Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/14/2023

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Friday, April 14, 2023

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Thunder +4.5, Timberwolves -4.5; Over/Under:  227.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Thunder +4.5, Timberwolves -4.5; Over/Under:  227 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Thunder +4.5, Timberwolves -4.5; Over/Under:  227.5 points

Oklahoma City Thunder:  40-42 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

Minnesota Timberwolves:  42-40 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

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Oklahoma City Thunder:  5-5 last 10

Minnesota Timberwolves:  6-4 last 10

The Thunder finished the regular season with a 40-42 record overall and they were 16-25 in their road 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 Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, and the New Orleans Pelicans in their last game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 32 while Josh Giddey was next on the team with 31 points. Josh Giddey led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Josh Giddey led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 45.7% from the field, 29.7% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.4 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 46-34-3 this season and their O/U record is 47-36.

The Timberwolves finished the regular season with a 42-40 record overall and they were 22-19 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in their last game. Karl-Anthony Towns led the team in points in that game with 24 while Mike Conley Jr. was next on the team with 23 points. Kyle Anderson led the team in assists in that game with 13 while Karl-Anthony Towns led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 43.4% from the field, 39% from 3-point range, and 93.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.8 PPG against them. The Timberwolves have an ATS record of 41-42 this season and their O/U record is 39-44.

The current betting odds have the Timberwolves listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is the final game of the play-in tournament for the Western Conference playoffs as the winner of this game will earn the 8th seed and a playoff series against the Denver Nuggets in the 1st round. The Timberwolves enter this game off a loss to the Lakers in their 1st game of this play-in tournament while the Thunder will have some momentum from their win over the Pelicans in their 1st game of the play-in tournament. Both of these teams were right around .500 this year as the Timberwolves ended the season 42-40 overall while the Thunder were 40-42. The Thunder were terrible in their road games all year with their 16-25 road record while the Timberwolves were better in home games with their 22-19 home record. The Timberwolves also lost a close game with the Lakers which had to be settled in OT and they were on the road for that game, now they will be at home here and coming off a loss in their last game so they are going to have the motivation to win and get to the playoffs here. The Thunder have had a great season considering where they were last year but they have been overachieving and the Timberwolves will show that by eliminating the Thunder in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Timberwolves to cover the spread in this game.

Thunder Timberwolves Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, April 14, 2023 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Timberwolves 124 Thunder 113.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 21-11 ATS as a road underdog. 29-17 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 33-21 OVER as an underdog. 8-2 OVER in a road game where the total is 220 to 229.5.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 14-23 ATS as a favorite. 12-20 ATS when the total is 220 to 229.5. 12-4 OVER after successfully covering the spread in 4 or more consecutive games. 25-18 OVER vs. division opponents. 

Oklahoma City Thunder:  A. Pokusevski (PF) Ques Fri - Knee. K. Williams (SG) out for season - Wrist. C. Holmgren (C) out for season - Foot.

Minnesota Timberwolves:  R. Gobert (C) Elig Fri - Suspension. J. McDaniels (SF) Out indefinitely - Hand. N. Reid (C) Out indefinitely - Wrist.

“To start the game, I wasn’t expecting a huge outburst offensively. I wanted to kind of set the table to make sure my teammates were ready to go, confident and attacking. And I knew once I did that, the defense would have to worry about them as well and my offensive game would open up.” - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after their win against the Pelicans in their game on Wednesday in the play-in tournament.

"We expected to win this game. It's disappointing to lose. We had a lead and let it slip. This should be a different postgame speech. ... We've just got to be mentally and physically more engaged at the end, and we've got a couple of days to work on it." - Mike Conley after their loss against the Lakers in their game on Tuesday in the play-in tournament.

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort 

PF Jalen Williams

C Jaylin Williams

PG Mike Conley

SG Anthony Edwards

SF Kyle Anderson

PF Karl-Anthony Towns

C Rudy Gobert

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.4)

APG: J. Giddey (6.2)

Reb/G: J. Giddey (7.9)

PPG: A. Edwards (24.6)

APG: M. Conley (6.7)

Reb/G: R. Gobert (11.6)

Coaches:

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (3rd season)

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch (3rd season)