Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/08/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 8, 2026

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  FDSOH, FDSNO

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +3.5, Timberwolves -3.5; Over/Under:  238.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +3.5, Timberwolves -3.5; Over/Under:  238.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +3.5, Timberwolves -3.5; Over/Under:  238.5 points

Cleveland Cavaliers:  21-17 (2nd place, Central Division)

Minnesota Timberwolves:  24-13 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

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Cleveland Cavaliers:  6-4 last 10

Minnesota Timberwolves:  7-3 last 10

The Cavaliers are entering this game with a 21-17 record overall this season and they are 8-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Indiana Pacers. Darius Garland led the team in points in that game with 29 while Evan Mobley was next on the team with 20 points. Craig Porter Jr. led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Jarrett Allen led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 55.7% from the field, 38.5% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 119.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.8 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 12-26 this season and their O/U record is 17-21.

The Timberwolves are entering this game with a 24-13 record overall this season and they are 13-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards, and the Heat again. Anthony Edwards led the team in points in that game with 26 while Jaden McDaniels was next on the team with 19 points. Julius Randle and Bones Hyland each led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Rudy Gobert led the team in rebounds with 16. They were 45.9% from the field, 35.9% from 3-point range, and 78.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 119.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 114.1 PPG against them. The Timberwolves have an ATS record of 16-21 this season and their O/U record is 17-20.

The current betting odds have the Timberwolves listed as a 3.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Timberwolves have looked great in their games this season with their 24-13 record overall which has them right in the top half of the West. They have looked great on their home court too with their 13-6 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have looked good in their games this season with their 21-17 record overall which has them in the top half of the East. They haven't been a great road team though with their 8-8 road record this year. The Cavaliers went from being one of the best teams in the NBA last season, to struggling a lot this season. They haven't been a bad team this year, but the roster hasn't really changed and it just hasn't been performing at the same level. They have looked better lately as they are off a win over the Pacers in their last one and they are 6-4 in their last 10 games too, but the Timberwolves have also looked really good lately as they have been getting hot. The Timberwolves are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they have some momentum on their side now with 3 wins in a row. They are off a big win over the Heat in their last one and they have been blowing out a lot of teams in their wins lately. The Timberwolves are the more talented team that is starting to get hot now and they can take advantage of the way this Cavs team has played in road games this year. The best way to place a bet here is on the Timberwolves to cover the spread in this game. 

Cavaliers Timberwolves Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, January 8, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Timberwolves 132 Cavaliers 124.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: 34-25 ATS versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 3+ points/game. 69-46 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 36% of their attempts or more. 22-16 ATS on the road versus good offensive teams - scoring 116+ points/game. 15-7 OVER against Northwest division opponents. 44-26 OVER in non-conference games.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 8-15 ATS against Central division opponents. 11-25 ATS as a home favorite of 6 points or less. 14-19 ATS after a blowout win by 20 points or more. 23-14 OVER as a home favorite of 6 points or less. 34-27 OVER when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%).

Cleveland Cavaliers:  D. Wade (PF) Day To Day - Knee. L. Nance Jr. (PF) Out - Calf. M. Strus (SF) Out - Foot.

Minnesota Timberwolves:  T. Shannon Jr. (SG) Day To Day - Foot.

"I told the guys it’s tough to win in the NBA when you lose the possession game by 10. When I mean the possession game, I mean rebounding. [Pistons] dominated on both ends, which is their strength. We turned it over, we gotta look at the spacing. It usually comes down to the spacings not perfect, definitely some spacing issues out there." - Kenny Atkinson after his team’s loss against the Pistons in their game on Sunday.

“When he’s playing like this, he’s a one-man wrecking crew." - Chris Finch on Rudy Gobert after his team’s win against the Heat in their game on Tuesday.

PG Darius Garland

SG Donovan Mitchell

SF Dean Wade

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PG Donte DiVincenzo

SG Anthony Edwards

SF Jaden McDaniels

PF Julius Randle

C Rudy Gobert

PPG: Donovan Mitchell (29.8)

APG: Darius Garland (8.9)

Reb/G: Evan Mobley (8.9)

PPG: Anthony Edwards (29.4)

APG: Julius Randle (5.7)

Reb/G: Rudy Gobert (11.1)

Coaches:

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson (2nd season)

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch (6th season)