Thunder vs. Timberwolves Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Jan. 29

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have split their first two matchups this season, and they’ll face off in a nationally televised game on Thursday night.

Minnesota is playing the second night of a back-to-back after winning against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. Anthony Edwards (foot) suited up in that matchup, and it’ll be interesting to see if he misses the second night of a back-to-back after doing so on Monday against Golden State.

OKC is down Jalen Williams (hamstring), Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain) and Alex Caruso (adductor) for this matchup, but it remains atop the Western Conference standings. These teams matched up in the Western Conference Finals last season, so there is a ton of a familiarity of each squad’s play style.

Still, oddsmakers have set the Thunder as 7.5-point favorites in this matchup, as they are 17-5 on the road this season.

This is the second-to-last meeting between these teams in the regular season, and the winner will have the series advantage heading into their fourth and final matchup.

Here’s a quick look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for Thursday night’s contest.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Thunder -7.5 (-105)
Timberwolves +7.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Thunder: -265
Timberwolves: +215

Total

224.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Thunder vs. Timberwolves How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Jan. 29
Time: 9:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Target Center
How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Thunder record: 38-10
Timberwolves record: 29-19

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Injury Reports

Thunder Injury Report

Alex Caruso – out
Jalen Williams – out
Ajay Mitchell – out
Nikola Topic – out
Thomas Sorber – out
Cason Wallace – questionable

Timberwolves Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Best NBA Prop Bets

Timberwolves Best NBA Prop Bet

Anthony Edwards OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-154)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Edwards is worth a look in the prop market against OKC:

Anthony Edwards didn't have his best game on Wednesday against Dallas, shooting just 6-for-17 from the field. He finished with just 20 points, but the star guard knocked down three of his four shots from beyond the arc.

On Thursday, his 3-point prop is set at just 2.5 (he’s averaging over three per game) against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC ranks just 26th in the league in opponent 3s made per game and opponent 3-point percentage, making this a great matchup for a player like Edwards who takes a ton of shots from beyond the arc.

Edwards is averaging 8.4 3-point attempts per game this season, and he’s been efficient in those looks, shooting 41.4 percent. He has cleared this line twice against OKC this season, shooting 5-for-10 and 3-for-6 from deep in those matchups.

He’s extremely undervalued at this number on Thursday night.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Prediction and Pick

Bettors are going to want to make sure that the Timberwolves have most of their rotation pieces active for this game, but I still like them as underdogs at home.

Minnesota won the last meeting between these teams, and it only lost by eight in their first matchup of the season. So, the Wolves have certainly hung around with an OKC squad that has by far the best net rating in the NBA.

The Thunder are just 11-11 against the spread when favored on the road this season, and they have failed to cover in three games in a row. With Caruso, Mitchell and Jalen Williams out, the Thunder have a much smaller margin for error than usual.

Isaiah Hartenstein is back in the lineup for OKC, but I still think this is a major number for the Thunder to cover on the road, especially since the Wolves are 16-8 straight up at home this season.

Minnesota should be able to keep this game within two possessions as long as Edwards, Julius Randle and others are in the lineup.

Pick: Timberwolves +7.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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