Timberwolves vs Trail Blazers NBA Lines considering Minnesota like favorites on the Odds

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The last NBA game before the All-Star break is a late-night tip from Portland on Thursday as the Trail Blazers host the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves to complete a two-game “series” between the teams in the Pacific Northwest. The Wolves are heavy favorites on the NBA odds to sweep. 2024 NBA Expert Analysis Minnesota vs Portland | MyBookie Sportsbook NBA Week 17

How to Bet Timberwolves at Trail Blazers NBA Vegas Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 10 PM ET
Where: Moda Center
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Timberwolves -9 (total 214.5)

Timberwolves vs Trail Blazers Season Series

Portland won the 2022-23 season series against Minnesota, 3-1, but the Blazers were better last year with Damian Lillard still around. Now they are one of the West’s worst teams and the Timberwolves have the best record in the conference. They are up 2-0 this season in the series. All-time, the Blazers lead 90-44 and in Portland they lead 52-15 despite losing Tuesday.

Why Bet on Minnesota Timberwolves?

The Timberwolves won their third straight game Tuesday, 121-109 in Portland to kick off this two-game set. All-Star Anthony Edwards was questionable with a minor injury but played and had 41 points, four rebounds and two assists in 41 minutes through a sore knee. Edwards attempted a whopping 27 shots in the win, one less than his season high.

Edwards said he was “super close” to sitting out because of the injury. After doing a pregame workout with David Hines, vice president of medical operations and performance, and putting a little heat on it, Edwards decided to give it a go after all. “I can’t miss a game because of knee soreness,” he said.

Edwards has now scored 20+ points and made at least one three in 10 straight road games, the second-longest such streak in Timberwolves history. Karl-Anthony Towns had a streak of 11 such games from Feb. 7-March 23, 2019.

It was Edwards’ first 40-point game since December 28, when he torched the Mavericks for a season-high 44. The Wolves needed Edwards’ offense on a night Karl-Anthony Towns (13 points) picked up three fouls in the first quarter and sat the entire second. Several of his teammates also had tough nights, like Jaden McDaniels, who went 0-for-7, and Mike Conley, who was 2-for-7.

“Really proud of him,” coach Chris Finch said of Edwards. “I know he was banged up and last night was a super physical game. Tonight ended up being a really physical game too. Kind of got off to a slow start. Then he got hot. Once he gets hot, there’s no getting him off the floor.”

Towns, who like Edwards will play in Sunday’s All-Star Game, is one of three players in the NBA this season to average 20+ points while shooting 50% or better from the field and 40% or more from three-point range (Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard).

Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 15 rebounds and is on a six-game double-double streak. Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in 18 points off the bench. It was one of his product’s best games of the season, and his contributions could increase if Conley continues to struggle. However, Monte Morris could also factor into the backcourt rotation more once he gets acclimated to his new team.

The Timberwolves have been stingy on the defensive end this season, only allowing teams to average 51.7 points per game in the second half, while allowing opponents just .438 shooting percentage from the floor, both are tops in the NBA. The Wolves are 14-1 on the season when holding opponents under 100 points, with their 15 games being the most such games in the NBA this season as well as their 14 wins being the most such wins in the NBA this season.

Why Bet on Portland Trail Blazers?

Tuesday’s 121-109 loss to Minnesota was Portland’s fifth straight defeat. The Blazers came back from 14 down in the second quarter to tie the game at 73-73 on a Jerami Grant three-pointer from the corner. Minutes later, the Blazers led 86-84 early in the fourth but things unraveled in a hurry as the Timberwolves cranked up their top-rated defense. In the final quarter, Minnesota shot 61.1% (that number was over 70% before backups came in) while holding the Blazers to under 30% shooting before their backups boosted that number up to 36.8%.

Anfernee Simons accounted for 20 points, five assists, three rebounds and four three-pointers. Active after missing Saturday’s loss to the Pelicans with a sprained ankle, Simons was up against a difficult matchup. The Timberwolves have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season, and they didn’t allow Simons to get too many clean looks. The result was a 6-of-19 night from the field, but four 3-pointers boosted his point total.

Rookie No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson returned after missing two games with a foot injury and had 14 points and nine assists in 34 minutes. He wasn’t on a minutes restriction, which was a good sign regarding the severity of the injury. Henderson finished one assist shy of his fifth double-double, and he’s accounted for nine helpers in back-to-back games. While he didn’t quite get there Tuesday, Henderson recorded 15-plus points and five-plus assists in eight games, which ranks tied for first among rookies this season.

Deandre Ayton shot 11-of-12 from the field, finishing with 22 points to go with 16 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Dalano Banton had a season-high 16 points.

“I’ve always been talking about what we can continue to learn from and how we can continue to develop some chemistry out there,” Coach Chauncey Billups said after Tuesday’s loss. “I’ve said it, I mean, you look at [Deandre Ayton] has a big night tonight, 11 for 12. And just the chemistry that Scoot [Henderson] and him, and [Anfernee Simons] and him are developing has been pretty neat to watch. And this is against the best defense in the league, and maybe the best team right now in the league. So a lot of different things we can take from and feel like we got better with tonight.”

Guard Malcolm Brogdon missed another game with right elbow tendinitis and won’t play Thursday. He has provided strong play for Portland this season, averaging 15.7 points and 5.5 assists while connecting on 41.2 percent of his three-point attempts. Fellow guard Shaedon Sharpe recently had surgery to address a core muscle injury and will miss around six weeks.

Portland ranks fourth this season in opponent turnovers per game (14.7), fifth (tie) in deflections per game (15.3) and ninth in total deflections (797).

Timberwolves vs Trail Blazers Expert Prediction

Timberwolves 119, Blazers 111

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