Timberwolves vs Trail Blazers NBA Lines & Prediction

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

Where: Moda Center
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app
Radio: Tunein.com

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.

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.”

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.

Week 17 NBA Vegas Lines Odds Subject to Change	SPREAD	MONEYLINE	TOTAL
Portland	+9	+300	U 214.5
Minnesota	-9	-400	O 214.5

Why Bet on Portland Trail Blazers?

Tuesday’s 121-109 loss to Minnesota was Portland’s fifth straight defeat. 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.

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.

“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.”

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).

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