Timberwolves vs. Thunder Prediction, Picks for Saturday, Jan. 20
Here's everything you need to know about Timberwolves vs. Thunder on Saturday, Jan. 20 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have remained potent over the last few weeks, but so far things have been a bit tricky on their four-game road trip. Will they be able to produce their best basketball away from home — something they've failed to do this season — against a hard-nosed Timberwolves team?
Let's get to our Timberwolves vs. Thunder prediction and pick.
Thunder vs. Timberwolves Prediction
Pick: Timberwolves -3 (-110)
Thunder Betting Outlook
The Thunder have established themselves as one of the top teams in the NBA on both sides of the floor, but there's been a clear drop-off in their production on the road. In these games, they're shooting 3.4 points worse from 3 and overall are winning by just five points per 100 possessions as compared to 11.1 at home.
Oklahoma City certainly hasn't been lacking in the scoring department of late, so perhaps there's some hope to be found here despite its worsening shooting numbers on the road, though on the defensive end this is a team which has ranked just 20th in the NBA over the last 10 games.
The Thunder will once again be leaning on their all-world frontcourt defense against the Timberwolves, which ranks first in the NBA within four feet, and against a Minnesota side which loves to score down low that should work wonders. The question here will be whether or not the Thunder will be able to make their mark on offense against one of the best 3-point defenses in the NBA.
Timberwolves Betting Outlook
As we've discussed above, the Timberwolves have been exceptional at defending the perimeter, ranking sixth in the NBA with a 35.6% opponent 3-point percentage according to Cleaning the Glass. This has made their shortcomings on the offensive side of the floor a bit less concerning, and over the last 10 games they've seen a slight up-tick in production on offense, which could make for a very interesting matchup here against a side which has struggled to defend in the last couple of weeks.
The Timberwolves have been lethal from deep this season, though it's hard to really say that's a focal point of their offense give they haven't opted to take many outside shots at all. So, this is going to be another difficult task on offense when you consider it's been an adventure on that end all year to begin with and the Thunder should prove plenty capable of stopping them inside.
The tough news here for Minnesota is that its offense has remained incredibly stagnant at home, but their defense is around 10 points better per 100 possessions in this game. When you consider those numbers, it's no surprise that the Timberwolves have gone an excellent 11-6-2 against the spread at home this year, doing well to suffocate their opponents.
Thunder vs. Timberwolves Picks, Odds
| Thunder Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -112 | 229.5 -110o / -110u | +120 |
| Timberwolves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -108 | 229.5 -110o / -110u | -142 |
The Thunder are slumping defensively, and they can't afford to give the Timberwolves any help on that end when you consider the brutal matchup they're in against a team which can not only take away their greatest strength, but one which has really only been vulnerable at home.
On the flip side, Oklahoma City has really struggled to produce the same kind of results in road games, and it should be in a world of trouble here against a team that can shoot the 3 effectively even if it's not their preferred method of scoring.
The Timberwolves are the trendier team at the moment, and at home they're the right side.
