Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder Pick
Our Oklahoma City vs Minnesota prediction for Friday, January 7, 2022 has the favorite Timberwolves at -5.5 (-110). Meanwhile, the underdog Thunder, who are at home, come in at +5.5 (-110). The total for this meeting is 215.0 (-110). The two teams will tip off at 8:00 pm ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK.
Oklahoma City vs Minnesota Prediction – Keys
Both the Thunder and Timberwolves are 5-5 for their last 10 games. Oklahoma City is on a two-game losing streak, while Minnesota has won two-straight games.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (13-24 Overall, 8-11 Home) are 14th, next to last, in the NBA Western Conference. They are fifth, last, in the Northwest Division, 14.5 games away from first-place Utah. On January 2, the Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks 95-86. They played the Timberwolves for the first time this season on Wednesday, losing 98-90.
The Minnesota Timberwolves (18-20 Overall, 7-10 Away), who are ninth in the NBA West, have gone 2-3 for their last five. In winning their last two games, Minnesota defeated the LA Clippers 122-104 on January 3 and then down Oklahoma City two days ago. The Timberwolves are third in the Northwest Division, 10 games out of first.
Thunder
Oklahoma City will look to small forward Luguentz Dort, power forward Darius Bazley, and center Mike Muscala to control the rim and paint. Our Oklahoma City vs Minnesota prediction notes that Dort leads all frontcourt scorers with 16.3 PPG while Bazley’s 6.5 RPG tops all players in the paint. However, shooting guard Josh Giddey leads all Thunder with 7.6 RPG. He’s also scoring 11.1 PPG. At the point, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 41.6 percent and leading all Oklahoma City scorers with 22.6 PPG. He’s averaging 5.2 APG, while Giddey is dishing off 6.3 APG.
Timberwolves
Center Karl-Anthony Towns leads Minnesota’s frontcourt. Towns has a team-high points per game average of 24.2. He’s also first in rebounds, averaging 9.4 per game. The big man is a 42.2 percent three-point shooter and hitting over 50 percent of his twos. Also in front, small forward Anthony Edwards is recording 22.3 PPG and 5.6 RPG. Both players are good for 3.5 APG. The backcourt, which is deep, is led by point guard D'Angelo Russell. Along with a team-best 6.6 APG, Russell is averaging 18.3 PPG. Meanwhile, also at point, Patrick Beverley is posting 5.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, and 9.2 PPG.
Oklahoma City vs Minnesota Prediction
The Thunder are allowing opponents on average seven points per game more than they are scoring (99.5 PF-106.8 PA). On the other hand, the Timberwolves are just about even on PF/PA (108.1-108.4). Minnesota is better than Oklahoma City in assists (+3.4) and three-point percentage (+2.7%). However, the Thunder are outpacing the Wolves slightly in rebounds, steals, and blocks. Finally, Minnesota has better ball control. Overall, we find that the Timberwolves are deeper and more versatile than the Thunder. Take Minnesota at -5.5 (-110) and bet the under at 215 (-110)
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves – Summary
Point Spread - Minnesota -5.5 (-110)
Over/Under - Under 215.0 (-110)
