Oklahoma City nearly blew a big lead when they visited the Twin Cities on Tuesday, holding on for a closer than expected win over the Timberwolves, who suffered their seventh straight loss and failed to score 100 points for the 12th consecutive time.
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LOOK AHEAD
The Timberwolves are all about the future. They better be because the present absolutely sucks for them. They’re still ahead of the Lakers and New Orleans in the battle for last in the Western Conference, but the Wolves are on the fast track to get there. Hitting the road will hopefully get them out of a recent funk. Tuesday’s loss to OKC completed a winless four-game home-stand and was Minnesota’s seventh consecutive defeat with five of those coming in the Target Center. The Wolves have dropped 11 of 12 and are just 4-19 since opening the season with an 8-8 record. The Wolves’ two-game road trip begins a stretch where they play nine of 12 away from home and they’re just one of five teams in the NBA with more wins on the road than at home. The Wolves are 7-10 SU and 11-6 ATS in away games.
Following a 2-1 road trip that concluded with a 101-96 win in Minnesota, the Thunder will spend a week at home with Friday’s tilt the middle of a three-game home-stand. OKC won 12 of 14 on their floor entering the home-stand and is 17-5 SU and 9-13 ATS at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder will play five of six on the road following Sunday’s duel with the Heat, making this an important three-game stretch
INJURIES
The Timberwolves got center Nikola Pekovic back in the lineup last week after he missed all of the season due to offseason Achilles surgery. He and 39-year-old Kevin Garnett will have their minutes staggered so the Wolves can have an extra big man at their disposal.
KEY MATCHUP
Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns is somewhat unnoticed playing for a team languishing near the bottom of the standings. But his work has caught the eye of former league MVP Kevin Durant, who has seen enough to believe the first overall pick will be immortalized in the basketball world when his time comes. “He’s going to be a Hall of Famer in this league,” Durant said. The Rookie is averaging nearly 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 29 minutes. But perhaps more telling are his 3.2 win shares and 21.7 Player Efficiency Rating, both team highs that show just how influential he’s been on both ends of the court. If those numbers aren’t enough, Towns has finished with a double-double in 18 of his first 39 games played. He went for 14 and 10 in Tuesday’s matchup with Durant and the Thunder in a losing effort.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
The young Wolves hung close when the teams played in Minneapolis on Tuesday, battling back from a big second-half deficit before falling 101-96. But this isn’t a good matchup for them. Minnesota has had trouble scoring the basketball, even with the talent they have assembled. Tuesday’s defeat was the 12th consecutive game the Wolves failed to score 100 points and they could have trouble keeping up with the high-powered Thunder, who like to push the pace behind Durant and Russell Westbrook and are the second-highest scoring team in the NBA. Minnesota has some pieces with Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach Lavine and Ricky Rubio, but they are built for the future and not the present. They will continue to experience the growing pains, especially against a team that is built for the now.
Oklahoma City 110, Minnesota 99
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Click here and start wagering today! The Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder game is scheduled for Friday, January 15, 2016, at 7 p.m. ET at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
