Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Brooklyn Nets Prediction, NBA Odds
Sitting just inside the Western Conference playoff picture, the Minnesota Timberwolves are in for a challenge on Friday night when they visit the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets. Minnesota has been off since a 115-107 loss in Washington on Wednesday, while the Nets last played Tuesday, downing the Knicks 112-110 at home.
Brooklyn opened as an 8-point favourite to win on the NBA odds, with a total of 218.5.
Timberwolves vs. Nets NBA Betting Odds
The Nets swept the two-game season series last year, which actually broke a five-game win streak for Minnesota in the all-time head-to-head series. The Over/Under has split evenly in the last 10 games between these teams.
Despite an average 11-11 record on the year, Minnesota has been hot lately, winning seven of their last nine games. They’re 10-12 against the spread overall, including 7-3 ATS in their last 10. The total has gone Over in four of the Timberwolves’ last five games.
Brooklyn has been tough to crack this year and they come into this contest with wins in 13 of their last 16 games. They haven’t been a great cover option, however, as they’re 8-12-1 ATS overall and have failed to cover in five straight home games. High scoring games have been a staple for the Nets lately, with the total going Over in five of their last six games.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota avoided serious injury to their most productive player, Karl-Anthony Towns, on Wednesday, but there’s still a possibility he doesn’t play in Brooklyn. Towns is dealing with a back contusion after a hard fall in Washington and he’ll likely be a game-time decision on Friday. Minnesota’s leading scorer still finished with a game-high 34 points. Towns averages team-highs in points per game (24.0), rebounds (9.0) and blocks (1.0).
Anthony Edwards is listed as probable for the game as he deals with a non-COVID illness. Edwards is second on the team with 22.1 ppg and averages a team-high 1.5 steals per game. The Timberwolves’ 108.0 ppg average jumps up to 111.4 ppg on the road.
Brooklyn Nets
James Harden led the way in Brooklyn’s win over the Knicks on Tuesday, dropping a game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds. He finished just two assists shy of a triple-double. It was a big game from Harden, who has had a bit of a slow start to the year by his standards. He’s still managed to average 21.0 ppg while leading the team in rebounds (8.0), assists (9,3) and steals (1.5).
In the absence of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant has kept this team running. Durant finished with 27 points and nine assists against the Knicks and he averages a league-high 28.6 ppg. One good trend for the Nets right now is their increased shooting percentage of 49.6 per cent over their last three games. The league-high for the season is Phoenix’s 48.4 per cent mark.
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