The Oklahoma City Thunder (45-10) travel to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-26) on Sunday, February 23rd. This game will be played at Target Center in Minneapolis and televised on ESPN. The Thunder are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Timberwolves are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Timberwolves. Tip-off is set for 9:30 ET.

Thunder vs Timberwolves

The Thunder Are Coming Off A Win

The Thunder improved to 45-10 this season with a 130-107 road win over the Jazz on Friday. Oklahoma City entered the game as -15.5 favorites and covered the spread with a +23 point margin. The total points for the game were 237, just over the 233-point line.

Oklahoma City took control early, leading 29-22 after the 1st quarter and extending their lead with a 39-25 2nd quarter. Although the Jazz outscored them 37-31 in the 3rd, the Thunder entered the 4th quarter up 99-84 and closed out the game by winning the final period 31-23.

The Timberwolves Are Coming Off A Win

The Timberwolves dropped to 31-26 on the season after a 121-115 road loss to the Rockets on Friday. Minnesota entered the game as +4 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 236, exceeding the pre-game line of 222.5 by 13.5 points.

Minnesota fell behind early, allowing 48 points in the 1st quarter while scoring 38. They tightened up defensively in the 2nd quarter, outscoring Houston 29-20. However, the Rockets regained control in the 3rd, and Minnesota couldn’t close the gap in the 4th, where they were outscored 23-22.

Thunder Offense Breakdown

The Thunder put up 130 points in their win over the Jazz, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way with 21 points and 8 assists. Chet Holmgren added 20 points, and Jalen Williams contributed 18, hitting 4 threes at a 57.1% clip.

Oklahoma City made 19 threes, shooting 44.2% from deep, while finishing with an overall field goal percentage of 47.4%. Isaiah Joe scored 10 of his 15 points in the 2nd quarter, and Aaron Wiggins added 7 of his 12 points in the 4th.

Timberwolves Offense Breakdown

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 37 points in their 121-115 loss to the Rockets, shooting 40.6% from the field and hitting 4 threes at 28.6%. Overall, Minnesota struggled from deep, making just 11 threes at 28.9%, with a field goal percentage of 44.6%.

Naz Reid added 22 points, and Jaden McDaniels contributed 21, scoring 7 points in the 4th quarter. Edwards did most of his damage early, scoring 15 points in the 1st quarter and another 10 in the 2nd.

Thunder Team Defense

The Thunder held the Jazz to 107 points on Friday, with strong defensive efforts in the 1st and 4th quarters, where they allowed just 22 and 23 points, respectively. Oklahoma City gave up 37 points in the 3rd but still managed to come out on top. Overall, the Thunder limited Utah to 45% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Thunder allowed 15 threes on 36% shooting. They also sent the Jazz to the free-throw line 18 times, where Utah made 10. Oklahoma City finished with 10 steals and 10 blocked shots in the game.

Timberwolves Team Defense

Defensively, the Thunder were solid in the 1st and 4th quarters, giving up just 22 and 23 points, respectively, to help secure the win. Despite a rough 3rd quarter where they allowed 37 points, they held the Jazz to 107 points overall. Oklahoma City limited Utah to 45% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Thunder gave up 15 threes on 36% shooting. They sent the Jazz to the free-throw line 18 times, where Utah made 10. Oklahoma City finished with 10 steals and 10 blocks.

Thunder vs Timberwolves Trends

• Across their five previous road games, Oklahoma City has an ATS mark of 2-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 3-2 while averaging 116 points per game.
• In their last five games at home, the Timberwolves have a straight up record of 3-2 while going 2-3 vs the spread. The team averaged 119 points per game in this stretch.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Minnesota has an ATS mark of 5-4-1 while going 4-6 straight up.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Thunder have gone 6-3-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 8-2.

Thunder vs Timberwolves Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Thunder to win, and have the projected score sitting at 138-84. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Thunder at -9.5.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 229, and our model predicts the Thunder and Timberwolves to score a combined 222 points. We recommend betting on the under.

---

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

---

* 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.