleans Pelicans (120-90 Tuesday) following an eight-game win streak (8-0 against the spread (ATS)).
Minnesota eked past the Charlotte Hornets 126-120 in overtime Tuesday and pushed as a 6-point home favorite. The T-Wolves are 7-3 straight up (SU) and 6-3-1 ATS over their last 10 games.
These teams split their meetings last season 1-1 SU and ATS with the road team winning and covering both.
Raptors at Timberwolves odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:21 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Raptors -117 (bet $117 to win $100) | Timberwolves -103 (bet $103 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Raptors -1.5 (-107) | Timberwolves -1.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 227.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Raptors at Timberwolves key injuries
Raptors
- PG Fred VanVleet (knee) questionable
Timberwolves (not officially submitted)
- SF Anthony Edwards (ankle) questionable
Deposit $10 or more, get $100 in instant bet credits at Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Place your legal, online sports bets at Tipico. Let’s make this interesting. Bet now!
Raptors at Timberwolves odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Raptors 121, Timberwolves 112
Money line
BET the RAPTORS (-117) for 1.25 units based on several reasons. First of all, Toronto has done a good job defending T-Wolves big Karl-Anthony Towns since hiring head coach Nick Nurse in 2018.
KAT is averaging just 17.6 points on 47.7% shooting and 9.6 rebounds in five games against the Raptors during Nurse’s tenure, which are all below his career marks.
Nurse is known for employing many defensive schemes during a game and Toronto plays tough on-ball defense. KAT isn’t your average big, he likes to put the ball on the floor and a majority of his field goals are jump shots.
Furthermore, T-Wolves SF Anthony Edwards left Tuesday’s game against the Hornets with an injured ankle. His absence gives Toronto a significant edge on the wing if he can’t suit up.
Toronto has three dynamic forwards in its starting lineup and Raptors F Pascal Siakam has been tearing it up in February. Siakam is averaging 26.0 points on 64.3% true shooting (.579/.400/.737) with 10.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and a plus-15 net rating over those eight games.
Both teams also like to create turnovers and get out in transition but Toronto is more efficient in these areas. The Raptors are sixth in points off of turnovers allowed per game and fifth in fastbreak points per game (PPG) allowed while the T-Wolves are 26th in fastbreak PPG allowed.
Minnesota is just 3-5 SU when playing on no rest days and Toronto is 7-3 SU versus teams playing the second of a back-to-back with a plus-5.7 adjusted net rating and plus-1.9 ATS margin, according to CleaningTheGlass.com.
BET the RAPTORS (-117).
Against the spread
PASS.
I’m confident enough in Toronto that I’ll just bet the money line (ML) instead of laying it with the Raptors -1.5 (-107).
However, since this game is priced as a coin-flip, there are some applicable ATS trends to strengthen our case for Toronto.
For instance, the Raptors are 20-9 ATS versus teams with a winning record while the T-Wolves are just 12-14-1 ATS versus winning teams. Toronto is also 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games versus Minnesota.
Over/Under
Slight “LEAN” to the OVER 227.5 (-112) for a small wager, if at all, because this is a sharp total and I much prefer Toronto’s ML.
The T-Wolves are 6-2 O/U on the second of a back-to-back with a plus-8.3 total margin and 9-1 O/U in their last 10 games while allowing 119.7 PPG in those games.
Plus the Raptors are 10-5 O/U when playing with a rest advantage with a plus-9.0 total margin
Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and, soon, IA. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Geoff Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional NBA sports coverage:
HoopsHype | Celtics Wire | LeBron Wire | Lonzo Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]