Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors Odds, NBA Betting Pick
The Minnesota Timberwolves (31-19) will try to rebound from a rough road loss Wednesday when they visit the Golden State Warriors (38-10) Thursday as big underdogs.
Minnesota is coming off a 123-114 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who missed the game because of a knee injury. Butler is listed as questionable at Golden State.
Point spread: The Warriors opened as 10.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.
NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 118.6-106.6, Warriors. NBA picks on every game.
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Why the Timberwolves Can Cover the spread
The Timberwolves will be hoping Butler will return for this matchup against the league's best team. He has been one of the most valuable additions to any team this season, not only with his scoring (21.7 points per game) but also with his rebounding (5.4 rebounds per game) and passing (5.0 assists per game).
Regardless, Minnesota hung tough at Portland for a half without him, and the team has gone an impressive 4-2-1 against the spread in its past seven meetings with Golden State, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Why the Warriors Can Cover the Spread
The Warriors have won 10 of their past 12 games overall, although they have did not cover the spread in four of their past five. Three of those failed covers took place away from home during a recently completed five-game road trip, which saw Golden State go 4-1 straight up and win by an average of 6.6 points.
The Warriors are coming off a 123-112 win over the New York Knicks Tuesday behind Stephen Curry, who scored 17 of his 32 points in the third quarter, when they held a 37-26 edge.
Smart Betting Pick
Butler's status is crucial in this game, but even without him in the lineup, there would seem to be some value on the Timberwolves. Minnesota has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this year thanks to the former Chicago Bull and the emergence of young players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, who have developed nicely under second-year head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Towns and Wiggins combined for 40 points versus the Blazers and will help the T-Wolves cover here.
NBA Betting Trends
Minnesota is 7-3 ATS in its past 10 games.
Golden State is 1-4 ATS in its past five games.
The total has gone under in four of Golden State's past six games.
All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
