The Minnesota Timberwolves (22-6) travel to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder (18-9) on Tuesday, December 26th. This game will be played at Paycom Center. The Timberwolves are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Thunder are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Kings. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.

Timberwolves vs Thunder

The Timberwolves Are Coming Off A Win

The Timberwolves took down the Kings in their most recent game with a final score of 110-98. As the second half got underway, the Timberwolves were leading by a score of 59-47.

When looking at the Timberwolves’ last ten games, they are 8-2 and have an overall record of 22-6. In their 28 games, the Timberwolves are 15-3 against Western Conference teams and 7-3 in non-conference games.

Presently, Minnesota boasts an ATS record of 15-12, which is above .500 against the spread. Minnesota has gone 11-9 against the spread this season when they are the favorites, and they are 4-3 when playing as underdogs.

The Thunder Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

In their most recent game, the Thunder tell to the Lakers by a score of 129-120. In addition, to losing the game straight-up, the Thunder lost vs. the spread as -3.5 point favorites. Before the game, the over/under line was 239 points, and both teams ended up surpassing that mark.

In their overall record of 18-9, the Thunder have gone 12-8 against Western Conference opponents and 6-1 in non-conference games. In their last three games, the Thunder are 2-1 and will take on the Timberwolves.

Against the spread, Oklahoma City have an above .500 record vs. the spread sitting at 19-8 ATS. When playing on the road, the Thunder hold an ATS record of 9-3 in contrast to a 10-5 record against the spread when playing at home.

Timberwolves Offense Breakdown

In 28 games games, Minnesota has an average of 113.5 points per game (18th). Coming into today’s game, the Timberwolves will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.9 made 3’s per game. If the Minnesota offense is going to turn things around, not only do they need to improve their outside shooting but they must do a better job protecting the ball. Currently, they are averaging 14.1 turnovers per game.

Thunder Offense Breakdown

Today, the Thunder enter the game as one of the NBA’s top-scoring teams, averaging 120.7 points per game (5th). So far, Oklahoma City is averaging 100.4 possessions per game, making them one of the more up-tempo teams in the league. Not only is the team playing at an up-tempo pace, but they have been able to pair this style with one of the better field goal percentages in the NBA at 49%.

Timberwolves Team Defense

At this time, the Timberwolves’ defense is positioned 1 in the NBA, permitting 106.6 points per game.

Opponents are hitting 50.4% of their two-point field goal attempts this season, and they’re also connecting on 33.7% of their three-point attempts.

Thunder Team Defense

On defense, Thunder is currently around the league average in points allowed, giving up an average of 113.6 points per game.

In their previous game, the Thunder’s defense struggled against the Lakers, giving up 129 points on a field goal percentage of 52%.

Key Players For The Timberwolves And Thunder

In today’s game, our projections have Karl-Anthony Towns leading the Timberwolves with 18 points on 7/12 shooting from the field. During this season, he is delivering an average of 22.2 points per game, along with 9.5 rebounds.

On the flip side, our predictions place Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the leading scorer for the Thunder. We expect him to conclude the game with a team-high 22 while also collecting 4 rebounds. Throughout the season, he has maintained a 53.5% field goal shooting rate and is averaging 30.8 points per game.

Timberwolves vs Thunder Trends

• The Timberwolves are 3-2 ATS in their last road games and 3-2 straight-up.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, Oklahoma City has an ATS record of 7-3 while averaging 117 per game. The team went 6-4 overall in these games.
• As the betting underdog, the Timberwolves have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. Minnesota posted a straight up mark of 1-2 in these matchups.
• Through their last three games as the favorite, the Thunder have an ATS record of 2-1 and a straight up mark of 2-1.

 

Timberwolves vs Thunder Prediction

 

In this Thunder vs. Thunder matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Timberwolves at +3.5. While we project the Thunder to win 114-111, our recommendation is to bet on the Timberwolves for the point-spread.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 226.5 and given that our model is projecting 225 points between the teams, we like the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.