by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Jan 16, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Where to watch: BSN, NBCSBA
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Timberwolves -5
BetMGM: Timberwolves -4.5
Caesars: NL
Season record
Warriors: 31-11 (2nd place, Western Conference)
Timberwolves: 20-22 (9th place, Western Conference)
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Warriors - Timberwolves preview, analysis and prediction
You never want to point to an injury to see if one team has figured out its own problems, but that might be the case for the Golden State Warriors heading into their matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
The Warriors will wrap up a four-game road trip Sunday in Minneapolis after what’s been a tumultuous, yet exciting time for the franchise. It’s hard to get excited for both, but Klay Thompson’s return has certainly put a jolt into the Warriors.
Golden State is 31-11 as it begins the second half of their season. The Warriors trail the Phoenix Suns by one game for the top spot in the Western Conference, which means we could be in store for one hell of a potential Western Conference Finals series down the road.
But before we get there, the Warriors have a ton of kinks to iron out with the current construction of the roster. Golden State, overall, has lost four of six with losses to the red-hot Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, equally-as-scorching Memphis Grizzlies, and the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in which GSW trailed at one point by almost 40 points.
Golden State got back on track Friday with a 138-96 rout of the Chicago Bulls, but a lot of the air was let out in United Center when Zach LaVine went down with a knee injury.
That didn’t stop the Warriors from having a ridiculous performance with 78 first-half points and holding the Bulls to just 47 in the first half. Thompson did not play as he got a rest after playing the past four games since returning to the lineup.
“If you’re a good team, good things usually happen and you can usually bounce back,” Steph Curry said after finishing with 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting. “I just like the way we responded.”
The Warriors are coming into this matchup as 4.5-point dogs in most books; that’s primarily due to Curry missing this game due to hand soreness. Minnesota has dropped two straight coming in with losses to New Orleans and Memphis on the road; the Wolves won four straight prior to that.
The problem with Minnesota is the streakiness. Even before that four-game winning streak against the likes of the Clippers and Thunder (twice), Minnesota lost three straight, five of six, and then won their previous four. Talk about trying to get a read on this team; it’s hard to find one.
Golden State is 5-1 ATS and straight up in Sunday games this season, and the Warriors have also gone 8-1 in both scenarios when playing their third game in four days. With Curry out, Thompson is expected to return to the lineup and could see a raise in minutes. Thompson has averaged 20 in his four games.
The Warriors have tended to do well after playing non-conference teams, going 14-4 straight up in games following an Eastern Conference opponent. Minnesota, meanwhile, is 11-10 at home this season and only 32-57 straight up in the past three seasons. Even with Curry out, taking the Warriors with the points is not a bad idea especially since the chances of winning outright are greater now. Warriors by 10
Betting trends
The Warriors are 0-4 ATS in their last four after putting up 100 points or more the previous outing.
The Warriors are 0-4 ATS following a straight-up win in their last four.
The Timberwolves are 6-0 ATS in their last six Sunday games.
The over is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
The Warriors are 2-7 ATS in their last nine at Minnesota.
Projected starting lineup
Warriors:
PG: Jordan Poole
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Otto Porter Jr.
C: Kevon Looney
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Otto Porter Jr.
C: Kevon Looney
Timberwolves:
PG: Patrick Beverley
SG: D'Angelo Russell
SF: Anthony Edwards
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
SF: Anthony Edwards
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Key injuries
Warriors: Stephen Curry (hand, out), Draymond Green (calf, out), Gary Payton II (back, questionable), James Wiseman (knee, out)
Timberwolves: Jaylen Nowell (ankle, probable)
Warriors: Stephen Curry (hand, out), Draymond Green (calf, out), Gary Payton II (back, questionable), James Wiseman (knee, out)
Timberwolves: Jaylen Nowell (ankle, probable)
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
