The Washington Wizards take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Thursday evening. The matchup is the final game before the All-Star break for both teams, with Washington entering at 27-30 overall. The Wizards have won three of the last four games, but Washington will face a Minnesota team that is 20-12 at home and 31-29 overall. Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) is out for the Wolves, with Rudy Gobert (groin) and Kyle Anderson (back) listed as questionable. Washington’s injury report is clean.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET in Minneapolis. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Wolves as 3.5-point home favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 235.5 in the latest Wizards vs. Wolves odds. Before you make any Wizards vs. Wolves picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 55-29 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,200. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Wizards vs. Timberwolves and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Wizards vs. Wolves:
Wizards vs. Timberwolves spread: Wolves -3.5
Wizards vs. Timberwolves over/under: 235.5 points
Wizards vs. Timberwolves money line: Minnesota -155, Washington +130
WASH: The Wizards are 16-13-2 against the spread in road games
MINN: The Wolves are 17-15 against the spread in home games
Wizards vs. Timberwolves picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Wizards can cover
Washington has strengths on both sides of the floor this season. The Wizards are balanced and effective on offense, shooting 48.5% from the floor to rank in the top eight of the NBA. That includes a top-10 mark in 2-point attempts, making almost 56% of shots inside the arc, and Washington should be able to take advantage of Minnesota’s issues.
The Wolves are dead-last in the NBA in free throw attempts allowed (26.2 per game) and in the bottom five of the league in defensive rebound rate (69.6%). Washington also contests shots at a high level on defense, ranking in the top six of the league in opponent field goal percentage (46.5%) and opponent 2-point percentage (52.7%). The Wizards are in the top eight in free throw prevention (22.7 attempts per game) and assists allowed (23.9 per game), with Washington facing a Minnesota offense that has a poor offensive rebound rate of 25.6%.
Why the Wolves can cover
Minnesota is strong at home this season, posting a 20-12 record and holding opponents to only 1.11 points per possession. The Wolves also have a 59.9% true shooting mark at Target Center, and rank in the top five of the NBA in field goal percentage (49.3%) and 2-point percentage (57.9%) over the full-season sample. The Wolves are in the top ten in fast break points and points in the paint, and Washington ranks second-worst in the league in turnover creation, producing only 12.2 takeaways per game on defense.
Minnesota is also above the league average in defensive efficiency, yielding 1.13 points per possession, and ranks in the top five in turnover creation (15.9 per game). Minnesota is a top-six team in creating blocked shots (5.9 per game) and steals (8.1 per game), and opponents are shooting only 53.8% inside the 3-point arc against the Wolves.
How to make Wizards vs. Wolves picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the point total, with only seven players projected to score in double figures. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Wizards vs. Wolves? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Wizards vs. Wolves spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.