Timberwolves vs. Pistons Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, April 2

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are battling for a top-four seed in the Western Conference heading into Thursday’s clash with the Detroit Pistons.

Detroit is down Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung) at the moment, but it still has a four-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the East. The Pistons have defied expectations, going 6-2 since Cunningham was injured.

Now, they’re set as home favorites on Thursday night against a Wolves team that has title expectations after making the Western Conference Finals in each of the last two seasons.

Minnesota has not been great since the All-Star break, ranking 17th in the NBA in net rating (+0.7). Edwards did miss time with a knee injury in late March, but the Wolves have to play at a higher level if they’re going to compete with OKC and San Antonio in the West.

Here’s a breakdown of Thursday’s game, including the latest odds, a player prop target and my prediction.

Timberwolves vs. Pistons Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Timberwolves +3.5 (-115)
Pistons -3.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Timberwolves: +136
Pistons: -162

Total

224.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Timberwolves vs. Pistons How to Watch

Date: Thursday, April 2
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Little Caesars Arena
How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Timberwolves record: 46-29
Pistons record: 55-21

Timberwolves vs. Pistons Injury Reports

Timberwolves Injury Report

Anthony Edwards – questionable
Enrique Freeman – out
Zyon Pullin – out
Rocco Zikarsky – out
Jaden McDaniels – out

Pistons Injury Report

Cade Cunningham – out
Marcus Sasser – questionable
Isaiah Stewart – out
Isaac Jones – out
Bobi Klintman – out
Chaz Lanier – out

Timberwolves vs. Pistons Best NBA Prop Bets

Timberwolves Best NBA Prop Bet

Anthony Edwards OVER 25.5 Points (-120)

Can Anthony Edwards have a big scoring game against Detroit? He’s one of the top targets I have in the prop market on Thursday:

Anthony Edwards came off the bench on Tuesday night and played less than half the game against the Dallas Mavericks in a blowout win for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Now, he’s expected to return to the starting lineup on Thursday, which should immediately raise his ceiling as a scorer against a tough Detroit defense.

Edwards missed the Timberwolves’ first game with Detroit, but the star guard is averaging 29.3 points per game this season while shooting an impressive 49.3 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.

This discounted number is likely due to Edwards’ injury and potential minutes restriction, but he’s been too effective scoring the ball this season for me to fade him here. The Wolves should end up in a close game, which could keep Edwards out there for closer to 30 minutes on Thursday.

Timberwolves vs. Pistons Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I like the Timberwolves to cover as road dogs:

The Detroit Pistons are 6-2 straight up since Cade Cunningham went down with a collapsed lung, but they have a tough test against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

Minnesota is coming off a blowout win against Dallas in Anthony Edwards’ return to action, and the star guard scored 17 points in just over 22 minutes of action. I’d expect a bigger role for Edwards in what should be a close game on Thursday, which has led me towards the Wolves as 3.5-point underdogs.

Detroit has been one of the best home teams (record wise) in the NBA this season, but it’s just 15-18 against the spread when favored. Now, the Pistons did blow out the Edwards-less Timberwolves in Minnesota, so there is some risk involved here with such a short line.

Still, Minnesota is a .500 team when it comes to covering the spread as a road underdog, and Edwards adds a major punch to this offense, which scored just 87 points in the loss to Detroit in late March.

The Pistons have some offensive holes without Cunningham, and I think this is a spot to sell high against another playoff-caliber team.

Pick: Timberwolves +3.5 (-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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