NBA play-in preview and tips: Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves will look to bounce back against Oklahoma City Thunder with the winning side advancing to the NBA playoffs.
Minnesota Timberwolves play host to Oklahoma City Thunder in a game they're expected to win on home court this Friday, but if there's one thing the betting public has learned about OKC, it's that you never write them off.
Not many people expected them to go to New Orleans and win outright last time out, but it was always likely to be a competitive game. The Thunder got great production from Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who combined for 63 points.
Luguentz Dort added another 27 points and the Pelicans just couldn't find a way to keep up.
The Timberwolves were beaten 108-102 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday evening. Despite a pretty good defensive effort that saw them limit LA to 98 points in regulation and just 42% shooting from the field, the offence didn't show up.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds, whilst Mike Conley chipped in with 23 points, four assists and four rebounds.
Minnesota are likely to meet less resistance on Friday. The Thunder defence allowed an average of 117 points on their travels this season, whilst the Wolves gave up 115.9 per game.
The Timberwolves and the Thunder are top seven teams in terms of the pace they play, and you'd expect Minnesota to bounce back from their poor shooting performance against an OKC team that just doesn't defend well.
A high-scoring game might be likely, but it's likely the Thunder match their opponents blow for blow. OKC have lost by an average of 2.8 points on the road this season, and just 1.9 points when they're the underdog.
Standout Trends
Timberwolves are 2-7ATS in their last nine home games.
Timberwolves are 8-20ATS in their last 28 games as a home favourite.
Thunder are 46-22-3ATS in their last 71 games as a road underdog.
Thunder are 48-33ATS against teams with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
Suggested Bets
Over 228.5
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