By It will be a battle between Northwest Division opponents when the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-23) welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder (22-17) to the Target Center. The game can be seen on Fox Sports – North at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, January 13, 2020.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Prediction
The Thunder were not able to cover as 9-point favorites in their 125-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in their last outing. The game’s combined points (235) came in well over the O/U total of 214. Los Angeles won the rebounding battle. The Lakers had 12 offensive rebounds and 54 total rebounds, while the Thunder had five and 37, respectively. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was Oklahoma City’s leading scorer with 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
The last time the Timberwolves took the court, they got blown out by the Houston Rockets, 139-109. They failed to cover as 11-point underdogs. The game’s total points (248) came in well over the O/U total of 232. Houston’s effective field goal percentage was their largest advantage over Minnesota. The Rockets had a rate of 0.611 (above their season average of 0.538), while the Timberwolves posted a mark of 0.447 (below their season average of 0.503). With 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting, Josh Okogie was Minnesota’s leading scorer.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 30 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the first game, in which the Timberwolves lost 139-127, unable to cover as 3.5-point underdogs. The game finished with a total of 266 points, which was 49 points above the projected point total of 217 points. The Thunder knocked down 36 of their 40 free throws (90.0 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (8.7 vs. 11.0).
Oklahoma City heads into the contest with records of 22-17 straight up (SU) and 25-13-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to set the total high when the Thunder are playing, as 59.0 percent of their contests have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Minnesota owns records of 15-23 SU and 16-20-2 ATS. In opposition of Oklahoma City, just over half of Timberwolves games have finished over the total.
Both teams have had a player take their game to the next level over their last five games. Steven Adams (15 points,13.2 rebounds) has been great for the Thunder while Robert Covington (15 points,7.0 rebounds,2.4 steals) has contributed greatly to the Timberwolves.
This contest should be a battle of contrasting paces. Minnesota has preferred to play quickly (first in possessions per game), while Oklahoma City has been slower-paced (25th in possessions per game). Also, the Thunder are among the league’s best at getting to the line, ranking fourth in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.226). The Timberwolves, meanhwile, rank 22nd at keeping opponents off the charity stripe with an opponents’ FTA rate of 0.215.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Pick
Prediction: ATS Winner – Thunder, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Oklahoma City is 14-5 ATS on the road with 12 unders and 7 overs.
Minnesota is 5-11-1 ATS at home with 9 unders and 8 overs.
When holding opponents under 100 points, Minnesota is 2-1 and Oklahoma City is 7-3.
In games where they score over 100 points, the Thunder are 21-10 and the Timberwolves are 14-17.
Minnesota ranks third in three pointers attempted per game (39.4) while Oklahoma City ranks 27th (29.8).
The Timberwolves rank sixth in second chance points per game (14.2) while the Thunder rank last (10.9).
Oklahoma City ranks fifth in blocks allowed per game (4.2) while Minnesota ranks 23rd (5.5).
The Timberwolves rank third in steals per game (8.7) while the Thunder rank 20th (7.5).
Oklahoma City ranks 13th in rebounds allowed per game (45.1) while Minnesota ranks last (48.5).
The Timberwolves average 48.8 points in the paint per game, which ranks 10th in the NBA. The Thunder rank 23rd in points allowed in the paint per game (49.5).
Oklahoma City ranks first in fast break points allowed per game (10.9) while Minnesota ranks 10th (12.5).
The Thunder rank fourth in assists allowed per game (22.5) while the Timberwolves rank ninth (23.2).
Oklahoma City ranks 18th in points off turnovers per game (16.4) while Minnesota ranks 21st in points off turnovers allowed per game (17.7).
Over its last five contests, Oklahoma City is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Minnesota is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over its last five games.
The Thunder’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.4, up from 1.5 for the season.
During their last five games, the Timberwolves have scored an average of 110.8 points per game (1.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 109.4 points per game (5.3 below their season average).
