Victor Wembanyana and the San Antonio Spurs (3-5) will get their first taste of the In-Season Tournament on Friday night when they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves (5-2) to Frost Bank Center for both team’s tournament opener. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
The Spurs will be at full strength, while the Wolves will be without Jordan McLaughlin.
The Timberwolves are 6.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the total is set at 225.5. Minnesota is -258 on the moneyline while San Antonio is +210.
Timberwolves vs. Spurs, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Timberwolves -6.5
The Spurs will have their hands full Friday night, as Minnesota has the best defensive rating in the NBA (100.4), while the Spurs have the worst (121). Wembanyana is a unicorn but is coming off his worst game as a pro last time out against the Knicks (14 points on 4-14 shooting), which was due in large part to the length the Knicks threw his way. The Timberwolves feature two dominant centers in Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns along with budding superstar Anthony Edwards, so I don’t see the Spurs being able to do much on offense tonight. Take Minnesota to win and cover on the road.
Over/Under: Under 225.5
As mentioned above, this is a matchup between two teams on different ends of the defensive spectrum. The Timberwolves should have no problem scoring at will, but I can’t see the Spurs doing their part to get the total over this line.