Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Sacramento Kings Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/8/2022

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Venue: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA

Where to watch: NBCSCA, BSN

DraftKings: Timberwolves -3.5

BetMGM: Timberwolves -4.5

Caesars: NL

Timberwolves: 28-25

Kings: 20-35

One way that you can turn the corner in the NBA is by beating the teams that you're supposed to be. And I think that we've gotten to the point where over the last five years, we've expected that just a little too much from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But this might finally be the season, with the right personnel in place, that the Timberwolves are actually taking care of business against teams that they should beat. Look no further than this four-game winning streak that the Timberwolves are on. Following consecutive losses on the road to the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns, the two best teams in the Western Conference, Minnesota has followed that up with wins against the Detroit Pistons but surprisingly enough, the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz.

The Timberwolves are playing great basketball at the right time. And now they hit the road to take on a heavily struggling Sacramento Kings team on Tuesday and I have no reason to believe that Minnesota won't win this one too and push that winning streak to five.

Minnesota is not gonna get brownie points for beating the Pistons in back-to-back games. But what it will get a reward out of is the fact that the big-time players have been able to deliver when needed. A perfect case in point: Anthony Edwards had one of his most rough shooting nights of the season in the 13 point win against Detroit on Sunday. Edwards had 17 points but took twelve shots to get there, and only made four.

On any other night, Minnesota would not have been able to have the personnel to pull off a victory of this nature, even against a team as bad as Detroit. And normally within that instance, we would be standing here wondering why in the world Karl-Anthony Towns is not imposing his will against teams more than he should.

But then you see D'Angelo Russell turning back the clock a little bit with 22 points and eight assists. You look at the bench and you see Malik Beasley scoring 20 in 21 minutes. You see Jayden McDaniels having an efficient 13 points in just 24 minutes. No matter the opponent, this has not been the norm for Minnesota in a long time.

And here sit the Timberwolves with a winning record entering the nitty-gritty of this season, and are very much in contention for a playoff spot with the possibility of even avoiding the play-in round. The Kings could only hope to have even a microcosm of that kind of season.

Because time is running out for the current core of the Kings, which seems pretty harsh considering the young talent that is trying to lead this team out of obscurity. But not even a 10 point victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Saturday would even give any relevant pause to make the Kings feel good on this night.

All five starters scored in double figures in that victory, despite the fact that De’Aaron fox did not play. Harrison Barnes, who might be the most lucrative trade ship that's not a superstar going into this trade deadline, finished with 24 points and nine rebounds and what might have been one of his last few games with Sacramento.

Sacramento is in a weird spot right now because the plan is to essentially build around a future backcourt of Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell. whether or not that is the group that can turn things around for Sacramento remains to be seen. But in the case of this game on Tuesday, with so much drama going on with Sacramento in terms of who might be gone or who might be staying, Minnesota is taking advantage of the situation.

If this turns into a high-scoring game I feel this favors Minnesota more than Sacramento. The over has gone six and no in Minnesota’s last six road games against teams with a losing home record, and the Timberwolves have also covered their last four games against the spread. And while the Kings are 4-1 against the spread in their last five, the over has also gone in Sacramento’s favor in the last five against teams with a winning record.

Whenever it comes down to the over being good for both teams, you always take the team with a better talent. And on this night, I feel that the big three of Minnesota will be more than enough to dispatch of Sacramento. Timberwolves by 14

The over is 20-7 in Timberwolves road games this season.

The Timberwolves are 37-55 ATS after playing a home game.

The over is 59-33 after the Kings play a home game.

PG: Patrick Beverley

SG: D'Angelo Russell
SF: Anthony Edwards
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Karl-Anthony Towns

PG: Davion Mitchell

SG: Tyrese Haliburton
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Chimezie Metu
C: Richaun Holmes

Timberwolves: None

Kings: De'Aaron Fox (ankle, game-time decision), Marvin Bagley III (ankle, game-time decision)