The Northwest’s top team, the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-12), travel to the Target Center to face off against the division rival Minnesota Timberwolves (12-26). Action starts at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and can be seen on FxK and FNo.
The Timberwolves are expecting a better outcome after their 93-87 loss to the Mavericks on Sunday. Andrew Wiggins was the team’s leading scorer, recording 21 points. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 115-110 loss to the Trail Blazers on Sunday. Russell Westbrook scored 25 points and recorded 15 assists earning his 23rd double-double of the season.
The Thunder are favored by 10 points over Minnesota and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 211 points. The Timberwolves come into this game 12-26 Straight Up (SU) and 14-23-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 2-8 ATS. The Timberwolves have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 89.4 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 98.6 points per game.
Across the court, the Thunder have a 26-12 SU record, but have struggled ATS with a 15-23 record. Oklahoma City has a good SU record over the last 10 games (7-3), but have a 3-7 record ATS. They sport the second-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 108.9 points per game. The Thunder are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .794 free throw percentage that ranks fourth in the NBA. The Thunder are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 47.3 rebounds per game. Switching gears to Oklahoma City’s defense, blocking shots is an area where it has excelled. The Thunder average 6.7 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the league. One advantage for the Thunder could be Minnesota’s high fouls per game average of 22.7.
This is the first meeting of the season for the Timberwolves and the Thunder. The last time they played Oklahoma City came out on top, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 8-2. With a 6-4 record, the Thunder also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC, ATS Winner – OKC, O/U – Under
Notes
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Minnesota’s last 8 games at home.
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Minnesota is 3-18-1 ATS in its last 22 games at home.
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Minnesota is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Minnesota is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Minnesota puts up an average of 98.6 points per game (ranked 21st), while Oklahoma City allows 101.2 points per game (ranked 17th).
Minnesota ranks 27th in points per home game with 96.2 points, while Oklahoma City ranks 19th in points allowed on the road with 103.1.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 9-6 record. When they don’t reach the century mark, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a subpar record of 2-6.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Timberwolves are just 3-20 this season. Oklahoma City is a stellar 24-6 when it hits the century mark.
The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 101.0 (ranked 25th). The Thunder rank 10th for their defensive rating of 101.5.
Oklahoma City beats Minnesota in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Thunder average 98.9 possessions and 1.101 points per possession, while the Timberwolves average 97.7 possessions with 1.010 points per possession.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with an EFF% of 52.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a subpar 2-14 record.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 15.0 three point attempts per game, and the Oklahoma City Thunder attempt 21.0 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, Minnesota is a perfect 1-0, while Oklahoma City also has a winning record (5-3).
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.52, rank 19th in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a lower A/TO (1.42), ranking 21st.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 47.3 rebounds per game (ranked third). The Minnesota Timberwolves rank 25th, rebounding 42.1 times each contest.
Minnesota is ranked 22nd in defensive rebounds, while Oklahoma City ranks second in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Timberwolves force a turnover rate of 14.9%. When the Thunder turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 13-6 record.
